Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson gets downfield test against this Giants WR

The Chicago Bears rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson will be the prime matchup against Darius Slayton

One of the few bright spots from the New York Giants Monday Night Football loss to Pittsburgh was the emergence of Darius Slayton. The second year receiver showed he could be in for a breakout year with six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the New York Giants. The Chicago Bears clearly took notice of the most explosive player from the Giants offense.

The Giants did move their receivers around a little bit, but Slayton did line up almost exclusively on the same side that Jaylon Johnson would line up on. The Chicago Bears have never followed receivers, so the expectation on Sunday is that we are going to see Slayton matched up on Johnson for the majority of the game.

What is worth noting is that Slayton has typically been a deep ball specialist for the Giants. It was a 41-yard touchdown that kicked the game off for the Giants on Monday.

While Slayton does have a tested time better than Johnson, one of the more outstanding highlights of Johnson’s time at Utah was how little he was targeted down the field. That was mainly because he was lights out down the field.

That showed on Sunday as well. Marvin Jones, like Slayton is a downfield pass catcher. However, Jones biggest plays came underneath, and after the catch. This is typically where Johnson will allow his receptions.

Jones is a more experienced version of Slayton, so he was able to adjust and make plays after the catch. To date, Slayton has been more of a one-trick pony on offense. While his trick has been great, and he beat the Steelers on it a couple of times, Johnson is entering a matchup of strength vs. strength. After a strong performance on Sunday, we will see if he can have a repeat against a similar receiver in Week Two.