Falcons cornerback Robert Alford, who didn’t see much action in the opener, will need to win his battles against New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is the Madden cover guy this year.
Alford must most embody coach Dan Quinn’s fast and physical style of play.
Beckham was targeted eight times and caught five passes for 44 yards in the Giants’ 27-26 loss to Dallas last Sunday. His running mate, Victor Cruz, didn’t play and isn’t expect to play against the Falcons. Rueben Randle started in his spot and caught three passes for 23 yards.
At times, the Falcons plan to match cornerback Desmond Trufant on Beckham, but Alford will get his share of the action.
“When you play in this league, everybody is good,” Alford said. “We don’t take anyone lightly. We are going to treat him the same way we treated the receivers last week.”
Alford had a rough time against Giants quarterback Eli Manning last season. He was called for four penalties, but two were declined. With the Falcons up 20-10, a 26-yard pass interference call aided a Giants’ touchdown that cut the lead to 20-17.
The Giants went on to win 30-20.
“All I’m doing is focusing on this year and being the player that I can be,” Alford said. “I’m just going out there and putting it to test on Sunday.”
