New York Jets safety Darrelle Revis says he’s ready to shut down opposing receivers now that his hamstring injury has fully recovered.
The way the Jets have been playing without him, that’s bad news for the rest of the NFL.
Revis and the Jets host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at the New Meadowlands. The Packers hobbled Brett Favre to move into a tie for first place with the fading Chicago Bears in the NFC North last week.
The Jets (5-1) are coming off a bye week that Revis used to rest his ailing leg. Perhaps the league’s best defender last season, Revis has been a non-factor for the early part of the season after staging a contract holdout and then sustaining the hamstring injury upon his return.
The Jets have hardly noticed in the victory column.
New York has won five straight games to gain a share of the AFC East lead but it does rank 22nd in the league against the pass. Revis should improve that number right away.
Green Bay held off Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 28-24 last week. The Packers (4-3) picked off the Vikings quarterback three times in the game and even fractured his foot on a takedown by Brad Jones.
Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in the game. Despite a rash of injuries, including season-ending ones to tight end Jermichael Finley and running back Ryan Grant, the Packers’ offense continues to shine.
Rodgers ranks second in the NFC with 1,841 yards passing and has thrown a dozen touchdowns. Brandon Jackson has taken over for Grant and has rushed for 363 yards and a pair of scores.
Revis should draw the assignment of covering Greg Jennings, who has caught a touchdown pass in four of his last five games. Ageless receiver Donald Driver leads the Pack with 28 receptions and James Jones is another threat. He went over 100 yards receiving in the victory over the Vikings.
The Jets have won three straight in the series and eight of the last nine meetings but the teams haven’t met since 2006.
New York hasn’t played since winning at Denver 24-20 two weeks ago. The Jets used a pair of touchdown runs by LaDainian Tomlinson and a critical late pass-interference penalty to set up the game-winning score.
Tomlinson has been reborn in New York, supplanting Shonn Greene as the starter. He’s rushed for 490 yards and five scores while averaging 5.3 yards a carry and needs just 20 yards to become the seventh player in the NFL history to reach 13,000 yards rushing.
With the Jets ranking second in the NFL in rushing, Mark Sanchez has done everything the team has asked of him at quarterback. Sanchez has thrown nine touchdown passes and only two interceptions with a 90.4 passer rating.