Here's a look at all the key matchups to watch in Week 7:
Green Bay WR Donald Driver vs. Cleveland CB Eric Wright
This is the 17th game in the series, with Green Bay holding a two-game edge. The Packers have not played in Cleveland since 1995. The big question here: Will the Packers be looking ahead to next week's big game against Brett Favre and the Vikings?
Driver became the first player in Packers history to catch 600 passes last week. Despite being 34, he still has the speed to separate and possesses good acceleration. Driver is fluid in his hips, can get in and out of cuts and will go inside to make the catch. He can also break tackles on slant routes. The one-handed catch he made last week against Detroit was special.
Wright is a third-year corner with solid coverage skills. He's a very good athlete, who is strong in press coverage. He has the ability to turn and run with receivers. Wright is tough, but he needs to play with more discipline. | |
San Francisco CB Nate Clements vs. Houston WR Andre Johnson
This is the second meeting between these teams and the 49ers' first time playing the Texans in Houston. It's a game both teams need to win if they are going to be a serious factor in the playoff race.
Clements plays against the receiver the Niners think is most likely to beat them, no matter where that receiver lines up. He is very physical and has good ball skills. He is the second-leading tackler on the 49ers. If San Francisco is to have any chance to win, Clements needs to come up big.
Johnson is an elite playmaker. He caught 115 passes for 1,575 yards and eight TDs in '08. He does not like to be pressed and struggles some when he doesn't have free access (although he is strong enough to get off the press). Johnson is an excellent slant threat and a very good deep route runner. He is an outstanding receiver and seems to play better indoors. | |
Minnesota QB Brett Favre vs. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger
These teams have played 15 times, including Super Bowl IX, a 16-6 win for the Steelers. This matchup of marquee quarterbacks is all the more important when you consider that both teams are very good defending the run (they had the top two run defenses in '08).
In six games with Minnesota, Favre has completed 69 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 109.5. The Vikings are also second in scoring. Favre no longer moves like he once did, but he hasn't lost any arm strength. The ball arrives in tight spots very quickly. More than anything, he seems to enjoy playing. If you watch Favre on the sidelines, you see he's into it on every play. Pittsburgh needs to get him to run around and force mistakes.
With Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh has become a passing team. The Steelers rank second overall in passing yards, are throwing 55 percent of the time and averaging 296 passing yards per game. Against Cleveland, Roethlisberger passed 35 times for 417 yards. He has a good corps of receivers at his disposal and has great arm strength with very good accuracy. He is a deceptive running threat, and a good play caller in the no-huddle. | |
San Diego CB Antonio Cromartie vs. Kansas City WR Dwayne Bowe
This is the 98th regular-season game between these original AFL teams, and has been a very strong rivalry through the years.
Bowe came into training camp overweight and was demoted to third team after a 2008 season in which he had 86 catches for 1,022 yards and seven TDs. He's gotten his weight down and had a 100-yard receiving game last week vs. Washington. Bowe is a big target and has the strength to get off the line. He will come across the middle. He doesn't have outstanding quickness, but he has long arms and big hands. He plays like Michael Irvin, but is not quite as fast.
Cromartie played outstanding in 2007, recording 10 interceptions in the regular season, two more in the playoffs and earning Pro Bowl honors. He did not play well in 2008 but was still named a Pro Bowl alternate. Cromartie is best when he can get his hands on you. He has long arms and is hard to throw over. He has trouble with receivers running double moves. | |
Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne vs. St. Louis CB Ron Bartell
Indianapolis holds a five-game edge in this series, which dates back to 1953 when the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams both played in the NFL's West division. I saw Peyton Manning last week at the Texas-Oklahoma game, and he reiterated his belief that rookie WR Austin Collie will be a special player.
When you play against the Colts offense, you have to pick your poison, but Wayne is still the big-play receiver. He can make all the catches, has very good ability to run after the catch and will make the tough inside catch. He loves the double move in the red zone. On most third-down passing situations, the ball will be coming his way.
