Matchups

Games of the Week

Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos

This match up is fascinating and its on primetime. Early in the season, Thursday Night Football doesn’t get any better than a game that showcases two high expectation teams that are both 3-2. One of these teams is going to come out 4-2, while the other will leave 3-3. It’s a shame that we won’t get to watch Surtain vs JSN, with Surtain likely being ruled out. 

Taking a look at both teams, they are in very similar positions. The Seattle Seahawks offense comes in struggling mightily with almost nothing clicking. The run game is a mess and the pass game has been inconsistent at best. Sam Darnold looks very uncomfortable in the pocket and it’s hard to say if it’s entirely his fault. He’s been pressured on 42.7% of his dropbacks and the run game struggles could be factors in why he looks uncomfortable in the pocket. The defense is another story. They have picked up right where they left off from the Super Bowl Run, leading the league in yards allowed per game and leading the league in turnovers forced with 11. The points given up can be misleading with the offense turning the ball over and putting their defense at disadvantageous positions on the field.

The Broncos are very similar, the offense has been struggling with Head Coach Sean Peyton recently taking back play calling duties. The defense looks good again even without key players from last year. They are ninth in the league in passing yards allowed while being in the lower half of rushing yards allowed, positioning them in them in the middle in total defense. They will be without two key starters in this matchup though with Surtain (likely out) and Hufanga not playing. The offense will have to step up their game in order to compete with the Seahawks defense. 

So, what matchup will decide the game? That’s a difficult question to answer as I think there are a few that could. However, the one I think that will have the most impact is the Seahawks pass game versus the Broncos secondary. The run game is non-existent for the Seahawks so they will have to rely on JSN to bring them over the top while the banged up Broncos secondary will have to do their best to keep him in check. The secondary matchup that goes into that is the Seahawks offensive line versus the Denver defensive line. If the Broncos can get quick pressure on Darnold, that would give the secondary a lot of help. Lastly, one player to watch out for is Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton. 

Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders

When the schedule got released in May, no one had this game circled, let alone a potential game of the week candidate. Let me tell you why this deserves to be part of the “Games of the Week” discussion. 

The Bills are coming off an incredible win on Monday Night Football against the Rams where Josh Allen looked like the MVP. The Raiders are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Patriots where before that, the Raiders were starting to be taken seriously. If the Raiders want to re-establish themselves as a team that deserves to be taken seriously, they need to win this game. If they do, they get an outstanding win and move to 4-2 and everyone forgives the Patriots loss. If they don’t, then everyone looks away from a 3-3 Raiders team that only has wins against the Dolphins, Chargers, and Saints. 

There are several matchups in this game that could define the outcome of this game but I am going to take a more generic matchup that I believe will. The Bills defense is giving up about 28 points per game and the Raiders are averaging right around 26 points per game. The Raiders offense will have to keep pace with the Bills offense in order for them to win. Look for the Bills defense versus the Raiders offense to determine this one.