CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Josh Norman was on his couch with his pet dog Yoshi on Monday night when he noticed on television New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. warming up for Miami in a pair of “Joker” cleats. Last week also marked a strong rebound for the league’s worst pass defense, as the Giants held Miami to 235 yards through the air – the second-lowest total against them this season.
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But Norman would get excited about Sunday’s matchup against Beckham even if it was coincidental he wore those cleats the week before facing the Panthers (13-0). Beckham has hauled in at least one touchdown pass in all but four games this season, including a three-touchdown performance against New Orleans. “It’s a lot of fun”.
And they’ve been bad in late-game situations. Kurt Coleman has seven interceptions and Thomas Davis has four forced fumbles.
Timing is everything in the National Football League, and being physical at the line can disrupt the in-sync timing many quarterbacks such as Ryan and Manning have with their top receivers. Niners cornerback Tramaine Brock did a great job of reading Beckham’s eyes and turning to find the ball for the interception. “It should be a very interesting game”. That means tight end Greg Olsen becomes all the more important. “He doesn’t back down from anybody”.
While the Eagles, Redskins, and Giants joust for the top spot, the Giants clearly have the toughest task this weekend. They are going to give their next game absolutely everything. “We’re not going to shy away from anybody”. When the undefeated Carolina Panthers come to town on Sunday their own defensive weapon, cornerback Josh Norman will be charged with shutting OBJ down.
Beckham caught seven balls for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over the Dolphins, and that accounted for only half of the output from Manning, who had just four incompletions on 31 attempts while racking up 337 yards and four touchdowns.
And few in the National Football League are a bigger challenge these days than Beckham, who has six straight games with more than 100 yards receiving.
It’s also fair to believe that this Carolina team could go the distance, becoming just the third team to go undefeated in the regular season and, possibly just the second team to go fully undefeated, Super Bowl included. How often will Coach Rivera leave Norman one-on-one with Beckham?
“Frightening”, Rivera said. “Odell burst on the scene last year and is continuing to do it this year”.
Aside from Tolbert and Whittaker, Rivera also said that rookie Cameron Artis-Payne may also be given his chance to play in Sunday’s game, and he certainly deserves it. He led the SEC in rushes past year while playing for Auburn, but opportunities have been rare for him in the Panthers lineup because of the team’s depth.
However it goes, the receiver won’t be filling The Joker’s cleats when he faces down Batman. His presence allowed Manning to dictate the game plan on his terms. The bull-rushing defensive line that haunted Tom Brady in two Super Bowls has been reduced to a one-handed Jason Pierre-Paul. “That was a little disappointing”, Spagnuolo said. The Giants really need to beat Carolina on Sunday in the undoubted game of the week. DE Owa Odighizuwa practiced for the first time since going on short-term injured reserve on November 5 with foot and hamstring injuries.
“It’s not about taking down the other team”, Manning said.
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“To be mentioned in the same sentence as Jerry Rice is still shocking to me”, Beckham said Thursday. “I’m happy about that”. He is officially listed as questionable even though he is expected to play.
