Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. next on menu for Panthers CB Josh Norman

To NFL defenders, the word “eating” is a figurative term.

When defensive linemen get sacks, they’re eating. And when defensive backs get interceptions, they, too, are feasting.

So there was no mistaking why Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman wants to sit down at the dinner table this weekend with New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

“(I’m) just very much looking forward and anxious at this matchup,” Norman said Thursday. “Watching him and looking over it all and looking at some of the stuff that my opponent possesses, man, it’s enticing. It looks very edible. I’m looking forward to it.”

Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands could be the best receiver vs. cornerback matchup in the NFL this season. Beckham has six straight games of 100-plus receiving yards as the Giants try to win the NFC East and earn a playoff berth.

Norman is enjoying the best season of his career and has earned the title of shutdown cornerback with four interceptions and a league-leading two returned for touchdowns. He has consistently been able to shut down the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, T.Y. Hilton, Mike Evans and Julio Jones this season.

“We’ve got to watch a lot film and see what routes we like against Josh and it should be a great matchup,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said on a teleconference this week. “They’re two guys who are playing at a very high level and we’ve just got to be smart about what routes we want to throw on them.”

Beckham’s streak of six games with at least 100 yards is the longest active streak in the league and is tied for fourth-most in NFL history in the Super Bowl era.

That makes Norman even more excited for the matchup. He knows Beckham wants to get to seven straight, and he knows Manning has to throw to Beckham – who accounts for 36 percent of Manning’s passing yards this year – for the Giants to win.

“Oh man that’s awesome. That’s great,” Norman said of the streak. “I can’t be more excited for him. That’s a great feat. I don’t know if anyone else has a feat like that in the league right now.

“So that’s impressive in itself. And can’t do nothing but praise him and give him the utmost respect because he’s the only one who has done that and looking forward to the matchup.”

But that doesn’t mean Manning can be cavalier with the ball. The 12-year veteran who has twice been the Super Bowl MVP and three times led the league in interceptions has to be smart when taking his chances against Norman.

“He’s playing great football and great defense and taking the No. 1 receiver out of the game a bunch of times, so we’ll have to be smart and find ways to get Odell some completions,” Manning said.

That means Beckham could feast more on the inside at the slot than outside against Norman. In nearly every game this year Norman has played solely on the outside either in man coverage or zone, and he rarely, if ever, follows a player inside to the slot.

Meanwhile, Beckham has worked out of the slot on 23.7 percent of his routes this year, according to football analytics site Pro Football Focus.

That could present a problem for the Panthers, who are comfortable at one corner position and both safeties but aren’t nearly as strong at the other cornerback position and nickel.

“I can’t do anything about that, I really can’t,” Norman said of Beckham going to the slot. “I’ve just got to play within the defensive scheme and what they want from me and what they ask of me. My hands will be somewhat tied in that sense of what they want us to do. It’s only what the coaches ask or want me to do then I’ll be able to do, and do it to the best of my abilities.”

The matchup is setting up nicely. Even last week, Beckham wore cleats that had The Joker on them, which was a nod to his former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry, who wore Batman cleats.

But Norman is a big Batman fan as well. He’s called himself the Dark Knight on several occasions this season and sometimes goes to his “dark place,” otherwise known as the Bat Cave.

Then there are the theatrics. Beckham dances and makes one-handed catches before and during the games. Norman is demonstrative immediately following passes his way and usually elicits a response from the crowd.

A battle in New York awaits.

“Just making a play, getting up and being a crowd pleaser, I like guys like that,” Norman said. “They make the game fun. We’re going to have lots of it and we’ll see how that comes out on Sunday and we can see what that looks and be a part of the fun.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. next on menu for Panthers CB Josh Norman."