NFL: Player Matchups in Week 5

As our attention turns to football being back in Britain this week, here’s our weekly matchup piece, kicking off with a tasty QB faceoff in London town.

Aaron Rodgers vs Sam Darnold

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As a UK outlet, we couldn’t do our weekly matchup piece without a nod to the London game. What better battle to watch than the one between the quarterbacks. This is a full circle moment for Sam Darnold, facing off against the team that drafted him third overall in 2018. Here he is now, pairing up with Kevin O’Connell to lead an undefeated Vikings team, the current toast of the NFL.

And who better to battle against than the wily, old fox Aaron Rodgers. Coming off the back of a dour outing against the Broncos, Rodgers will want to get things back on track. It won’t be easy against a Vikings defense that ranks third in defensive epa/play. Rodgers was sacked five times and hit sixteen times against Denver, he will hope for better protection in this one.

Dalton Kincaid vs Jalen Pitre

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The departure of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis has changed the complexion of the Bills offense, but up until their blowout defeat to the Ravens, not the productivity. First-round tight end Dalton Kincaid has been the second most popular target, enjoying a success rate % of 72.2. With Khalil Shakir suffering from an ankle injury, Kincaid will be vital to Allen and the Bills ability to move the ball through the air.

Kincaid has spent around 40% of his snaps in the slot this season meaning there is a decent chance he will line up opposite Texans defensive back Jalen Pitre. Pitre has made the slot role his own for Houston and is one of the new hybrid defenders taking the league by storm. He has taken his lumps in coverage so far this year, allowing 13 catches for 93 yards. If he can find a way to keep Kincaid quiet, the Texans may just be able to repeat what the Ravens did holding Allen and co. to 10 points.

Derrick Henry vs Logan Wilson

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Here’s two very worrying stats for all Bengals fans. Next Gen Stats had Derrick Henry as gaining +119 rushing yards over expected in last week’s Bills game and the Ravens run game as a whole is leading the league in designed run EPA. Their mark of +27.6, is nearly double the next team. The combination of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson finally showed it’s teeth and it was a warning shot to everyone in the AFC.

That shot will have been heard loudest in Cincinnati where the Bengals rank 31st in defensive EPA/rush. Even before injuries racked up on the defensive front the loss of DJ Reader to free agency was being keenly felt. A lot of the responsibility for slowing Henry down will fall to linebacker Logan Wilson. As the heartbeat of the defensive unit, Wilson must rally the troops after four terrible outings so far this year. Wilson himself is having a career year in terms of run defense grade from PFF, he must lead from the front and slow down this Ravens rushing attack.

CeeDee Lamb vs Joey Porter Jr.

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Joey Porter Jr was pretty vocal about the good job the Steelers secondary did shutting down Drake London in Week 1 and now he faces another premier matchup against top 5 wideout CeeDee Lamb. Porter has been an important piece of this strong Steelers defense but allowed 5 catches last week for 81 yards, particularly struggling with the physicality of Michael Pittman.

Lamb is another receiver who will enjoy going toe-to-toe in a matchup that could become handsy. Lamb shares his snaps between the slot and outside but when these two meet, it will be interesting to see what tactics Porter employs to stop the star receiver. Lamb is yet to break the 100 yard receiving mark in a game this year, can Porter and the Steelers continue that trend?

Carl Granderson vs Jawaan Taylor

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The Chiefs feel like a team in trouble, but quite frankly that’s ridiculous considering they are unbeaten. Add to that, the magic that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid provide and it’s unlikely we see the Chiefs performance dip substantially. However, there are concerns, the Rashee Rice injury topping the list. Not only that, the offensive tackle spot has become worrisome. Rookie Kingsley Suamataia was benched for Wanya Morris and right tackle Jawaan Taylor allowed 3 pressures, including a sack last week, as the Chargers front got after Mahomes.

Now Taylor will face Carl Granderson who has four sacks and 18 hurries this year. Per PFF, that puts him seventh in the league for Pass Rushing Productivity for edge rushers with a minimum of 75 pass rushes. The Saints will look to get after Mahomes and hope that missing his favourite target will result in that time to pass metric being extended. Expect plenty of blitzing and if Granderson gets one-on-one with Taylor, his sack tally might increase.

AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.