The Chicago Bears are catching the New England Patriots on a short week as the two teams meet on Thursday Night Football. One matchup to watch will be Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown versus Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
This season has been a rough one for Johnson, with far more lows in coverage than highs. He has been burned time and again; many fans have repeatedly called for him to be benched or move on from the team.
There might be some good news coming Johnson's way entering Week 7, though. He isn't the only one playing this game without momentum, as Brown is having his own struggles.
Jaylon Johnson might be able to match up better with A.J. Brown than Bears fans think
Brown injured his right ankle in the Patriots' first game against the Seattle Seahawks, which landed him on IR. In New England's Week 6 win over the New York Jets, Brown made his first appearance since Week 1.
Brown's night went south quickly. He caught only three of his 10 targets for 27 yards, fumbled, and dropped a career-high three passes in the win.
That should be music to Johnson's ears after seeing some of his early-season struggles with the Bears. He has allowed a passer rating of 115.1, down three points from last week.
Pro Football Focus gives Johnson an overall grade of 44.1, ranking him 94th among 102 eligible cornerbacks. He also has a coverage grade of 40.9 (ranked 94th) and a run-defense grade of 61.4 (ranked 58th).
Will Johnson be able to contain Brown the whole game? More than likely, not. Brown is a physically gifted wide receiver who can beat any NFL corner.
At this point in the season, though, Brown doesn't look like a great wide receiver. He may be trying to get his feet under him after missing four games, but his confidence isn't there.
Johnson should be foaming at the mouth to cover Brown, as this could be his time to regain his confidence. In the Week 6 win over the Atlanta Falcons, they threw for only 225 yards, showing improvement in the secondary. Johnson gave up fewer big, explosive plays than he did in the Green Bay Packers loss.
No, Johnson isn't perfect and is still nowhere near where he was in 2023 and 2024, but we're finally seeing some improvement. As the season goes on, that should continue to trend in the right direction for the veteran corner.
Read more: Josh Blackwell continues to quietly be Bears' true secret weapon
With the Patriots potentially missing three starting offensive linemen, the Bears should have an advantage up front and force Drake Maye into some bad passes. Johnson will have support, but this could be his shot to beat Brown and prove that he is back in Pro Bowl form.
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