The seventh week of the 2016 NFL season is already underway, with the Packers' win over the Bears on Thursday. As the action continues, be sure to watch these key one-on-one matchups in every remaining NFL game.
New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams
Janoris Jenkins faces off against his old team — albeit in a new city — as the Giants travel to London for a game against Los Angeles on Sunday. Along with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jenkins will be tasked with slowing Rams WR Kenny Britt, who is coming off an 88.7 overall game grade against the Lions in Week 6.
New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs
The fifth-highest-graded quarterback this season, veteran signal-caller Drew Brees will attempt to push a Chiefs secondary that forced Raiders QB Derek Carr into a position-worst game grade last week. To do so, he'll likely have to test Marcus Peters from time to time, who, for the second season in a row, leads all NFL CBs in interceptions, with five on the year.
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles
Is Kyle Rudolph finally reaching his pro potential? Through five weeks, the former Notre Dame standout owns three touchdowns (tied for second-most among TEs this season) and 236 receiving yards. Tasked with slowing him on many snaps will be Eagles LB Jordan Hicks, who has surrendered just five receptions on 10 pass attempts into his coverage this year.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Andrew Luck has been under pressure more than any other QB this season (on 41.3 percent of his dropbacks, in fact), with LT Anthony Castonzo surrendering 17 pressures. He'll have to up his pass protection against Brian Orakpo on Sunday; the Titans' outside linebacker owns the third-highest pass-rushing productivity mark among 3-4 OLBs this season.
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
This slot matchup will be an entertaining underneath battle to watch, with both players excelling in their roles this season. Bills CB Nickell Robey-Coleman has surrendered a league-low 15.7 passer rating in the slot this season — just eight receptions on 21 targets into his coverage — with two interceptions. On the other side, Landry has recorded the most slot receptions and yards this season of any receiver, with 43 catches and 435 yards.
Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
Josh Norman has slid somewhat from his early-season No. 1 ranking, but the Lions' attack still needs to respect the former Panther's coverage ability heading into Sunday. QBs targeting the receiver in Norman's coverage have recorded a 72.8 passer rating this year, with just one TD to one pick and five pass defenses.
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
In this matchup of two teams desperately in need of a win — maybe the Bengals more so at this point than the 0-6 Browns — Terrelle Pryor will try to fight through an injury to lead the Cleveland offense against Adam Jones and the Bengals defense.
Oakland Raiders at Jacksonville Jaguars
Amari Cooper seems to have solved the drop problem that ailed his rookie season, decreasing his drop rate from 20.7 in 2015 to 5.3 this season. The Jaguars' secondary will be tasked with slowing Cooper and Michael Crabtree, with rookie CB Jalen Ramsey playing a key role.
Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
After a solid start to the year with his new team, Matt Forte has seen a regression in his play over the last three weeks. Against the Cardinals on Monday night, he earned a position-low 42.7 grade, dropping his overall grade for the season to 66.0. Timmy Jernigan aims to prevent a bounce-back performance; the Baltimore defensive end is tied with Jets DE Leonard Williams for the 10th-highest run-defense grade (80.1) among NFL interior defenders.
San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons
Chargers rookie Joey Bosa has played just two professional football games thus far, yet already owns the highest pass-rushing productivity mark among 3-4 outside linebackers this season. Bosa has recorded 14 total QB pressures across two games, with two sacks in his Week 5 debut.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers
A serious bright spot on the 49ers' roster this season has been rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson. A fourth-round pick, Robinson has surrendered just six receptions on the 12 targets into his coverage this season for just 55 total yards. Mike Evans — who has cooled off slightly the past two weeks following a hot start — will aim to bring the rookie back down to earth as the Bucs travel to Santa Clara.
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
With Ben Roethlisberger missing this contest, the Steelers will be heavily reliant on Le'Veon Bell. Fortunately, the running back is in top form after serving his three-game suspension to start the year, quickly rising up the RB grades upon his return. Dont'a Hightower and the Patriots' linebacker corps will be tasked with limiting Bell; Hightower owns the eighth-best run defense grade at the position this season.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Another slot matchup worth watching closely, Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin has spent 82.0 percent of his snaps in the slot this season. Tyrann Mathieu started the year more at safety, but Arizona has since transitioned him back into his slot cornerback role.
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
The Broncos defense is still the strongest part of the team, with CB Aqib Talib continuing to be one of the league's top cornerbacks. It hasn't been as smooth for Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins from a production stnadpoint, but he's still earned the No. 11 WR grade so far. The two stars will face off a lot in Monday's game.
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