EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Right up there in receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s favorite moments in a game alongside scoring a touchdown, celebrating, and watching the clock tick to zero in a New York Giants victory is the thrill of competing for a 50-50 ball.

The go route provides that opportunity. It’s Beckham vs. a defender, two players running and competing for positioning and the ball.

This is the play Beckham considers the most fun to run, and he should have some opportunities on Sunday against cornerback Darius Slay and the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium.

It’s a play that every team has in its playbook and that every receiver runs. Beckham runs it every single week.

Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. relishes one-on-one opportunities to make a play. Brad Penner/USA Today Sports

“Jump ball. That 50-50 ball,” Beckham said of his favorite play. “Let’s see who gets it. That is always fun. Even at times I’ve lost 50-50 balls, but it’s that moment of who is going to get it, me or you, that thrill is something that can’t be duplicated.

“So I love the chance when someone else is going up for a ball and you’re going up for a ball, that is probably one of my favorite plays in a game.”

Veteran Giants receiver Victor Cruz also revels in that moment. He sometimes gets there when he runs his favorite route -- the “sluggo,” also known as a slant and go.

The slant is one of the Giants’ most frequently run routes. It’s a short, angled route toward the middle of the field.

The sluggo is a slight derivation that looks like a slant until the receiver darts deep. It provides an opportunity to leave the defender in the dust looking silly.

“I’ve caught a couple of those this year,” said Cruz, who has played more on the outside this season than at any point in his career. “I’ve grown to like that route more and more as the years go on.

“I like the defender to think I’m going one way off a route we run a lot of. And then to go the opposite way is always a fun thing. And then you have to go up and get a 50-50 ball if that’s the way it turns out. If he bites on it and you’re wide open, cool. If he bites a little bit, I like that too.”

The Giants receivers, like most around the league, have a grab bag of options. Professional receivers have route trees that stretch across all borders. Just about everything imaginable is in an NFL playbook, unlike in college where undrafted rookie Roger Lewis says he ran almost all go routes. It remains his favorite play with the Giants, and he still runs it often.

But there is more in his arsenal now. The entire Giants receiving corps has plenty of options.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they get to use them all on a weekly basis. The coach, coordinator and/or quarterback determine what route a wide receiver is going to run on each play.

And they play favorites. Why wouldn’t they run what they believe works best?

Beckham keeps hitting that slant and taking it for long scores. It’s a thing of beauty when he does what he did on Sunday night against the Cowboys, catching a short pass across the middle and racing 61 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

The playcaller's preferences don’t always match the receivers’ desire. Sterling Shepard’s favorite route is the "stutter comeback." It’s a play he used often at Oklahoma, but the Giants rarely run it, even if they do have it in their briefcase.

“I don’t ever get to run it, but probably a stutter comeback is my favorite,” Shepard said. “Just cause it’s real tricky and hard for a [defensive back] to guard. Real hard for him to guard because you get him going again and you stop again.

“So it’s really hard to stop. That was my favorite one in college.”

Shepard’s favorite with the Giants is what he called an “over.” It’s almost like a corner route where he first sells the inside move.

“You’ve probably seen me run it a few times,” Shepard said.

He ran it for a touchdown from the slot against the Eagles earlier this year. He started deep and toward the middle of the field before darting to the pylon and through a hip-check from Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins for a 32-yard score.

The key is to sell that he’s headed down the seam. The change of direction is deceptive.

When it works, it’s a thing of beauty. When these routes are run precisely, they’re difficult or nearly impossible to stop. Practice makes perfect, which is why receivers have their preference. Each receiver has routes that he runs most often and is most successful at running. And it varies by player and by team.

The Giants receivers offer a wide variety of preferences. With this group, to each his own.