3. Downs is an excellent route-runner who has a track record of separating vs. man coverage.
Downs’ calling card is his ability to win against man coverage. An excellent route-runner who has a natural feel for space, the shifty Downs has demonstrated an ability to consistently separate against 1-on-1 defenders.
The folks at Fantasy Points Data, for example, assigned Downs the third-best “separation score” of any wide receiver in the NFL this season behind only Garrett Wilson and Zay Flowers.
Additionally, according to Pro Football Focus, Downs has been targeted 19 times vs. man coverage this season – the seventh-most of any player – and on those plays, he caught 11 passes for 126 yards and nine first downs while tallying 63 yards after-the-catch.
That prowess vs. man coverage has showed up on third down, too. Downs’ 10 first-down receptions that moved the chains on third down are the 12th-most in the NFL despite taking place as part of a Colts’ offense that has struggled to throw the football in recent weeks. Now in Kansas City, that skillset will help to open things up for fellow receivers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and others.