The Chargers are set to open up the regular season on the road against the Bengals.
The headline of this matchup will be rookie quarterback Joe Burrow making his professional debut.
However, there’s no guarantee that Burrow’s welcome party will be all sunshine and rainbows as he will be facing one of the league’s best defenses, led by safety Derwin James.
NFL Media’s Chris Wesseling composed a list of the top individual matchups in the 2020 regular season, and leading the group is the bout between Burrow and James.
Welcome to the NFL, Heisman hero. Here’s a matchup against a sneaky loaded defense featuring a versatile defensive back with Troy Polamalu’s timing on blitzes. OK, I’m bending the rules. As much fun as it might be to watch James stalking fresh quarterback prey, the headliner is Burrow vs. Justin Herbert in a clash of putative franchise saviors. This is a measuring-stick matchup not only for the two high draft picks but also for each of the superstar-starved fanbases.
Drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Burrow took college football by storm, throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns and only six interceptions, while leading LSU to a National Championship over Clemson in the title game.
Burrow’s phenomenal stint with the Tigers showcased that he is capable of taking care of business against the top defenses at the Division 1 level, but can he continue his dominance against NFL defenses, especially one of the most superior, in his rookie season?
James, the do-it-all defender, won’t make it easy for him as he will be over the field – lining up across from his targets and will look to be in his face when blitzing off the edge.
But it won’t just be James doing all the work. There are pieces at all three levels, including the new additions of cornerback Chris Harris Jr., linebacker Kenneth Murray and defensive tackle Linval Joseph, that will be eager to make Burrow’s professional debut an unwelcoming one.