Dez Bryant on Keenan Lewis: ‘You are not just going to beat him’

By Kevin Parvizi | Sep 25, 2014

Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant is at the forefront of the New Orleans Saints minds as we head into this week’s contest between both teams, and Bryant has certainly started his contract year off right with 20 receptions, 247 yards, and two TDs in what can only be described as a scorching start. Bryant is one of the game’s most dominant and physically imposing wide receivers, and he and feature back DeMarco Murray have picked up right where they left off last year. Bryant was particularly impressive against an overmatched Tennessee Titans in Week 2, moving the chains for 103 yards on ten receptions with his first touchdown catch of the 2014 season.

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Bryant will face a tough matchup this week in Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, who emerged as a shutdown CB in his first year under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. When the Saints and Cowboys faced off last year, Dez was held down to just one reception, but it was a big 44-yard pick-up that actually came against Lewis. Watching these two battle it out will be a whole lot of fun, and it might be the most enticing matchup on Sunday night.

There’s no doubt that Bryant respects Lewis and understands how great of a cornerback the 28-year-old Oregon State product is. He said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Katherine Terrell, “He is one of those guys that you have to be on top of your game. You are not just going to beat him. He is a physical corner. This is a game where you have to be well-prepared because if you are not you are going to get beat.”

Lewis has ten tackles and two passes defended on the stat sheet so far this season, though he hasn’t been as good as he normally is. In fact, he was whipped by the Atlanta Falcons star wideouts in Week 1 before mixed performances in his past two games. That said, Lewis is a top-notch player and has the physicality to contain the monstrous Bryant.