Top 10 matchups for NFL Week 13

The first weekend of December NFL action offers some of the best matchups we’ve seen to date this season. Kirk Cousins takes his playoff hopeful Washington Redskins into the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals and their sec0nd-ranked pass defense. Can Cousins have success against the likes of Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson here?

Meanwhile, in the AFC, LeSean McCoy looks to lead his resurgent Buffalo Bills to a win over the first-place Oakland Raiders. Can McCoy take advantage of a weak run defense to keep the Bills in playoff contention?

These are among the top 10 matchups of NFL Week 13. Here’s a look at the rest of the best in what appears to be an especially important week for multiple teams around the NFL.

1. Julio Jones vs Marcus Peters

Jones was on an absolute roll for the Atlanta Falcons before clashing head first into the brick wall that is Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson last week. The Pro Bowler caught a grand total of four passes for 35 yards on seven targets. It was Jones’ third-worst yardage output of the season.

While Jones himself has put up some tremendous numbers this season, he’s pretty much been boom or bust for the first-place Falcons. He’s tallied 100-plus receiving yards six times, a span of games that have seen Jones put up 85 percent of his receiving yards this season. In his other five games, Jones has put up a grand total of 171 yards.

Speaking of inconsistent, Peters remains one of the best ball-hawking defensive backs in the NFL. He’s been in on seven forced turnovers this season, including five interceptions. The second-year corner has also given up some pretty big plays as a sophomore.

Though, Peters himself is coming off a tremendous performance in Sunday’s thrilling overtime win over the Denver Broncos.

In a game that pits two playoff contenders against one another, it’s this one specific matchup that could help dictate the outcome. Will Jones have one of his patented huge performances while taking advantage of Peters’ gambling mentality? If not, will the Chiefs’ best corner shut down one of the top receivers in the game? That’s definitely a matchup to watch heading into the first week of December action.

2. Redskins tight ends vs Tyrann Mathieu

First off, let’s get this 500-pound gorilla out of the way. Reed is questionable for Sunday’s game with an AC injury to the shoulder. It’s said to be extremely painful and kept him out of the early-week practice sessions. The all-everything tight end would need to see some practice time in order to go.

Should that happen, Kirk Cousins will have his favorite target on the field in a game the Redskins must win to retain any hope of catching the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. Reed has caught 59-of-81 targets for 630 yards in just nine games this season.

If Reed can’t go, it will be left up to veteran and former Pro Bowler Vernon Davis to do damage against Arizona Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.

The good news first. Davis has rebounded big time after struggles in San Francisco and Denver over the past couple seasons. Davis has caught 31-of-37 targets for 450 yards thus far this season. That 84 percent catch rate is absolutely absurd.

For his part, Mathieu is working his way back from injury himself. The play-making defensive back returned last week after missing two games. In the process, he recorded two tackles, three passes defended and a sack.

While Arizona might want to match Mathieu up against Jamison Crowder in the slot, it will be hard-pressed to let either Reed or Davis run free against a linebacker group that simply doesn’t have the talent to contain those two elite-level receiving threats. It’s in this that Bruce Arians and Co. will likely put Honey Badger on the tight end duo.

3. LeSean McCoy vs Raiders run defense

If there’s one major Achilles’ heel on the first-place Oakland Raiders, it has to be stopping the run. Heading into Week 13, Oakland has yielded the seventh-most rushing yards in the NFL. It is also giving up 4.6 yards per rush and has allowed 13 rushing scores on the season.

On the other hand, McCoy continues to prove his worth among the game’s best all-around running backs. Despite playing with a dislocated finger and less than a week after undergoing surgery, the Buffalo Bills’ top dog put up 134 total yards and this amazing 75-yard touchdown run in last week’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If the Bills are going to stand a chance against one of the top teams the NFL has to offer, McCoy will have to exploit Oakland’s weakness here. Should that happen, Buffalo could very well be in line for a third consecutive win while handing the Raiders their first loss since mid October.

