The New York Jets know they will have their hands full with Detroit rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on Sunday.
Suh lines up at a variety of positions across Detroit's defensive line, but usually at right tackle. That means Brandon Moore, the Jets right guard, will have his hands full.
Gang Green Nation sees the Moore-Suh matchup as one of the keys to the 5-2 Jets taking care of business Sunday against the 2-5 Lions.
The strength of the Jets' offensive line is the capabilty of all five guys to win matchups against the best the league has to offer without needing help. A guy like Suh usually either causes disruption or draws a double team, forcing a defense to use up a extra blocker, which means that second guy isn't blocking somebody else. A defender gets freed up in this numbers game. The Jets largely avoid this. This week's burden falls to Moore. The way he handles Suh could go a long way to determining whether this game is more difficult than the conventional wisdom dictates.
Suh was the second overall pick in the April draft. His 6.5 sacks leads NFL rookies, and he also has a fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception this season.
"I can't remember a rookie defensive lineman coming in and having that kind of impact," Jets coach Rex Ryan said.
Moore and the Jets other linemen will do everything they can to limit that impact on Sunday.