The Jets face the Bengals this weekend, which means they will have to try to come up with an answer to the question of how you stop Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green.
Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman has likely been coming up with several options on that front, but not all of them have to do with safety help over the top or other schematic tweaks. As Thurman explained, cornerback Antonio Cromartie might want to ask for some help from up above with keeping Green from lighting up the scoreboard.
“What does he need to do?” Thurman said, via the Newark Star-Ledger. “Put his hands on him and pray, pretty much.”
It’s tough to count on divine intervention, so Thurman’s suggestion of a physical approach will likely be the one that the Jets put into practice on Sunday. Cromartie has enough size to make that approach a good idea and he’s played very well through the first seven weeks of the season.
The Green-Cromartie matchup should be fun to watch and the winner of it will significantly improve his team’s chances of winning the game. If that turns out to be Cromartie, the AFC playoff chase will have an unexpected participant in the Jets.