The Rams rank low in both run and pass defense, but they are showing improvement each week. Bartell has played well and he has a good combination of size and speed, with long arms and a strong upper body. He's a smart player, having started a couple of years at safety in college, and he is also a good tackler. | |
New England LB Jerod Mayo vs. Tampa Bay RB Cadillac Williams
The Buccaneers had a record of 9-3 through 13 weeks last season. They have lost 10 consecutive games since then. They do have some good young players, including two young quarterbacks, that should make the future brighter. For now, though, the going has been tough.
Mayo was last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year. He returned to his inside linebacker spot two weeks ago after being injured in Week 1 vs. Buffalo. Mayo has good speed and power. He was New England's leading tackler in '08 with 139 -- 54 more than the second-leading tackler on the team. He has very good recognition and plays well in space. He will be a perennial Pro Bowl player.
In 2005, Williams became the first rookie in NFL history to begin his career with three consecutive 100-yard games. Injuries, however, limited him to only 10 games in 2007-08. Williams is a competitive player, who will make the first tackler miss. He has good quickness and burst, and is a very good receiver. Tampa Bay has very little in the passing game, yet Williams is still averaging 4.4 yards per carry. | |
Buffalo LB Paul Posluszny vs. Carolina RB DeAngelo Williams
Both of these teams entered the season with high expectations and promptly got off to poor starts. But both are coming off victories last week, so the winner of this game has a chance to build some momentum.
To beat the Panthers, the Bills need to make them pass, but the problem is that the Bills rank 32nd in run defense. One reason is that Posluszny missed three games with an injury. He returned last week and played well, despite the fact the Jets rushed for 300 yards. Posluszny has all the intangibles for a linebacker. He's a tough, instinctive and very smart athlete, who gets the defense lined up correctly. He made an interception against the Jets downfield, but usually is not real good in pass coverage.
Carolina loves to run the ball with its two-headed attack. Williams ran 30 times for 152 yards and two scores last week, but he is complemented by Jonathan Stewart, who ran for 836 yards and 10 TDs as a rookie last year. Stewart had 17 carries last week for 110 yards and a score. He is very strong with great vision and outstanding quickness. He's a good receiver and a very good pass blocker. | |
N.Y. Jets RB Thomas Jones vs. Oakland LB Kirk Morrison
The Raiders have played well against the Jets in recent years, including last year when the Jets' only loss in an eight-game stretch was a 16-13 overtime loss in Oakland.
Jones had 159 yards last year vs. Oakland. Last week against Buffalo, he ran for a team-record 210 yards. Look for the Jets to run a lot here as rookie QB Mark Sanchez is coming off his worst game as a pro. Jones rushed for 1,312 yards last year and became just the third running back ever to earn his first Pro Bowl nod after turning 30. Jones can make the first tackler miss, has above-average hands and still has a good burst.
Morrison has started 69 of 70 games since being drafted in third round in 2005. He had the fifth-most tackles in the NFL in 2008 (135). Morrison has great awareness and is constantly around the ball. He is always aware of what the other team is doing. He has trouble in space against the pass, because he lacks outstanding speed. Morrison needs a big game, if the Raiders are to win their second straight game.
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Atlanta QB Matt Ryan vs. Dallas QB Tony Romo
Dallas has won 13 of the last 21 games in this series. Both teams have very aggressive owners, who are very active in the operation of their team. Dallas needs a win over a quality opponent and should do well coming off the bye week. The Cowboys are 4-0 after their last four byes.
Ryan has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for nine TDs and four interceptions with a 95.6 rating. He has started 21 games and the Falcons are 15-6 in those games. He is a smart player with great intangibles and a work ethic off the field that rivals Peyton Manning. He can make all the throws. Ryan played much better at home than on the road as a rookie, but he's playing better on road this year.
