Key Matchup to Watch in Commanders-Lions: CB Jeff Okudah vs. Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

Jeff Okudah came into the Detroit Lions' season-opening contest vs. the Philadelphia Eagles with a great deal of expectations.

Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, played in just one game a year ago after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles' injury in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. And, when he has suited up, the results have largely been underwhelming.

Fast-forward to last week's matchup with Philadelphia, in which Okudah looked noticeably better.

The third-year cornerback logged 18 man coverage snaps, and allowed zero catches on one target, per Pro Football Focus. And, he ranked 16th among all first-, second-and-third-year corners, with a PFF grade of 63.1 on 66 total snaps.

Jeff Okudah in man coverage in Week 1:

🦁18 coverage snaps
🦁1 target
🦁0 catches allowed pic.twitter.com/I6SvNdxNLb
— PFF (@PFF) September 16, 2022

Additionally, his 10 total tackles and 82.8 tackling grade ranked first among all corners in Week 1.

DET CB Jeff Okudah was PFF’s 16th Highest Ranked 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Year CB in Week 1 with a 63.1 Grade on 66 Snaps.

Okudah’s 82.8 Tackling Grade and 9 tackles ranked 1st among all CBs in Week 1.

He allowed 32 yards on 4 catches (Long of only 11 yards) while recording 1 PBU.
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) September 13, 2022

Simply, he looked good for his first time playing in a regular season game in a year.

Now, a big test awaits him in Week 2: a matchup with his former Ohio State teammate, in Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Okudah and McLaurin played in Columbus together for two years (in 2017 and 2018). In '18, McLaurin's final season as a member of the Buckeyes, he caught a career-best 11 touchdown passes.

He was subsequently drafted by Washington in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and has put together a solid pro career since.

In fact, "Scary Terry" has logged 224 receptions and 3,148 yards, to go along with 17 touchdowns, in 47 career NFL games. He's also produced back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard campaigns (1,118 yards in 2020 and 1,053 in 2021).

So, Okudah should have his hands full with the fourth-year pro on Sunday.

McLaurin, for one, enjoyed going one-on-one with Okudah while at Ohio State.

"It was fun,” McLaurin said this week, in reference to going head-to-head with Okudah in practice. “Especially the early years, because I kind of got to throw him around a little bit. The physicality of the game was a little different, going from high school to college. But, he adapted really well. He’s a guy who’s a sponge, really just excited to get better and learn.”

A week ago, McLaurin recorded two catches for 58 yards and a score, on four targets from Commanders passer Carson Wentz.

Meanwhile, Okudah went up against former Alabama standout wideout DeVonta Smith, the 2020 Heisman winner, and didn't allow him to record a single catch (on four targets).

Lions head man Dan Campbell was more than pleased with the performance.

“I loved the fact that he (Okudah) went up there and challenged,” Campbell told reporters Wednesday. “He challenged plenty of times on the perimeter, challenged the receivers in the pass game. He came up and tackled. I thought he played physical. Listen, he certainly wasn’t perfect. But, the first time out of the gate in a year -- live game, full reps -- he took quite a load. It was a positive. It’s certainly something to build off of. … He’s trending the right way.”

As for how the former Buckeyes defensive back will fare this week, I'm predicting that he'll allow McLaurin to haul in two balls, on four passes, from Wentz. And, to go along with those two catches, I think he'll accumulate 55 yards, but fail to find the end zone.

It won't be a great week from Okudah, but it also will not be a performance that costs Detroit the Week 2 affair.