Everyone’s talking about Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell: ‘He doesn’t really play like a rookie’

It was a quiet night for the Washington Commanders star receiver Terry McLaurin. That’s because Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was lined up opposite of the receiver dubbed “Scary Terry” for most of the Eagles’ 26-18 victory. On 20 passing plays with Mitchell in coverage, he was targeted a total of zero times.

McLaurin was coming off a solid performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching all five of his catchable targets for 113 yards and four first downs in his team’s loss as he continues to develop a rapport with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Against the Eagles, however, McLaurin didn’t have a single target in the first half and finished the night with one reception (on two targets) for 10 yards against Cooper DeJean, just before the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

The Washington receiver complimented the rookie corner after the game.

“He’s a good corner,” McLaurin said. “He doesn’t really play like a rookie.”

His quarterback also noticed how difficult it was to get his top wideout the ball.

“I mean, I feel like they had a little plan of, ‘Hey, let’s limit [McLaurin]’ and stuff like that,” Daniels said. “So, we’ve got to go back and watch the film and figure out ways how I could get Terry the ball, how we could get Terry the ball.”

When asked what was the key to shutting down the Commanders’ leading receiver, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pointed to the play of his corners.

» READ MORE: Quinyon Mitchell has coming-out party as Eagles defense stifles Jayden Daniels and the Commanders

“I think our guys did a nice job going against [McLaurin]. … A lot of credit to Q and [Darius] Slay and the underneath coverage that was helping them go other places with the football,” Sirianni said after the game. “Good team defense takes being on the same page, playing with great effort to the football, which I saw a lot in this game, and then just tackling well.”

But Sirianni and the Commanders players were hardly the only ones singing Mitchell’s praises following the prime-time win in front of a national audience.

After Mitchell’s performance, James Palmer captured a moment between the rookie and former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. The former Legion of Boom member reportedly has said Mitchell reminds him of himself as a player — and it’s not the first time he’s complimented the rookie.

Sherman played 11 seasons in the NFL, was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, voted All-Pro five times, led the league in interceptions in 2013, and, during his time in Seattle, helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl.

The high praise continued on social media with reporters and former NFL players giving Mitchell his flowers.

» READ MORE: Fan-genius! Vic’s defense, Saquon Barkley’s greatness leave Eagles as NFC’s second-best Super Bowl contender

Upon second viewing, it appears Mitchell’s night was just as impressive as it was live.

This wasn’t the first game Mitchell shut down a team’s top target. Just last week, he held Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb to one catch for 5 yards, albeit without Dak Prescott. A week earlier, he held Cincinnati Bengals star wideout Ja’Marr Chase to 16 yards on two catches. And he’s been doing it all season.

On social media, even more stats from Mitchell’s rookie season started to emerge, each one more impressive than the last.

» READ MORE: Eagles stats: Saquon Barkley’s blinding speed, Quinyon Mitchell’s shutout key win over the Commanders

The Eagles are currently sixth in points allowed this season and they have allowed the fewest yards of any team in the league, which is quite a turnaround from a defense that was among the worst in the league before the bye week. A lot of credit goes to new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the addition of players like Mitchell, DeJean, Zack Baun, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

If Eagles fans didn’t recognize Mitchell’s talent before, they do now.

And for future opponents forced to line up against either Mitchell or DeJean, maybe it’s time to get a little worried.