10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL season brings us a ton of interesting games. Some of the best teams in the league are coming off less-than-stellar season-opening performances. Meanwhile, other squads set aside preseason predictions to put up great outings.

Individual performances were the theme in Week 1. From Tom Brady surgically maneuvering his way past a talent-stricken Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line to Carlos Hyde shining in his starting debut for the San Francisco 49ers, some of the old guard meshed well with rising stars.

This week likely won't be much different. Though, there are some great individual matchups. Looking at the schedule, we found a ton of top-end wide receivers going up against Pro Bowl level cornerbacks. That will be the central focus in our look at the top-10 individual matchups for Week 2 of the NFL season.

1. Richard Sherman vs Randall Cobb

The Seattle Seahawks top cornerback is known mainly for playing on the outside. That's where Sherman has made his money — pretty much eliminating one part of the field for the opposing team's passing game. With Byron Maxwell gone and little depth behind Sherman at corner this season, Seattle is apparently going to ask him to play the slot more often. That was evident in Week 1 against the St. Louis Rams. Sherman, one of the top defensive players in the game, played nearly 40 percent of his snaps away from his typical left corner spot.

We can expect this to continue against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. With Jordy Nelson out for the season, Cobb becomes the team's No. 1 receiver. Interestingly enough, he will be lined up in the slot when the Packers go to three-wide sets. That will represent an elite-level matchup, especially considering Sherman will only venture into the slot when Seattle goes to nickel coverage (three cornerbacks).

What has usually been a major mismatch in favor of the Legion of Boom in recent seasons could have a reversal of fortune this week. Cary Williams will man his normal right corner spot with DeShawn Shead taking over for Sherman on the left side in nickel packages. Last week against the Rams, these two defensive backs allowed a combined 99.6 quarterback rating when targeted.

For his part, Sherman has allowed one reception in his last two games against the Packers. If nothing else, he should be able to help the Seahawks overcome what has quickly become an undermanned secondary. It's now up to the other two corners to play solid football.

2. Tom Brady vs Buffalo Bills defense

Led by new head coach Rex Ryan, Buffalo's defense was relentless against the Indianapolis Colts last week. This unit sacked Andrew Luck twice, hit him a total of five times and put pressure on the quarterback 17 of the 53 times he dropped back to pass. More than that, Buffalo held Indianapolis' running backs to 44 yards on 13 attempts.

If New England is unable to get some sort of balance going on offense, Brady will have a target placed squarely on his back by one of the top defensive lines in the NFL. And while the future Hall of Fame quarterback was sacked just twice against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, this is an entirely different monster right here.

3. DeMarco Murray vs Dallas Cowboys run defense

Much like the one listed above, this isn't necessarily an individual matchup. Instead, it speaks to a group of players that must come together in order to stop what had previously been an unstoppable force. As it relates to this specific matchup, there is a whole heck of a lot going on here.

Going up against his former team, Murray wants to prove to the Philadelphia Eagles that handing him a massive free-agent contract wasn't a big mistake. After all, his debut with the squad was nothing less than a disaster. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year put up just nine yards on eight attempts against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. That's going to need to change big time in order for the Eagles to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole on the season.

With Rolando McClain still out while serving his suspension, the onus is going to land on Anthony Hitchens to team up with Sean Lee as primary second-level defenders for Dallas. More than that, the Cowboys defensive line needs to find a way to penetrate a good Eagles run-blocking unit. If that doesn't happen, Murray could have a big game against his former squad.

4. Patrick Peterson vs Alshon Jeffery

This one will be extremely fun. Taking over for Brandon Marshall as the Chicago Bears No. 1 receiver this season, Jeffery will consistently get the best cover guy the opposing team has to offer. This week, it's one of the best overall corners in the NFL against one of the top receivers in the game. Mapping out there own little Legion of Boom in the desert, the Arizona Cardinals present quite the matchup for Jay Cutler and Co. on Sunday, none bigger than this one.

Peterson yielded just one reception for 30 yards on five targets against the New Orleans Saints and Brandin Cooks last week. With an ability to follow the opposing team's No. 1 receiver all over the field, Jeffery will find himself up against Peterson pretty much the entire game. Unfortunately for the star Bears receiver, Peterson appears to be back in form this season.

5. Marcus Peters vs Demaryius Thomas 

Normally, a rookie corner going up against one of the best receivers in the NFL wouldn't be a fair fight. In fact, it's usually the definition of a mismatch. This won't be the case when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos take on a Kansas City Chiefs squad that's riding high after an impressive Week 1 performance.

Peters, a first-round pick from Washington, will likely be tasked with going up against the opposing team's top receiver throughout his rookie campaign. While he did yield eight receptions and two touchdowns against DeAndre Hopkins last week, Peters did a tremendous job considering he was thrown into the fire in his regular season debut. He recorded three passes defended and a big interception in the Chiefs' season-opening win.