Romo knows full well that being quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is tough, mainly because of the success of previous Dallas quarterbacks. His numbers are not as good this year as they were in 2008. Romo has arm strength and accuracy, to along with a quick release. He has a tendency to be careless with the ball at times. | |
New Orleans DE Will Smith vs. Miami OT Jake Long
These are two well-coached teams, led by head coaches who worked together for three seasons in Dallas under Bill Parcells. Miami is coming off a bye, while New Orleans hits the road after a big home win. It's an interesting upset scenario.
The Dolphins love to run the ball, so they will look to keep it on the ground and shorten the game to keep the ball away from Drew Brees and the top-ranked Saints offense. You can bet new starting QB Chad Henne will see every blitz known to man from Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Smith is a very athletic player (he was a high school running back), who has had 39 sacks since joining the Saints in 2004. He plays with intensity and speed, and is a disruptive force vs. the run. He has the ability to cause fumbles, has good functional strength and uses his hands well to get off blocks.
Long was the first overall pick in the 2008 draft and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season. Long is a big man (6-foot-7, 335) with speed and athletic ability. He's a tough and nasty player, who is on his way to becoming exceptional. | |
Chicago QB Jay Cutler vs. Cincinnati CB Johnathan Joseph
The Bears have won two of three games in Cincinnati, and Cutler's first career victory with Denver came against the Bengals in his fourth start.
Cutler was the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He needs to have a big game, because the Bears' running game has been lacking and the Bengals run defense is pretty good. Cutler has good size and is very strong (he had 23 bench-press reps at the combine, unbelievable for a quarterback). He has outstanding athletic ability and was a Major League Baseball prospect as a shortstop. Cutler throws a tight spiral, has a quick release and a rocket arm. He needs to make better decisions and not let teams bait him.
Joseph was taken 13 picks after Cutler in the same draft. He has three interceptions this season and has returned one for a touchdown. Joseph has exceptional man coverage skills, good recovery speed and is a good tackler. He ran a 4.35 at the combine and is a very good athlete, who has improved significantly this season. | |
Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. N.Y. Giants CB Corey Webster
Kurt Warner started nine games for the Giants in 2004 and passed for 472 yards in a loss to the Jets at Giants Stadium last year. In his career against the Giants, Warner has four 300-yard passing games.
Fitzgerald led the NFC in catches and yards in 2008. To date, he has 461 career receptions and 51 TDs. This year, he has not had a reception longer than 26 yards. He is big (6-3) and strong, with very long arms and huge hands. Fitzgerald makes spectacular catches, thanks to his great hand-eye coordination, lack of wasted movement and outstanding playing speed. He is a great worker, and even better person. He is bound for the Hall of Fame.
Webster does not intercept a lot of passes, but he makes a lot of plays on the ball. Last year, he had only three interceptions but had 24 passes knocked down. Webster is a very instinctive player with good ball skills. He’s athletic, with good closing speed. Even after the bad loss in New Orleans last week, the Giants still lead the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed. | |
Philadelphia RB Brian Westbrook vs. Washington LB London Fletcher
This will be the 148th meeting between these two teams in a rivalry that dates back to 1934, when the Redskins franchise was located in Boston. Washington will be playing its first game this season against a team that has a win entering the contest. It will also be the Redskins' first game with new play-caller Sherman Lewis, who has been out of football since the 2004 season.
Westbrook is still the Eagles' toughest matchup for any opponent. He can do everything -- run, catch and block -- with strength and quickness. He is great in space and has outstanding hands. He scored 14 TDs in 2008, but he has a tendency to wear down late in the season.
Fletcher has beaten all odds. He was an undrafted free agent who has gone on to start 12 seasons. According to STATS Inc., he is the leading tackler in this decade, with 1,244 tackles going into the year. Ray Lewis has 190 fewer tackles over this period. A former basketball player in college, he has started 141 consecutive games. Fletcher is short, but very strong. He has great recognition. | |
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