As much as everyone is anticipating Mark Sanchez's and Rex Ryan's respective debuts, all eyes may end up glued to the pivotal matchup between Darrelle Revis and Andre Johnson, the Jets' All-Pro cornerback and the Texans' All-Pro wide receiver.
"He's very explosive and he's their go-to guy on offense," Revis said Friday at the Jets' practice facility in Florham Park, N.J. "There's a couple things you can do to stop him and contain him, and that's what we've been focusing on all week, getting after him."
It won't be an easy task, even for a lockdown corner who Texans coach Gary Kubiak said was "as good as there is in the league."
Johnson led the NFL with 115 receptions for 1,575 yards last season, becoming the first player to top the league in both categories since 2005. Over the past three seasons, he has been the most productive receiver in the NFL, averaging 87.1 yards per game. He begins the year with 486 receptions and is 621 yards shy of 7,000 for his career, and he has caught at least one pass in 50 straight games.
It's a streak that Revis, who will often be lined up against Johnson in one-on-one coverage at the edges of the field, has no visions of stopping.
"I can't say I'm going to shut this guy out. What we're going to try and do is keep it to a minimum and don't give up big plays," Revis said. "He may catch a five-yard hitch, he may catch a drag route, well, OK, whatever. What we don't want is him making big plays on us: 50-, 60-, 80-yard touchdowns. ... We're going to do our best to stop him and shut him down."
And by "we," Revis means more than just his teammates providing help in the secondary. The best coverage may come from the defensive line every time Houston quarterback Matt Schaub drops back to pass.
"We can definitely do something to help Revis out, and we're going to try the best we can to take a lot of the pressure off of him," defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said.
Jenkins, regrettably, won't be fixated on the marquee showdown. "I wish I had the opportunity to sit back and watch it," he said. "Unfortunately I don't, I have to work at the same time."