Which Buffalo Bills Cornerback Should Washington Target?
The Washington Football Team has a tough battle ahead this weekend, hitting the road to play the Buffalo Bills in upstate New York.
One of the toughest individual challenges is expected to be presented by Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, who we assume will be matched up as much as possible against WFT wide receiver, Terry McLaurin.
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After recording two Pro Bowl seasons in his first four since joining the Bills in 2017, and one First-Team All-Pro selection in 2019, White has become the name feared by most in their secondary.
But is he the best cover corner Buffalo has to offer this weekend against Washington?
That question, of course, is very specific to what's happening in 2021. White is actually the third-ranked cornerback on his own team through two weeks of play.
Coming in behind fellow cornerbacks Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson, White is the 61st ranked cornerback against the pass according to Pro Football Focus. That ranking comes out of 91 NFL corners who have played at least 36 pass coverage snaps so far in 2021.
With a 57.1 total coverage grade this season, PFF credits White with allowing seven catches on 13 targets, and an average of 11.3 yards per reception allowed average. The completion percentage against (53 percent), and yards per catch numbers are the worst on Buffalo's defense.
While Bills cornerbacks aren't being challenged deep all that often in general, White is the deepest average target, with quarterbacks challenging him at a depth of 9.2 yards in his first two games.
Buffalo's starting corners are White and Taron Johnson. Each has 84 or more snaps in coverage this season, and it's White who has been targeted the most, who has allowed more completions per target, and who is allowing the better opposing quarterback rating.
Of course, even White's is just a 72.3 QBR through two weeks, 10th best among NFL corners who have similar pass coverage reps.
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So, nobody is suggesting White has lost his mojo, or isn't as good a cornerback as we've thought he is - only that being covered by White and the Buffalo Bills defense isn't a death sentence for a Washington wide receiver.
Combine that fact with the confidence both Terry McLaurin and quarterback Taylor Heinicke seem to have, and we wouldn't expect the Washington Football Team offense to avoid No. 27 for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
