One of the most anticipated matchups of Week 15 is the one that has the Panthers heading to New Jersey to put their undefeated season on the line against the Giants.
On top of the Giants’ history as undefeated season killers, there’s also the chance to watch Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham square off with Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Norman called the matchup “edible” and said he couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of defending Beckham.
Beckham downplayed that matchup on Thursday, saying that there are 11 players on each side of the ball matching up against each other. He was more receptive to some of the other talk coming out of Carolina this week. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that he’s seen “a lot of flashes” in Beckham’s game that remind him of Jerry Rice and Beckham said Thursday that he’s happy to hear Rivera say that.
“To be mentioned in the same sentence as Jerry Rice is still shocking to me,” Beckham said, via ESPN.com. “That’s the direction you want to go. I’m nowhere near there, but I do appreciate the compliment.”
Comparing receivers to Rice could be seen as the height of hyperbole, but Beckham’s play over his first two seasons is worthy of high praise. No receiver in history has as many catches or receiving yards through his first 25 games as Beckham, something that remains highly impressive even once you adjust for the different styles of play that have been in vogue over the years.
Adding to that sparkling resume against Norman and the Panthers would be a big boost to the Giants’ chances of both handing Carolina its first loss and winning the NFC East.
