Yardbarker
x
10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 7
Al Pereira/Getty Images

10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 7

Week 7 of the NFL season starts with a matchup of two disappointing NFC West teams battling it out in order to remain somewhat relevant in the playoff race. It finishes up with another team in that division looking to send the Baltimore Ravens to a 1-6 record on the season.

On Sunday, Tom Brady and the first-place New England Patriots will attempt to remain undefeated against a surprising New York Jets team at Gillette Stadium. We will also have an opportunity to see Matt Cassel make his first start in a Dallas Cowboys uniform against a New York Giants squad that struggled big time in front of a nationally televised audience on Monday night.

So, without any further ado, here are your top 10 matchups for Week 7 of the 2015 NFL season.

1. Calvin Johnson vs Xavier Rhodes

This has a chance to be an all-time matchup as both players continue their careers in the NFC North over the next several seasons. In their first game of the season back in Week 2, Rhodes allowed Johnson to catch seven of the 13 passes thrown to him for just 62 yards. Overall, Johnson nabbed 10 passes in that game.

When these two players last matched up, it seemed like they were trending in different directions. Johnson had struggled in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers and simply didn't do much with the passes he caught versus Rhodes. On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings corner was on the verge of breaking out big time.

Unfortunately for Rhodes, he's been bogged down by penalties since that game against the Detroit Lions. In fact, the former first-round pick ranks second among NFL defensive backs with eight penalties — a fact that forced the Vikings coaching staff to make Rhodes wear boxing gloves during practice to cut down on the grabbing.

For his part, Johnson is coming off a two-year best 166-yard performance against the Chicago Bears. If he's able to pick on Rhodes and provide Matthew Stafford with another stellar outing, Detroit could win its second consecutive game while sending the Vikings to a .500 record on the season.

2. Tom Brady vs New York Jets pass defense

This could also be called "Mr. Brady vs Revis Island." Going up against the very same corner that helped him win the Super Bowl last year, Brady is attempting to keep his New England Patriots team in first place at home versus a surprising Jets squad. In what could very well be a continuation of a hard-fought rivalry we saw during the Rex Ryan days in New Jersey, this one matchup will help decide who is in first place heading into Week 8.

Still one of the top corners in the NFL, Revis has intercepted three passes in five games this year and is allowing opposing quarterbacks to put up a 32.8 rating when targeting him. Considering Revis has made noise about the fact that he goes up against the other team's top receiver, it stands to reason he will be lined up opposite Julian Edelman, who is on pace to catch 120-plus passes this year and has hauled in 70 percent of the balls thrown in his direction through five games.

The other matchup to watch here is Rob Gronkowski against a safety in Marcus Gilchrist who is playing at a Pro Bowl level in his first season with the Jets. While Todd Bowles and Co. will likely throw underneath coverage Gronkowski's way with David Harris, there's a reasonable expectation Gilchrist will be lined up one-on-one against the stud tight end multiple times throughout the game.

3. Steve Smith vs Patrick Peterson

This scribe is crossing his fingers that Smith doesn't call it quits following the 2015 season. Still one of the top pass catchers in the NFL, Smith is one of the few bright spots for an otherwise lackluster Baltimore Ravens team. In fact, Smith is averaging seven receptions and over 100 yards per game this year.

But after lining up against a substandard San Francisco 49ers secondary last week, Smith will have the difficult task of taking on a corner that could easily be a top Defensive Player of the Year candidate when all is said and done.

Peterson has given up a total of 10 receptions and is allowing a 41.7 completion percentage through six games. If he's able to shut Smith down (no easy feat), Baltimore will likely drop to 1-6 on the season with Arizona getting back in the win column following a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.

4. Ja'Wuan James vs J.J. Watt

After being one of the worst pass-protecting offensive tackles in the NFL last season, James has actually performed extremely well in that category this year. In fact, he's allowed just one sack in five games. Some of this has to do with him playing exclusively at right tackle after being forced to protect Ryan Tannehill's blindside about half the time as a rookie.

Now going up against the best defensive player in the NFL, James will have to hold his own if the Miami Dolphins are going start a winning streak. Watt's sack numbers (four in six games) may be down, but he's still finding a way to get into the offensive backfield on a consistent basis.

The issue here might not be Watt actually sacking Tannehill multiple times. Instead, Miami will have to send double teams the defensive end's way, even on running plays. That could limit the production we see from Lamar Miller in a Dolphins offense that's starting to focus more on the run under interim head coach Dan Campbell.

5. Colin Kaepernick vs Legion of Boom

Over the course of his career, Kaepernick has posted a 54.1 quarterback rating in six starts against the Seattle Seahawks. His rating against the rest of the NFL during this span is 94.0. Needless to say, Seattle has been a major thorn in his side.

