Tag: matchups

Saints vs. Vikings: 5 defining matchups to watch in Week 10 game

Danielle Hunter vs. Ryan Ramczyk is the premier matchup in Saints vs. Vikings. Minnesota has a few tendencies that could hurt the Saints.

The New Orleans Saints face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and look to extend their winning streak to three games. New Orleans isn’t the only team on a winning streak. The Vikings have won their last four games after a 1-4 start to the season. That streak didn’t end despite having to lean on a quarterback who was so new he didn’t know his teammates’ names.

With each teams looking to extend a winning streak, there are certain matchups that will define this game. The Vikings have certain tendencies the Saints have previously struggled with. There is also a standout battle in the trenches that highlights the matchups in this game.

Saints vs. Bears: 3 biggest matchups in Week 9 game

Montez Sweat will likely be used sparingly but he could still impact the game. Sweat vs. Saints OT’s is the lead matchup in Saints vs. Bears

These aren’t exactly the Chicago Bears the New Orleans Saints thought they’d face just a couple of weeks ago. Justin Fields has already been ruled out for this game with a thumb injury. That leaves Tyson Bagent to start his third game of the season.

The Bears also made a splash at the trade deadline, trading for Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. It’ll be interesting to see how the pass rusher impacts those around him as well as his own production. These changes to the Bears has made this game much more focused on the trenches.

These are the 3 matchups to watch in Bears vs. Saints:

3 key matchups to watch in Saints vs. Texans

C.J. Stroud hasn’t thrown an interception yet in his career. The impressive rookie versus a talented Saints secondary is one of several key matchups in Week 6:

The New Orleans Saints travel to face the Houston Texans. The Saints are looking to sustain the momentum from last week’s game. Despite the offensive explosion, the strength of the team is still their defense. For that reason, two of the three feature the New Orleans defense. The Texans feature an offense led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Though the offense takes a lot of shine, the Texans come in with a strong defense as well. They’re led by first year head coach DeMeco Ryans, and he has his defense playing stout. Similar to the Saints, a strong suit of this defense is the ability to keep points off the board. Here are the three matchups to watch this week in Saints versus Texans.

3 pivotal matchups that will decide Saints vs. Panthers

The Saints have their first divisional matchup. Brian Burns versus Trevor Penning highlights our matchups to watch in Week 2 | @southexclusives

The Saints prepare for their first divisional game of the season against the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans comes into the game undefeated, while Carolina is looking for their first win of the season. History suggests this will be a difficult game, regardless of the victor.

Both teams come into the season with new starting quarterbacks. Derek Carr is entering his second game as a Saint, and Bryce Young is entering his second game as a pro. This is a showdown we could see between divisional rivals for the next few years. These are the pivotal matchups that will decide this game:

Top matchups in Packers vs. Falcons in Week 2

The Week 2 showdown between the Packers and Falcons features fun matchups all over the field.

The Week 2 showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons offers an exciting matchup between two young teams with playoff aspirations in the NFC. The Falcons are led by Arthur Smith, who worked with Packers coach Matt LaFleur in Tennessee. Both teams have young starting quarterbacks, exciting skill position talent and the ability to win at the line of scrimmage and make plays in coverage.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the best individual matchups within Packers-Falcons on Sunday:

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt vs. Falcons RG Chris Lindstrom: Wyatt had six pressures and 1.5 sacks in the season opener, a potential jumping off performance to start his second year. Lindstrom was a second-team All-Pro at guard last season. A perfect test for the Packers’ 2022 first-round pick.

Packers QB Jordan Love vs. Falcons S Jessie Bates: Love didn’t have a turnover during his first start. Bates forced three takeaways, including two interceptions, during his Falcons debut. The turnover battle — and maybe the game — might be won and lost in this matchup.

Packers OLB Rashan Gary vs. Falcons RT Caleb McGary: 2019 first-round pick vs. 2019 first-round pick. Gary was dominant despite playing only 12 snaps in Chicago, while McGary had his hands full with Brian Burns in the opener. Desmond Ridder didn’t complete a pass under pressure in Week 1.

