Much to the bewilderment of many, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston is finally embarking on the breakout campaign fans have been waiting for. The first two seasons of his NFL career saw the former first-rounder struggle with drop issues due to a bad case of the yips, but it looks like those days are firmly behind him.
The 24-year-old is off to a scorching start to Year 3, as his 239 receiving yards are sixth-most in the NFL—ahead of players like Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St Brown, and CeeDee Lamb. He also has yet to drop a pass this season, as he and Justin Herbert are finally operating on the save wavelength.
While he's finally looking like the player we saw light up defenses at TCU, that's not what fans of the New York Giants want to hear. Big Blue's weak secondary will be tasked with slowing down Johnston, Keenan Allen, and Ladd McConkey—and it seems like Shane Bowen's group will be in for another long afternoon on Sunday.
Quentin Johnston is due for a career game against the Giants' secondary
New York's defense is surrendering over 400 total yards per game and over 60% of those are coming through the air. The Giants have the fifth-worst pass defense in the NFL, and a date with the explosive Chargers offense won't be the game that rewrites the narrative.
Johnston amassed 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns a season ago, but is expected to shatter those numbers this season. The two-time First Team All-Big 12 wideout is currently on a 17-game pace to record 79 receptions for 1,354 yards and 17 scores in 2025—all of which would mark a career-high.
The deep-ball ability of the Texas native is finally being recognized after he caught a 60-yard touchdown against the Raiders on Monday Night Football back in Week 2. He'll most likely be matched up with new CB1 Paulson Adebo, but the former Saints draft pick has allowed 13 receptions in three games in blue and white.
Between Adebo, Andru Phillips, Tyler Nubin, and Jevon Holland, the back-end for the G-Men has been among the most disappointing units in football through the first month. Herbert and the Chargers boast a potent passing attack, so fans should be shaking in their boots.
Jim Harbaugh came to Los Angeles and instantly transformed the offense, which is bad news for Bowen and company. First-round running back Omarion Hampton had a career game in Week 3 while Allen, McConkey, and Johnston have all been key contributors through the air.
The Giants' defense has yet another challenge on their hands, and Johnston's breakout has made it that much scarier. All signs point to Johnston having a career-defining performance on Sunday, and if Big Blue doesn’t find a way to contain him, this could make for a long—and disappointing—day that could spoil Jaxson Dart's debut.