Match Ups

Another week in the books and truth be told, much like Week 6, Week 7 wasn’t a vintage one in terms of quality football. There were teams that didn’t show and took a hiding (here’s looking at you Indianapolis), and there were some downright ugly football games (hey Cleveland and Seattle … really?)

However, under all of that there was, as ever, individual matchups of note and story lines worth highlighting. This week we take a look at a group of players gaining redemption for some of their early season failings. We head to Cleveland where one defensive lineman gave an entire interior nightmares. Then we close with a look at the league’s top corner again seeing a lot of traffic and coming out on the winning side.

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Six weeks into the NFL season and that long off-season looks a long way in the rearview mirror now, with some teams and players really starting to hit their stride just as we start to come across some crucial matchups as teams arrive at a crossroads of their season.

Week six had an air of tension around it in a lot of games (no, we won’t be talking about the Schwartz and Harbaugh match up unfortunately), and seeing a number of teams retreat into their shells this week, with the cost dear.  In amongst that conservative play calling and underperformance, there were some absolutely cracking one on one matchups, a number of which you’d be hard pressed to name a definitive winner from.

This week we take a look at the encounter between the best left tackle in football and Dwight Freeney, the most concerted effort to break off of Revis Island in 2011, and a top class NFC South matchup that went under the radar.

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This week in Marquee Matchups we take a look at three matchups that didn’t pan out quite as may have been anticipated given the tale of the tape.
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In Houston we take a look at a battle pitting brute force against finesse that set the foundation for the Raiders stifling of a Texans’ offense. In Minnesota, we dissect the inevitable when an All-Pro defensive end matches up with an offensive tackle from the other end of the scale. Then, to round out the week, we head off to Indianapolis, where two players stepped up and proved why this sport isn’t played on paper as the best pass rusher in the league from the last two seasons is shutout.
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Plenty of interesting matchups and talking points in the NFL this week, some outstanding individual performances and some intriguing one-on-one matchups that perhaps didn’t quite go to the script.
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As ever, we’ll take a balanced look at those balanced encounters and those that were decisively won by one or the other. We’ll head to Chicago to check out Steve Smith again hooking up with Cam Newton for a big day, causing at least half of the Bears’ defensive backfield nightmares. We’ll check in with Cleveland where a rookie sensation showed that he’s not just a pass rusher against one of the better right tackles in the league. Then we’ll finish in Green Bay where a second-year player might now be wishing that he hadn’t got his chance to star this week.
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Another week in the books and, in all honesty, it wasn’t a vintage week for one-on-one matchups.
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There were a lot of lopsided outcomes – Wes Welker destroying the entireBuffalopass defense is one that didn’t make the list – but the three highlighted here all follow a common theme: Speed Kills!
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Whether it’s in the pass rush, getting down the field, or working to find space, speed has a habit of winning in football. Whether it’s through raw speed beating a lack of it or the fear of it putting you in a bad position, speed is like football’s joker. That was certainly the case in at least three matchups this week that we’ll look at here.
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Week 2 is in the books and this week’s Marquee Matchups takes a look at some titanic encounters in the NFC.
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We’ll focus on two matchups that show that even though offense is king in the NFL right now, great defenders can still make opposing offensive players look sub-standard. These two defensive victories were clear cut in the individual matchups despite coming out on the losing side on the scoreboard.
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With that in mind, let’s give these defenders their due and take a look at this week’s Marquee Matchups.
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A new season is with us and with that new season comes a new focus for our weekly Marquee Matchups piece. With our expanded game previews, Marquee Matchups will now take on a review role, looking back at three intriguing matchups from the week.
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We’ll be looking at the very best against the very best, the uneven matchups that turned a game, and also those uneven matchups that weren’t exploited and allowed an upset. Week 1 brought a lot of points and a few surprises so let’s take a look at the first three matchups that fall under the microscope for 2011.
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Maybe we should call this Marquee Re-Matchups.

All four games this weekend feature teams that have played at least once in the regular season, with the Patriots and Jets having faced off twice. The Seahawks in particular have to be most pleased with their rematch — they played their best game of the regular season in their win at Chicago, especially on defense.

Again this week we’ll look at a matchup of a team’s strength against the other teams strength as well as a mismatch they may be looking to exploit.

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During the regular season, teams know they’ll win some matchups on the field each week and lose others — the goal, of course, being that you win enough of them along the way to make the playoffs. But the room for error goes out the door during one-and-done season, and one bad matchup can mean the end in a hurry.

Here’s our first look at the wild card playoff games, identifying a pair of player matchups in each game that bear watching — one where it’s strength vs. strength, the other where one team has a clear advantage.

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So it all comes down to this, Week 17.

Those in the playoff hunt know what they have to do and what help they need to get to the big dance. Those with playoff spots sealed are thinking about how best to rest & maintain momentum. Those out of the running are left wishing for the blind optimism of September to return to them.

This week is all about the play-in games, so Marquee Matchups runs a magnifying glass over the key matchup of each games.

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