Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis will do battle with Lions receiver Calvin Johnson on Sunday in one of the league’s premiere individual matchups. Revis says he expects to have a big challenge on his hands.
“He’s a man amongst boys out there. You see it all the time. The dude’s 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. And he runs a 4.3. That’s pretty freakish,” Revis said. “It’s like an alternate [universe] receiver that you want. So if you can create him on the video game, that’s basically what he is. . . . I have a lot of respect for him. I feel like our defense has a lot of respect for him. He has a lot of respect around the league as well.”
Revis has faced Johnson twice. The first time, in a 2010 Lions-Jets game, Revis was outstanding and Johnson finished with just one catch for 13 yards in a Jets win. The second time, in a 2013 Lions-Buccaneers game, Johnson got the better of the matchup and finished with seven catches for 115 yards (although Revis left that game early with an injury and not all of those yards were on him).
The Lions’ offense has struggled for much of this season, even after Johnson returned from his high ankle sprain. Johnson winning his individual matchup with Revis would go a long way toward the Lions pulling an upset in New England.
