3 key matchups to watch in NFL Week 9 games

NFL games are not just matchups of two complete teams. They are also a series of individual one-on-one matchups that can ultimately help decide the outcome.

Every Friday, we are going to take a look at three potentially significant individual matchups that will be taking place in Sunday's and Monday's games.

Here are the matchups we are looking at for the Week 9 games. 

Christian Watson (WR, Green Bay Packers) vs. Christian Gonzalez (CB, New England Patriots)

The NFL's Week 9 schedule is weak on big-time matchups, but Packers-Patriots is easily one of the best ones on the slate of games. Within that, there's a great individual matchup on the outside of Watson going up against Gonzalez.

Watson is becoming one of the NFL's best deep threats, and is entering Sunday's game having already set a new career-high in yards (708). He is also just one touchdown away from matching his career high (seven). 

He figures to see plenty of Gonzalez, one of the NFL's best cover corners.

While Gonzalez has yet to intercept a pass this season and is allowing a 60.6% completion percentage, he is allowing the lowest yards per completion of his career (10.0) and only a 77.8 passer rating. 

Brandon Coleman (T, Washington Commanders) vs. Myles Garrett (Edge, Los Angeles Rams)

Myles Garrett has no injury designation for Sunday's game, which puts him on track to return to the Rams lineup. It is great news for a defense that has seen its pass-rush be a complete non-factor without him, and leave the Rams on the NFC's playoff bubble despite preseason Super Bowl expectations.

It is terrible news for a battered Commanders offensive line that has to slow him down.

If there is anything that should give the Commanders some optimism here it is the fact Coleman has gone up against Garrett before, making him a non-factor in a 2024 meeting when Garrett was still playing for the Cleveland Browns.

The Commanders gave Coleman a ton of help in that game, lining up a tight end next to him and constantly chipping Garrett, and that same approach might be the blueprint for Sunday's game.

Even though it has just two wins this season, Washington is still very much alive in the NFC East race and needs a win here. Slowing down Garrett, no matter how many snaps he plays, will be a huge part of that. 

Jeffery Simmons (DT, Chicago Bears) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers interior offensive line

The Buccaneers have played their way back into the NFC South race, even though Baker Mayfield has completed just 7-of-14 passes for only 64 yards in his two starts since returning to the lineup. 

The driving force behind their back-to-back wins has been a ground game that has completely dominated the past two weeks. 

This week they have to go up against a Bears team that is emerging as a Super Bowl contender in the NFC, and now has the added bonus of having an absolute game-changer in the middle of its line in Jeffery Simmons. 

Simmons wasted no time in making an impact in his Bears debut, and now that he is on a good team, with top talent around him, the NFL world is going to get a sense of how dominant he can truly be.