3 Detroit Lions who must play well in Week 15 against the New York Jets

2. CB Jeff Okudah

Okudah dealt with an illness all week leading into Week 14 against the Vikings, and it showed prominently on game day. He did have a couple nice plays in the run game, but he picked up a couple bad penalties and barely played after.

On Sunday Okudah will be tasked with covering Jets rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Wilson is having a nice debut season. But he has been particularly revived by the installation of Mike White as the Jets’ starting quarterback, with 19 catches (on 30 targets) for 335 yards and two touchdowns over the last three games.

Friday’s news White has not been cleared for contact as he deals with a rib issue and Zach Wilson will start under center for the Jets Sunday is bad news for Garrett Wilson, and good news for the Lions. But Okudah still needs to play well.

Okudah is a strong tackler, and he’ll need to be against Wilson, who is second among NFL wide receivers with 18 forced missed tackles this season (h/t to Lions Wire). Okudah has had a primary role in shutting down some prominent opposing receivers this season, and Wilson is next up.

Okudah’s illness seems to all the way behind him this week and he’s had an emergent season, becoming the Lions’ best cornerback as he leaves draft bust talk behind. He needs to perform like an all-around No. 1 corner on Sunday, or it might be a long day for the Lions’ secondary.