Philadelphia Eagles: 5 positive talking points from the Week 1 loss
By David Esser
Darius Slay is the real deal.
Last season Terry McLaurin put up 5 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles in Week 1, this go around he put up just 5 catches for 61 yards and zero touchdowns. The Slay-McLaurin battle was one of the most anticipated matchups heading into Week 1, and it’s pretty safe to say that Darius Slay won fairly emphatically.
When specifically guarded by Slay in 1-on-1 man coverage, McLaurin had just 2 receptions over the course of 50 total snaps. The former Detroit Lions corner had the second-year wideout completely locked up.
The Philadelphia Eagles invested a fair amount of assets into Slay this offseason, trading away two draft picks and then handing out a big extension soon after. There were a few whispers that Slay might not be the same corner that he was earlier in his career, but that was all quickly forgotten on Sunday.
Slay mirrored McLaurin near perfectly all Sunday afternoon long, keeping him out of the end zone and not letting him separate for any big plays. McLaurin’s speed gave Slay troubles in 2019, but the Eagles CB didn’t have any troubles with it this go around.
The Eagles have long been searching for their next lockdown corner, and so far, Slay looks to be the right man for the job.