DeSean Jackson is healthy, the Eagles’ secondary isn’t healthy, and if there’s one matchup that could determine who wins the Eagles-Redskins game Saturday night it’s Jackson vs. a beleaguered and banged-up secondary.
Jackson, who spent the 2008 through 2013 seasons making big plays for the Eagles, is now doing the same thing for the Redskins.
And he hopes to do so against the Eagles on Saturday night.
The Eagles need to beat the Redskins at the Linc to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the 'Skins have won four of their last six and the Eagles have lost four of their last six.
And after missing the first seven games of the season with a bad hamstring injury, Jackson has come to life. He has touchdowns of 56, 63 and 77 yards over the past five weeks and on Sunday caught six passes for 153 yards in the 'Skins' win over the Bills.
Jackson and Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins have developed very good chemistry of late, and in the six games that Jackson has been a full-time player, Cousins has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
“With a young quarterback who doesn’t have as many reps as you would think, or you would want, it really just comes down to trusting,” Jackson said on the Redskins’ website. “I think the more and more we play together and the more snaps we take together, I think we’ll see more days like this.”
Cousins, who replaced Robert Griffin III as the Redskins’ full-time quarterback before the season began, ranks eighth in the NFL with a 97.2 passer rating and leads the NFL with a 69.7 percent completion percentage. That’s eighth-highest in NFL history.
“Right now, the Redskins’ offense is playing as well as they’ve played all season,” Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said Tuesday.
“DeSean is getting vertical balls at a high rate. He’s DeSean. He blows the top of everything, and we’ve got to be aware and over the top of him and have a lot of concentration.
“We’ve got to be at our best. We’ve got to tackle great, we’ve got to defend the deep ball. It’s got to be our best week.”
Despite spending just six years here, Jackson ranks fourth in Eagles history with 6,117 receiving yards. He made three Pro Bowls in his six seasons in Philly.
Head coach Chip Kelly released him without explanation after the 2013 season.
Jackson ranks eighth in NFL history with 19 career touchdown catches of 50 yards or more, those TDs coming from six different quarterbacks — Michael Vick (six), Cousins (six), Donovan McNabb (three), Kevin Kolb (two), and Griffin and Nick Foles (one each).
Jackson also ranks 16th in NFL history with nine games of at least 150 receiving yards.
He’s fourth in the NFL this year in yards per catch at 18.8 and 13th in NFL history with a 17.8 career mark.
Jackson was out when the Eagles and Redskins met back in Week 4, a game the Redskins won, 23-20, at FedEx Field.
“It's completely different,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “Not from a schematic standpoint, but from a personnel standpoint. It is something you have to pay attention to as a defense because although he's not the number one target they have, every time he's targeted he can be explosive.
“He can change a game probably quicker than all of their threats. You’ve got to know where he's at at all times. His ability to stretch the field is to be respected, and we'll treat it accordingly.”
Through their loss to the Patriots in early November, the Redskins were averaging 19.8 points per game, and they were 3-5.
In six games with a healthy Jackson, they’re averaging 26.3 points, and they’re 4-2.
"His first game back was New England, I don't think he was quite right,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “He's gradually getting himself back to where he is rolling and I think he's been healthy the last three or four weeks. It's just a matter of getting back into the flow and getting that continuity with the quarterback and having that trust in Kirk.
“You can see the other day ... he threw a ball up to him, the 77-yarder, that maybe a couple of weeks ago he wouldn't have thrown just because he wasn't sure how DeSean would adjust to it or what have you. But I think the trust factor between DeSean and Kirk is starting to grow and with all the receivers, quite frankly.
“He’s anticipating throws and letting the receivers go do the work for him, which is why he's having success, and DeSean is no different. We're giving him a few more looks.”
Everybody knows what’s at stake Saturday night.
With a win, the Redskins will clinch the NFC East title. If the Eagles win, they would wrap up the division with a win over the Giants next weekend.
Jackson had 117 and 126 yards in two games against the Eagles last year.
With 100 yards Sunday, Jackson would join Victor Cruz, Anthony Carter and Bobby Hayes as the fourth player in history to surpass 100 receiving yards in his first three games against the Eagles.
“We’re winding down to the end of the season,” Jackson said. “If we win out, we control our own destiny. We’re just excited for the opportunity, and it can’t get better than going back to Philly.”