The NFL is a game of matchups. If your cornerback can’t cover my wide receiver, it’s going to be a long day for you. That is, unless you do something about it or my offensive tackle can’t block your edge rusher. Then I have to do something. Coaches will scheme and plan as much as they can, and then on Sunday it comes down to players executing their assignments, playing sound in their technique, and making plays even though the guy they’re facing is getting paid just as much and trying just as hard.
Here at This Given Sunday, we’ll be highlighting five matchups to watch in Sunday’s non-primetime games. Given how coaches plan and scheme, we may not actually much of some of these matchups happen much on the field. Last week, Richard Sherman rarely faced off against Jordy Nelson because the Packers wanted things that way and the Seahawks were content to accept that. Even if we don’t actually see these matchups, they are still on the mind of the offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators.
1. Bengals WR A.J. Green vs. Falcons CB Desmond Trufant
Green burned the Ravens, playing without their top cornerback Lardarius Webb, for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown last week. The Falcons made Trufant their first-round pick in 2013 because he has the height at 6’0″ and the speed to compete against big receivers like Green. Atlanta didn’t show the pass rush last week that you need to force Andy Dalton into quick decisions. Instead, they’ll be relying on Trufant to cover long enough to give the pass rush time to get there. It’s a tall order, but Trufant has the potential to do it.
2. Panthers DE Charles Johnson vs. Lions RT Cornelius Lucas or Garrett Reynolds
The Panthers’ defense powered them to the #2 seed in the NFC last year. That was mostly dominant front four play, as both ends Johnson and Greg Hardy notched at least 11.0 sacks. The Panthers mostly continued where they left off in Week 1, stifling Tampa Bay’s offense most of the game. Johnson didn’t get any sacks but notched two hits on Josh McCown. The Lions will be missing starting right tackle LaAdrian Waddle and have yet to announce his replacement as of Friday afternoon. The two leading contenders are Lucas, a rookie undrafted free agent who come out of Kansas State with some promise but needing time to adapt to the NFL game, or Garrett Reynolds, who failed as Atlanta’s right guard. This is a matchup that could wreck Matt Stafford’s day unless the Lions scheme around it.
3. Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali vs. Broncos LT Ryan Clady
When the Chiefs started 9-0, dominating edge rush from Hali and Justin Houston was a big reason why. Peyton Manning is one of the hardest quarterbacks to sack in NFL history. Seattle showed in the Super Bowl, though, that even when you don’t bring him down much (and they only did so once), pressure will throw him off his game. Clady missed both Broncos-Chiefs games last year and showed some signs of rust early on. Hali presents a much more formidable challenge than what Indianapolis trotted out last week. If Hali ends up with another no pressure, no sack afternoon, there’s a good chance the Chiefs are 0-2.
4. Patriots QB Tom Brady vs. Vikings FS Harrison Smith
Smith can do it all and may be the Vikings’ best defensive player. He showed that against the Rams in Minnesota’s dominating season-opening victory, notching both a sack and an interception as new head coach Mike Zimmer has him deployed in creative ways. Brady doesn’t have the league’s best deep ball, or anything close to it, but he is a master of manipulating the safeties to create openings in the middle of the field for the Patriots’ horizontal stretch offense. Miami’s coverage held up long enough for their rushers to disrupt Brady in the second half. Can Smith and company do the same?
5. Titans DL Jurrell Casey vs. Cowboys LG Ronald Leary
When Tony Romo wasn’t throwing interceptions, the Cowboys were moving the ball very effectively against the 49ers on the ground. That included plenty of consistent gains between the tackles as Leary, plus first-round picks center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin, all had strong games on the ground. Casey led Tennessee’s wrecking crew against Kansas City’s offense and Jamaal Charles. While Charles only getting seven carries was coaching malpractice by Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ offensive line run-blocked like they were trying to make Reid’s lack of confidence in them look good. If Leary can block Casey, Dallas can run the ball with the same consistent success they had against San Francisco. If they do that, they’ll put up a lot more points on Tennessee than Kansas City did last week, or at least they will if Romo doesn’t keep throwing the ball to the guys in the wrong jersey.
