The Arizona Cardinals face one mega-challengeSunday against the Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson.
On NFL Network's NFL AM on Friday morning, Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu was asked how the team plans to stop Megatron.
"That's why you pay Patrick Peterson, right?" he replied.
Peterson matching up against Johnson has the potential to be the most entertaining battle of the weekend. Peterson is one of the few cornerbacks athletic enough and long enough to stick with a player of Megatron's size and speed.
"We definitely believe in Patrick," Mathieu said. "What he's doing the past couple weeks, he's definitely shown that he can really play at a consistent level, so I think we're happy going into the game knowing Patrick has him. Of course, we're not going to leave him by his self every play (laughs)."
In two meetings over the past two years, Johnson beat Peterson for 16 catches, 237 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Cards won both contests.
The Lions added Golden Tate this season for just such an occasion as when Johnson gets smothered by a top-flight defender. That matchup against Antonio Cromartie might be equally as important to determining the outcome of the battle for the top spot in the NFC.
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