It won't get any easier in what promises to be the first of many matchups against Thomas. The recently extended receiver is coming off a 2014 campaign that saw him put up 111 receptions for over 1,600 yards and 11 scores. What made Thomas so special is that he dropped just nine of the 178 passes thrown in his direction. Even with a watered-down version of Peyton Manning, he's going to be mismatch for opposing corners on a weekly basis this year.

6. Jason Witten vs Philadelphia Eagles linebackers and safeties

With Dez Bryant out of action for the foreseeable future, it's pretty much a guarantee that Tony Romo will target Witten a great deal for the Dallas Cowboys moving forward. Their built-in relationship over the past six-plus seasons will come in handy here.

With Bryant out of the latter half of the fourth quarter Sunday night, Romo relied on his safety valve to lead the Cowboys back. Including the game-winning touchdown reception, Witten caught eight of the nine passes thrown in his direction against what can be considered an improved Giants secondary.

Speaking of improvements, moving Walter Thurmond to safety will pay off big time for Philadelphia moving forward. That gives Chip Kelly two above-average cover safeties — the other being Malcolm Jenkins — to go up against the best tight ends the NFL has to offer. That doesn't even take into account one of the best cover linebackers in the game in the form of Kiko Alonso. If any team is prepared to go up against Romo's favorite target, it's the Eagles.

7. Robert Quinn vs Trent Williams

Elite going up against elite in this one. In a game that will likely feature several mismatches between the best defensive line in the game and a fledgling Washington Redskins offensive line, this is one to look out for.

Quinn helped a St. Louis Rams defensive line absolutely dominate what was an atrocious Seattle Seahawks offensive line on Sunday. He tallied two sacks while placing a total of four pressures on Russell Wilson. Having line mate Chris Long back after the latter missed all but six games last year is going to be big here. Remember, Quinn put up 19 sacks in Long's last full season back in 2013.

The good news here for Washington is that it has a franchise left tackle in Williams who has yielded a total of four sacks in his last 18 games. Last week saw the recently-extended former first-round pick provide a clean pocket for Kirk Cousins against a darn good Miami Dolphins defensive line.

What makes this matchup so intriguing is the fact that Williams will be tasked with blocking Quinn one-on-one. Washington is at a disadvantage at the other four line positions, meaning it can't afford to throw double teams to protect Cousins' blindside.

8. Carlos Hyde vs Pittsburgh Steelers run defense

Despite horrendous overall play last week against New England, Keith Butler's defense did a pretty good job against the run. Pittsburgh allowed just 80 yards on 24 attempts. This comes on the heels of Pittsburgh's defense ranking sixth overall against the run last season.

The likes of defensive tackle Steve McLendon and defensive end Stephon Tuitt are big keys here. They will be going up against a San Francisco 49ers offensive line that absolutely bullied the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Led by Hyde, who tallied 168 yards and two scores on 26 attempts, San Francisco put up a ridiculous 230 yards in its 20-3 victory over Minnesota.

If Pittsburgh has to stack the box on Sunday, it will open up massive passing lanes for Colin Kaepernick against a talent-stricken secondary that was eaten alive by New England in Week 1. And while, Kaepernick is no Tom Brady, he can beat you over the top when you give him time in the pocket. That's only magnified by the addition of Torrey Smith to an already solid skill-position group in San Francisco.

9. Xavier Rhodes vs Calvin Johnson 

This has a chance to be a titanic matchup. While Harrison Smith gets most of the play in the Minnesota Vikings secondary, Rhodes has stepped up to prove he's a legitimate shutdown guy. He allowed an absurdly low 53 percent completion rate and 75.5 quarterback rating when targeted last season. And while Minnesota's defense was manhandled against San Francisco in Week 1, Rhodes stood up and played some darn good football in man coverage.

The thing to look at here is Johnson's yearning to put up a huge game after being all but forgotten against the San Diego Chargers last week. It's simply remarkable that the best receiver in the game was targeted just five times in Week 1. Knowing how much Matthew Stafford has relied on Megatron in the passing game, the expectation here has to be that Johnson will be a primary focus on Sunday. In their most recent meeting against one another, Rhodes held Johnson to four receptions for 53 yards last December.

10. Jimmy Graham vs Green Bay Packers defense

With Sam Barrington lost for the season, this matchup becomes heavily slanted in the Seattle Seahawks favor. In order for Green Bay to contain the elite-level pass catcher, someone is going to have to step up from a group of players that have proven capable. Then again, the Packers could make the mistake of throwing Clay Matthews into coverage. This would limit the team's pass rush against a lackluster Seahawks offensive line.

Graham, who caught six passes in his regular season debut with Seattle last week, is essentially a wide receiver playing tight end. While he will be tasked with more in-line blocking this season, the Seahawks acquired him for his receiving ability. In this, there's a decent chance the Packers will shade Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and nickel corner Casey Hayward into coverage against Graham. It's not great, but the Packers can work with this.