The battle within the battle this week is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis versus Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but like many big-time boxing matches this one might not happen.
Revis remained in the concussion protocol Monday, eight days after suffering a concussion against the Texans. Coach Todd Bowles did not give a very sunny outlook when asked about Revis on a conference call Monday.
“He’s making slight progress, but we’ll see how much progress he makes toward the end of the week,” Bowles said.
Revis did do some physical activity, Bowles said, but he was unsure how much he was able to do.
If Revis cannot play Sunday, the Jets could have a major problem on their hands. Beckham made another acrobatic catch in Sunday’s loss to the Giants and has 72 catches for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Making matters worse for the Jets, backup cornerback Marcus Williams, who started in place of Revis against the Dolphins, suffered a sprained MCL in one of his knees on Sunday and may miss the game.
“We’ve got enough guys to fill in and play,” Bowles said.
How does Darrin Walls versus Beckham move you?
The Jets could move No. 2 cornerback Antonio Cromartie onto Beckham, but that should give any Jets fan the chills after the type of season Cromartie has had.
Last month, Cromartie called Beckham a “one-year wonder” on ESPN. On Monday, Cromartie was asked if his opinion had changed.
“I think he has a lot of room to grow to be the guy that everybody knows that he can be,” Cromartie said.
That may sound like a slight, but it sounded like Cromartie was just saying Beckham has a ton of potential to get even better.
“He’s a young, athletic guy that can go out and make plays and make unbelievable catches,” Cromartie said. “He’s proven that over and over. I think the biggest thing, for me, he does have a lot of room to grow because he’s so young, he’s only in his second year.”
Cromartie said he does not think the secondary will have a major drop-off if Revis does not play because of how deep the Jets are at cornerback. Buster Skrine, Dexter McDougle and Dee Milliner are other cornerbacks who could see action.
“It’s something I feel like we haven’t had in New York for a while,” Cromartie said. “We have the depth to go out and just play football, have fun and make the plays we need to go out and make.”
It would be a disappointment if Revis can’t play Sunday. Revis and Beckham faced off this summer in the preseason with Beckham catching five passes for 31 yards, not all against Revis. His best highlight was a one-handed grab over Revis that was ruled an incompletion because he was out of bounds.
“Everybody knows that or everyone should know that Odell’s athletic ability, playmaking ability is second to none in this league,” Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “Everyone knows that he’s one of the best and he’s a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare. But I think this is going to be a good matchup with him. We saw a little bit with him and Revis in the preseason. I don’t know if Revis played yesterday, but if he does, I’m sure Revis is going to shadow him and follow him around and it’s going to be a great matchup. Revis doesn’t look like he’s been slowing down any either.”
Apparently, Amukamara has not been checking Twitter. Revis’ last outing was a rough one with Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins catching a 61-yard touchdown against him, making many question whether Revis has lost a step. A matchup with Beckham would be a shot at redemption.
“I don’t know about their scheme, but I think there’s a chance Revis could follow Odell around the field and be matched up with him,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. “We’ll have to see what routes we want him running and we’ll put him in a position to win some one-on-one matchups. We’ll see what their game plan is and see how it plays out. For me, it’s not about Odell versus Revis, it’s about our offense versus the Jets’ defense, and us moving the ball, finding completions, and not trying to win individual battles.”