Who stopped Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson: The Cowboys or his own team's play-calling and execution?

The answer, as it often is with toss-up questions, is a little of both.

Following Dallas' 20-16 Sunday night win over the Eagles, coach Andy Reid, responding to a question asking why there was a never a deep ball thrown in Jackson's direction, said that the Cowboys had been rolling coverage toward the receiver.

However, during yesterday's day-after news conference, Reid admitted that he could have done a better job of getting one of the NFL's top playmakers more involved in the offense.

"I thought we could have given him a few more opportunities yesterday, and that's my responsibility," he said. "I have to do a better job of getting that kid in the right spots to do that."

Jackson finished the evening with just two catches for 29 yards. There were five passes thrown in his direction. He didn't get a carry, although some on-the-ground trickery with the 22-year-old has been a facet of the Eagles' offense.

However, Sunday was similar to how Jackson has been used through the first half of the season. He has only 26 receptions, which, entering last night, placed him in a tie for 61st in the league. Last season as a rookie, he had 34 catches after eight games. His numbers dipped in the second half as teams caught on to Jackson and as his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame wore down.

This season, opponents are even more aware of Jackson after a dizzying start in which he's had six touchdowns of over 50 yards. Dallas seemed to make stopping the receiver their primary defensive objective. That philosophy stretched over into special teams with Cowboys punter Mat McBriar kicking away from Jackson and out of bounds on two occasions.

"That team did a great job tonight of taking me out of the game," Jackson said Sunday. "It's just a disappointing feeling right now. It's a long season and these kinds of games are going to happen."

The previous time it happened was in Week 4 when Tampa Bay exhausted itself double-teaming Jackson. He was held to just one catch and 1 yard, but rookie Jeremy Maclin burned the Buccaneers for 142 yards and two scores.

Maclin was not as effective against Dallas. He tallied three catches for 44 yards, but nine passes were thrown his way and two were intercepted. The first was directly his fault and went through his hands. The second was the responsibility of both Maclin and Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

"When you get to that 10- to 12-yard area, you want to make sure you get your eyes back for the ball," Reid said. "Could it have been thrown a little better? It could have. At the same time, they have to get on the same page there with each other."

In football, it's often hard to pin blame on one player or one entity. Everything is connected. So to point blame at Reid and Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg for not trying to get Jackson the ball would be neglecting two McNabb pass attempts that were way off mark. McNabb can't take the full brunt because he was under a constant barrage of pass rushers. And the offensive line wasn't fully at fault because an early injury to left tackle Jason Peters created a musical chairs of position changes up front.

"Everybody else has to elevate their game," McNabb said. "We all have to elevate our game and get [Jackson] out of that so we can get him more involved."

And then there was just situational play-calling. With Peters absent, the Eagles called more run plays in the first half. Fans and critics harp on Reid for abandoning the run, but too many run plays can sometimes affect the quarterback-receiver chemistry.

Mostly, though, it was Dallas coach Wade Phillips' scheme that took Jackson and the big play out of the equation. It opened up lanes underneath, significantly for running back LeSean McCoy, who took one screen 45 yards. But there were no bubble screens or short crossing routes designed to get Jackson the ball and let him create.

"We move him around and try to get him opportunities to get some catches," McNabb said. "He had a great catch on the deep 18 or 20-yard reception."

But that catch didn't occur until there was 8 minutes and 20 seconds left in the third quarter. Jackson snagged one more ball for 9 yards in the fourth quarter, but that would be the end of his night. At that point he had won the battle between both team's top playmaking receivers.

Contact staff writer Jeff McLane

at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.