4. Marcus Gilbert vs Jason Pierre-Paul

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might do well to escape pressure on a consistent basis, but he’s among the least mobile players at his position in the NFL. Banged up over the past several years, pass protection has also become more important for Big Ben during the twilight of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Due to a combination of Roethlisberger’s ability to get rid of the ball and above-average offensive tackle play, he’s also been among the lest sacked signal callers in the NFL. Since the start of the 2015 season, the veteran has gone down a total of 34 tims in 22 games. That’s a surprisingly low 3.9 percent sack rate.

This upcoming week against a streaking New York Giants team is going to be especially telling for Big Ben and his Steelers. After all, they’re taking on a pass rusher in Jason Pierre-Paul who has racked up an absurd 5.5 sacks in the past two games. Last week alone, JPP recorded three sacks, forced a fumble, and returned a fumble for a touchdown (watch here).

The good news here for Pittsburgh is that Gilbert has consistently graded out as one of the top right tackles in the NFL over the past couple seasons. Last week against the Indianapolis Colts, Pro Football Focus actually graded him as the best Steelers offensive player, even higher than Big Ben himself.

If Gilbert is able to contain Pierre-Paul without help being thrown his way or the Steelers going max protect, it will surely give Antonio Brown and the team’s receiving group the ability to beat a surprising Giants secondary in the passing game. That in and of itself could be the biggest factor in a game between two playoff contenders.

5. Jordan Mills vs Khalil Mack

Mack is coming off one of the best defensive performances in the modern history of the NFL. That’s not hyperbole. He absolutely dominated the Carolina Panthers to the tune of one sack, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. He’s the first defender to accomplish this feat since Charles Woodson back in 2009 (more on that here).

Overall, Mack has racked up an absurd eight sacks in the past six games, recording at least one in each of those outings. This has put the third-year pass rusher squarely in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

Now set to take on Buffalo Bills right tackle Jordan Mills on Sunday, Mack is looking to continue this dominating recent play. Though, it most definitely won’t be as easy as it was against a bad Panthers offensive line last week.

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been sacked 30 times in 11 games. Though, a lot of that has to do with him attempting to extend plays and holding on to the ball too long. That simply can’t happen against Mack and the Raiders’ defense come Sunday. Should Taylor do better to get rid of the ball, it will be up to Mills to hold down the fort at right tackle.

6. Kirk Cousins vs Cardinals pass defense

Cousins is surely living up to his franchise tag label for the Washington Redskins this season. He’s completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,540 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This is one of the primary reasons Washington heads into Week 13 with a 6-4-1 record and holding a playoff spot in the NFC.

The rest of this team just isn’t talented enough to overcome any bad performances from Cousins himself. In fact, Washington boasts a 3-3-1 record in games that Cousins has thrown a pick. It is 3-1 in games that he’s played mistake-free football.

Over the course of the past three games, Cousins has taken his game to a completely different level. He’s completed 71.9 percent of his passes, is averaging 329 passing yards per game and has thrown eight touchdowns compared to zero picks en route to a ridiculous 123.7 quarterback rating.

It’s not anywhere near a coincidence that the Redskins are averaging over 31 points per game during that span.

Now set to take on the league’s second-best pass defense, it’s going to be interesting to see how Cousins performs here. Patrick Peterson held Julio Jones to less than 40 receiving yards last week.

Tyrann Mathieu presents a difficult matchup against the Skins’ two-headed tight end monster. Meanwhile, Chandler Jones continues to play exceptional football from the defensive end position.

If Cousins is able to perform at the level we’ve seen over the past three weeks, it will speak to just how much he’s improved. It will also help Washington rebound from last week’s loss to Dallas. In the process, Cousins could very well represent the final nail in the coffin of the Cardinals’ playoff hopes.

7. Mike Remmers vs Cliff Avril

The Carolina Panthers have been forced to go with Remmers at left tackle with Michael Oher on season-ending injured reserve. Needless to say, it has not been going swimmingly. In fact, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera used a rather stark term to explain this unit’s performance in front of Cam Newton.

