Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Green are the best reason to watch Giants vs. Bengals

This week’s Monday Night Football matchup pits two of the best wide receivers in the NFL against each other. When the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals face off Monday night at the Meadowlands, Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Green will both look to carry their quarterbacks and their teams to victory.

Let’s go for a bit of a “tale of the tape” between the two elite receivers.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Giants

The Giants selected Beckham with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and since debuting in Week 5 of the 2014 season, the 5’11, 200-pound target has blossomed into one of the best receivers in the league. He totaled more than 90 receptions and 1,300 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons.

Among all receivers since the start of the 2014 season, Beckham is sixth in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, and first in receiving touchdowns. For some perspective, he missed five games in the previous two seasons, whereas most of his peers have not missed a game.

This season, Beckham has 44 receptions for 676 yards and five receiving TDs. None of those numbers place him in the top five among all receivers this season, but Beckham has remained a potent offensive weapon for Eli Manning and the Giants offense. He had two receiving touchdowns last week, making him just the sixth player in NFL history to total 30 receiving touchdowns in his first 35 career games.

A.J. Green, WR, Bengals

Green can be considered more of the “challenger” in this matchup, as his numbers over the last three seasons have trailed Beckham’s. Green has fewer receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns since the start of the 2014 season.

Nevertheless, Green, a more traditional “jump-ball” receiver at 6’4 and 210 pounds, has put up better numbers this season. In 2016, Green has caught 59 passes for 896 yards and three receiving touchdowns. While the three TDs lag behind most elite receivers, Green leads the league in receptions entering Week 10 and ranks second in the league in receiving yards.

Green’s last two seasons failed to match the two he put up in 2012 and 2013, when he topped 95 receptions and 1,300 receiving yards. Although Green did not match those numbers in either of the last two seasons, his current pace at the halfway mark of this season would shatter both those marks — he could reach 118 receptions and 1,792 yards if he duplicates his performance in the first half of the season. Green will look to maintain his recent strong connection with quarterback Andy Dalton. The two have combined for 17 catches, 290 yards, and a touchdown in the past two games.

Predicting the matchup

Both teams seem to be aware of how much they have to respect the receivers on the other side. The Bengals already seem to be focusing their secondary on containing Beckham, with Bengals cornerback Adam Jones referring to Beckham as “the real deal.”

Beckham, however, had words of respect of his own for Green’s skill set.

“He’s one of the best, hands down,” Beckham said. “Pretty much everything you can think of as a receiver, he’s got it, and then some.”

Neither the Giants nor the Bengals have done well against the pass this season — their defensive units rank 23rd and 25th, respectively, in passing yards allowed per game. Outside of the passing game, the Giants do not have much on offense. Running back Rashad Jennings has dealt with injuries and the combination of Bobby Rainey, Orleans Darkwa, and Paul Perkins have struggled to pick up the slack. The Bengals have split their rushing attack between Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard with some success, and both have scored touchdowns in each of the last two games.

Given the way the season has gone for both teams, the most likely scenario is the Giants win, but Green has a bigger game than Beckham. Either way, getting to see two elite wide receivers in their prime go head-to-head is a treat for any NFL fan.