The upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins will likely give us something we rarely see in today's NFL: A heavyweight showdown between an elite wide receiver and an elite cornerback worthy of being exhibited in Madison Square Garden.

Instead, it'll take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. However, the hype remains.

CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Ramsey have played some of the best football at their positions this season and as long as Vic Fangio decides to let Ramsey shadow Lamb, fans are in for an epic battle. 

The case for Jalen Ramsey shadowing CeeDee Lamb

Of course, that's a big if. In today's league, as use of man coverage and traveling cornerback diminishes and star wide receivers play from the slot, you see less and less cornerbacks and wideouts battle it out for entire games. Nowadays, you're more likely to have offenses move away from the top defensive back. 

Fangio might opt to have his corner stay on one side of the field and eliminate it. However, intrigue about the potential matchup is as high as it could be entering Week 16 considering just last weekend, Ramsey shadowed Garrett Wilson, the Jets' top wide receiver, for over 50% of the plays.

And, boy, oh boy, was he successful: In those, Ramsey allowed zero catches in one target. The Jets offense was at its lowest for the year as they were totally shut out at zero points.

Pair that with the Cowboys' outing last weekend: The Bills defense consistently took away Dak Prescott's first read and played great coverage with two safeties up high the majority of the game. That caused one of the worst offensive performances for an offense that recently had its quarterback leading the MVP odds.

Not to mention, Fangio has already been successful playing man coverage against Prescott. Back in 2021, his Denver Broncos stopped Dak right on his tracks with man coverage.

"(That time) it was more for the matchups," McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday. "He went to more man to man that day than prior to the game. He's at a different place, different players, (…) it'll be in the game review but it was not part of the cutups."

Week 16 could be a major opportunity for CeeDee Lamb

If the war happens, we're in for an instant classic. 15 weeks into the 2023 NFL season, CeeDee Lamb is: 

• #6 in PFF receiving grade
• #8 in yards per route run
• #9 in passer rating when targeted
• #2 in first downs
• #5 in touchdowns
• #1 in receiving grade vs man coverage (!!!)

Meanwhile, Jalen Ramsey, who's only played seven games this season after returning from a knee injury before the regular season, has been elite, too: 

• #1 in passer rating allowed
• #1 in reception percentage allowed
• #15 in PFF coverage grade
• Currently allows 1.6 catches per game and 22 yards per game

There are two ways I could see this playing out favorably for the Cowboys 1) Dak and Mike McCarthy keep the offense going by targeting other players and the offense proves its versatility with much-needed urgency.

I'd be happy with that but man, here's my preferred scenario in Week 16: Prescott targets CeeDee against Jalen and is successful with it. If Lamb is able to beat Ramsey on some of these reps on Sunday, No. 88 would unlock another level of respect in the NFL.

A good old fashioned WR1 vs. CB1 battle awaits us. I can't wait.

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Not ideal.