Including Khalil Mack’s otherworldly performance against the Panthers last week, Newton has gone down an absurd 27 times in 10 starts this season. Considering the reigning NFL MVP is adept at escaping pressure, a normal quarterback would see that number hit closer to 40 at this point in the season.

It’s in this that Remmers needs to actually step up and perform well against a Seattle Seahawks pass rusher in Cliff Avril who is on pace for what would be a career high 15 sacks this season. Not to mention the fact that Avril ranks among the top-five players in the entire NFL in quarterback pressures.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of this happening is minuscule with the way Remmers has performed in Oher’s stead as Newton’s blindside protector.

Whether it is Remmers actually performing well in one-on-one blocking duties or the Panthers sending help his way, something must change here. If not, the Panthers’ already fading playoff hopes will go down in an inferno of ineptitude that would make the Cleveland Browns proud.

8. Jay Ajayi vs Ravens run defense

It was a shock to see the San Francisco 49ers’ league-worst run defense hold Ajayi to 45 yards on 18 attempts last week. After all, the second-year back from Boise State headed into Week 12 averaging 137 yards per game over his past five outings. Even with Ajayi’s less-than-stellar performance, the Dolphins were able to come away with their sixth consecutive win.

This won’t be the case against better competition come Sunday. Not only is Baltimore right in the thick of the AFC Playoff race, it ranks in the top six of the NFL against the pass. Should Ajayi be held back from performing at a high level, the onus will be on Ryan Tannehill to go from game manager to the reason why Miami succeeds on offense. We’ve seen how this has worked out in the past.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, Baltimore also ranks No. 1 in the NFL against the run at under 75 yards per game. That’s where it’s going to be especially important for Ajayi to put up a strong performance against an elite-level front three. Should this not happen, Miami’s winning streak will be a thing of the past.

9. Mitchell Schwartz vs Vic Beasley

It might not look like it, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line has performed at a much higher clip this season than what we saw last year. One of the primary reasons for this is the performance the team has seen from former Cleveland Browns second-round pick Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle.

Overall this season, Schwartz has allowed one pressure for every 30 quarterback dropbacks. That’s some elite-level stuff from a right tackle in today’s NFL.

He’s going to have to be on top of his game against a ferocious young pass rusher in Atlanta Falcons second-year EDGE player Vic Beasley, who has recorded 9.5 sacks in 11 games as a sophomore.

It’s one of those matchups that we must pay attention to in Week 13. Both Atlanta and Kansas City have playoff aspirations. But both have their own issues they’ve had to deal with this season.

Atlanta ranks dead last in the NFL against the pass and is without Pro Bowl corner Desmond Trufant. Should Schwartz shut Beasley down here, expect the Chiefs to have a field day through the air.

10. Dez Bryant vs Xavier Rhodes

We indicated prior to last week’s action that the NFL would be in trouble if Bryant continued to catch fire with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. He proceeded to put up a solid five catches for 72 yards on seven targets against Washington Redskins corner Josh Norman. It was a matchup that saw tempers flare, but it also pointed to Bryant proving his worth as potentially Prescott’s new favorite target.

In fact, since returning 100 percent healthy, Bryant has had himself a field day against opposing defenses. Over the course of the past three games, Prescott boasts a 147.2 quarterback rating when targeting Bryant. That’s insane stuff right there.

It won’t get any easier for this dynamic duo Thursday night against a corner in Xavier Rhodes that has proven himself to be among the top cover guys in the NFL.

Consider this. The likes of Marvin Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Alshon Jeffery have caught a combined 47 percent of their passes and are averaging 38.3 receiving yards in seven games against the Vikings this season.

Should Rhodes find a way to shut Bryant down, it will force Prescott to look in the middle of the field to Cole Beasley and Jason Witten.

That’s an area of the defense the Vikings have been equally as good defending with the likes of Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith. This is the one biggest key for a Vikings team that needs a win to remain relevant in the NFC Playoff picture. Should it not happen, Minnesota will lose for the sixth time in seven games while sending the Cowboys to their 11th consecutive victory.