Packers C Josh Myers vs. Falcons DL Grady Jarrett: While flanked by Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan on the interior of the Packers offensive, Myers struggled in the season opener and now gets a matchup against one of the NFL’s top interior disruptors. The third-year center must be better in Week 2.

Packers DL Kenny Clark vs. Falcons LG Matthew Bergeron: The Falcons’ second-round pick didn’t allow a pressure in his NFL debut. Can he keep Clark out of the backfield on Sunday? Clark could be a menace against the run.

Packers CB Jaire Alexander vs. Falcons WR Drake London: Despite catching 72 passes as a rookie, London didn’t have a single catch over 47 snaps in Week 1. Will Alexander, who helped shut down D.J. Moore, keep London under wraps again?

Packers TE Luke Musgrave vs. Falcons LB Troy Andersen: Can Andersen, who gave up a couple of catches to Hayden Hurst in the opener, keep up with Musgrave’s speed? The Falcons linebacker has elite speed himself. In terms of overall athleticism, this is a terrific one-on-one matchup.

Packers LB Quay Walker vs. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson: It’s unclear Walker, who is in concussion protocol, will play. The Packers need his athleticism to chase Robinson all over the field, both in the run and passing games.

Packers LB De’Vondre Campbell vs. Falcons QB Desmond Ridder: Of Ridder’s 15 completions in Week 1, eight came behind the line of scrimmage, including five screens. Campbell (and possibly safety Darnell Savage, too) must go hunting against the short passing game.

3 key matchups that will decide Saints vs. Titans

For the Saints to defeat the Titans, they must stop Derrick Henry and Jeffery Simmons. Marshon Lattimore opens the season vs. DeAndre Hopkins | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints open the season versus the Tennessee Titans this Sunday in the Caesars Superdome. The matchup will feature the debut of Derek Carr and the anticipated return of Michael Thomas. These players should impact the game heavily, but neither are a part of the three most important matchups of the game.

The outcome of these matchups have the ability to decide the game. If the Saints win all of these battles, they will win the game.

Ranking every 2023 Saints game from easiest to toughest

Ranking every 2023 New Orleans Saints game from easiest to toughest. Which matchups look like the most challenging? via @DillySanders:

One of the biggest conversations surrounding the New Orleans Saints since the NFL schedules dropped for the 2023 season, is that the Saints have one of the easiest schedules on paper. With the state of the NFC South and some people having doubts about the NFC North.

With the weaker schedule, the Saints are not going to have much of a leash if they follow up last year with another disappointing showing. The addition of Derek Carr should also make things easier as well.

To have a better understanding of what to expect this year, we took a look at every game and ranked them from easiest to hardest:

Packers vs. Bears: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 13

The key matchups when the Packers face the Bears in Week 13.

The Green Bay Packers don’t need any extra motivation when it comes to facing the Chicago Bears. However, both teams have something meaningful to play for at 786 wins a piece. That means the winner of Sunday’s game will have the most regular season wins in NFL history.

Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a conciliation prize with the Packers and Bears both in the middle of underwhelming seasons. At the beginning of the year, Green Bay had expectations of making the postseason, but a Week 12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles may have crushed any hope they had left. Meanwhile, Chicago has a far less talented roster and considered this a rebuilding year.

Regardless of records, there’s enough bad blood between these two teams for both to want to walk out of Sunday’s game with bragging rights. As always, here are four key matchups that will help decide the winner.

Packers vs. Eagles: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 12

Highlighting the four key matchups of the Packers’ Week 12 battle with the Eagles.

The Green Bay Packers desperately need a win this week to save their season. Unfortunately, that win will have to come against the Philadelphia Eagles, who own the NFL’s best record at 9-1.

The Eagles are one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL, including a top-five offense and the No. 2 overall defense. Meanwhile, the Packers have struggled on offense all season and have a defense performing well below expectations.

Sitting at 4-7, this week marks the start of the postseason for Green Bay, as another loss would essentially end their season. Coincidentally, when this team made its improbable run in 2016, it started with a win in Philadelphia.

If the Packers want to repeat history and pull off an upset in Week 12, it could come down to these four key matchups.