Just a few short weeks ago, it looked like Kaepernick's struggles were going to extend to the rest of the NFL. After all, he put up a zero touchdowns and five interceptions in a two-game span against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. Since that stretch, Kaepernick has posted a 118.7 quarterback rating with 635 total yards and four touchdowns in two games.

More than Kaepernick's recent success, Seattle just hasn't performed at a high level against quarterbacks this season. Its secondary has three interceptions in six games and is allowing a 70 percent completion rate when targeted.

For Kaepernick, this game represents an opportunity to get a rather huge monkey off his back. It is also a chance to actually keep San Francisco in the NFC West race heading into Week 8. More than that, it's time for him to prove he can actually have some success against the division rival. After all, that's likely where he's going to be judged moving forward.

For Seattle, it's all about bucking a trend that has the team playing at an incredibly poor level in comparison to what we have seen over the past few years. A loss here, and Seattle will find itself alone in last place heading into the middle part of the season.

6. Antonio Gates vs Oakland Raiders defense

It didn't take all that long for Gates to make an impact after returning from a four-game suspension to start the season. The eight-time Pro Bowler has tallied 18 catches and two touchdowns on 27 targets over the past two games. Those stats are helped by the fact that Philip Rivers has attempted 113 passes during that span.

Gates has the best possible matchup he could get this week against a Raiders defense that has been downright atrocious covering tight ends. Thus far this season, Oakland has given up a 67 percent completion rate and an average of nearly 78 receiving yards to tight ends.

The biggest key here will be rookie Neiron Ball, who just recently replaced Curtis Lofton as the Raiders inside linebacker on passing downs. He's going to have to come up big in this one if the Raiders are going to move to .500 on the season and keep San Diego below them in the AFC West standings.

7. Andrew Luck vs Drew Brees

Two struggling quarterbacks going up against one another in a pretty big game. Now at 3-3 on the season following a loss to the New England Patriots last week, the Indianapolis Colts need to find a way to defeat an inferior team in order to get back to over .500 on the season. Meanwhile, the 2-4 New Orleans Saints are riding high following a win against the previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons last week.

Luck may have thrown three touchdowns against the Patriots last week, but it was rather obvious that he wasn't at 100 percent after missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury. The fourth-year quarterback consistently air-mailed the ball and didn't seem to possess the same elite-level mechanics we have seen in the past. It will be interesting to see if being another week removed from the injury will make a difference here.

As a team, the Colts have posted a 15-0 record against the AFC South since the start of the 2013 season. They are just 10-13 against the rest of the NFL during that very same span. That needs to change if Indianapolis is going to be taken seriously in the AFC moving forward this year.

8. Matt Cassel vs New York Giants pass defense

The Dallas Cowboys have a prime chance to break a three-game losing streak and maintain their standing near the top of the NFC East. While Dallas is coming off a full week of rest, the Giants just finished up a terrible performance against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Cassel, who was acquired from the Buffalo Bills last month after Tony Romo went down with a collarbone injury, will make his first start as a member of the Cowboys in a pretty important game for the team. For Dallas, it's all about finding a way to get the passing game going after struggling a great deal in the past three games under the "leadership" of Brandon Weeden.

Cassel's ability to have success here could depend on the availability of Dez Bryant, who has been out since Week 1 with a foot injury. Indications are that Bryant has a 50 percent chance to go in this one. If he's out, it will put Dallas behind the proverbial eight-ball once again.

9. Antonio Brown vs Marcus Peters

Since Ben Roethlisberger went down to injury in Week 2, Brown has seen his production dip big time. In fact, he's gained just 111 yards on 14 receptions in the past three games. Though, it must be noted that a vast majority of that action came with Michael Vick under center. With Landry Jones slated to start on Sunday, Brown may actually see an increase in production.

For his part, Peters has had a somewhat odd rookie season. According to Pro Football Focus, he's giving up a whopping 412 yards and six touchdowns this year. Though, he is coming off a solid performance against Mike Wallace and the Minnesota Vikings. Simply put, Peters stats are blown out of proportion based on the level of competition he's gone up against and considering he's being tasked with covering the opposing team's top receiver.

Losers of five consecutive, the Chiefs have a golden opportunity to break that streak against a quarterback in Jones that's making his first NFL start on the road in Arrowhead. On the other hand, Pittsburgh can move to 5-2 on the year with Big Ben's imminent return. This one individual matchup could be the difference.

10. Chris Clark vs Cameron Wake

At 2-4 on the season, the Houston Texans find themselves just one game behind Indianapolis for first place in the AFC South. Also with two wins on the season, Miami is looking to win its second consecutive game since the team fired Joe Philbin prior to its Week 5 bye. This one battle between trench players could help dictate the outcome of what is an important game for both squads.

Acquired from the Denver Broncos last month, Clark has stepped seamlessly into the starting right tackle role in Houston. Though, he did yield a sack to Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dan Skuta last week. He's going to have to perform at a high level against Wake, who put up a whopping four sacks in a blowout win over the Tennessee Titans last week.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.