(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Chicago’s defensive backfield is, in a word, suspect. Their cornerback group is led by second-year player Jaylon Johnson. At 6’0 and 190 pounds, he is a pretty clear mismatch for Bucs star receiver Mike Evans.
Last week it took Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield a little while to make a connection, but a Mike Evans touchdown reception is nothing if not inevitable, snagging a 28-yard score in the second half. The catch appeared to get the cobwebs out of the passing offense, with Baker completing 15 of 20 passes after starting the game six of 14.
Chicago’s lack of consistent pass rush should give Mayfield and Evans sufficient opportunities to connect on deep passes, so long as Evans’ issues with drops do not emerge. He dropped a pass against Minnesota last week and dropped 14.3% of his passes last season according to Pro Football Focus, the second-worst drop rate of his career.
Though the Bucs tend to move their receivers around, Evans should be matched up with Johnson often. Johnson has just one career interception in four years in the NFL, while Evans has a career contested catch rate of 55.3 per PFF. The Bucs are likely to test that matchup early and often.
