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10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 10
Norm Hall/Getty Images

10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 10

Officially hitting crunch time for some teams around the NFL, Week 10 represents an opportunity for these squads to cement their statuses as legitimate playoff contenders.

From two second-year quarterbacks facing off in Northern California to a rookie signal-caller coming off a career-best performance taking on an undefeated Carolina Panthers squad, there are a ton of solid matchups.

As we have done each week this season, here are the top 10 matchups for the upcoming slate of NFL games.

1. Larry Fitzgerald vs Richard Sherman

Two future Hall of Famers going up against one another in a game that could help dictate the outcome of the NFC West. With a full two-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks, Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals have a real opportunity to gain a stranglehold on the division in this one.

However, it's not going to come easy against a Seattle squad that's playing much better football as of late and is coming off a much-needed bye.

On pace for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, Fitzgerald has had somewhat of a rebirth this season. If those numbers hold true, they would pretty much equal what the 12-year NFL vet put up in the past two seasons combined. It's really helped Arizona's passing offense take that next step towards elite status.

The 32-year-old receiver will face his stiffest competition of the season on Sunday night. While Sherman hasn't been the same lock down corner we have seen in the past, he's still among the best cover guys in the NFL. Including this season, Sherman has given up five touchdowns compared to 20 interceptions when targeted in his five-year career.

With John Brown struggling through a hamstring injury and no real threat at tight end, Carson Palmer may have to force the ball to Fitzgerald in this one. If so, it could lead to a couple mistakes against a defense that's in "get right" mode after early-season struggles.

2. Cincinnati Bengals vs J.J. Watt

The level of help the Cincinnati Bengals will have to throw Smith's way here will help determine just how productive Andy Dalton will be against a surprisingly pedestrian Houston Texans defense on Monday night. Of course, that's all dependent on whether Smith actually plays after missing last week with a concussion.

After struggling to fill the stat sheet earlier in the year, Watt has come up big time over the Texans' past couple outings. He's put up eight quarterback hits and four sacks during that span. With his Texans firmly in the AFC South race, just a half game behind the Indianapolis Colts, Watt will look to continue this domination against an undefeated Bengals team on Monday.

Fortunately for Watt and the Texans, he could be lining up against a tackle in Andre Smith that's struggled a great deal in pass protection this season. Prior to missing last week's game with the aforementioned concussion, this former first-round pick allowed 12 quarterback hurries in seven games.

Going up against a player in Watt that has put up 18 quarterback hits in eight games, Smith will have to play at a high level here. If Smith isn't able to go, Watt's former teammate Eric Winston will get the start. That's also a less-than-ideal scenario for the undefeated Bengals.

3. Amari Cooper vs Xavier Rhodes

There's a chance the Minnesota Vikings might decide to put Rhodes on Michael Crabtree considering the latter's success over the past two games. However, opposing teams have matched up their top corner against Cooper since Week 1.

That's unlikely to change in this surprisingly good matchup between two legit playoff contenders.

Rhodes entered the season as one of the top young corners in the NFL. As a result of penalty issues, he's struggled a great deal as a sophomore. It also doesn't help that the former Florida State standout has yielded five touchdowns compared to zero picks for a 116.0 quarterback rating when targeted.

It's going to be important for Rhodes to keep Cooper on lock down with Terence Newman being tasked to go up against Crabtree. If that doesn't happen, the Raiders' passing game could have yet another field day with Derek Carr under center.

4. Jared Veldheer vs Michael Bennett

Bennett has been among the most dominating defensive linemen in the entire NFL this season. His performance helped keep the Seattle Seahawks defense afloat when its secondary was struggling a bit earlier in the campaign.

Now taking on one of the better pass-protecting left tackles in the conference, it's going to be important for Bennett to continue his stellar play.

The key here will be Arizona not having to go mass protect against an elite-level defense. That's going to be difficult with elite-level pass rushers in Seattle and the Cardinals' propensity for a vertical passing attack.

5. Justin Houston vs Michael Schofield

It wouldn't be terribly surprising if Peyton Manning enters Sunday's game with blood-shoot eyes after losing sleep during the week thinking about Houston. The statue of a quarterback simply doesn't have the mobility to counteract what the Kansas City Chiefs are going to bring from a pass-rushing standpoint this week.

This is magnified by the fact that the Denver Broncos are starting two backups at the tackle positions. Schofield, a second-year player from Michigan, saw a grand total of zero snaps as a rookie in 2014.

Due injury issues with Ryan Clady and Ty Sambrailo, he's been forced into action this year. In five starts, the youngster has struggled a great deal in pass protection.

Taking on an elite-level pass rusher that has racked up nearly 50 sacks since the start of the 2012 season, Schofield has his work cut out for him on Sunday.

If Houston and Tamba Hali are able to get to Manning on a consistent basis, it will mask what has been a horrendous pass defense in Kansas City. If not, the Broncos could very well get back on track following their first loss of the season last week.

6. Sammy Watkins vs Darrelle Revis

Watkins is coming off the best performance of an otherwise injury-plagued campaign. He put up eight catches for 168 yards and a touchdown on eight targets against the Miami Dolphins, absolutely dominating a solid corner in Brent Grimes in the process.

Though, Watkins — as has been the case all season — is on the injury report (ankle) heading into Thursday's matchup with the New York Jets. In fact, the second-year receiver was seen with a noticeable limp during practice earlier this week.

That's not necessarily a good sign going up against one of the best corners in the NFL in a game that could have wide-ranging ramifications on the AFC Playoff race.

At 4-4 on the season, Buffalo is one game behind New York for one of the two wildcard spots in the conference. And despite a dominating rushing attack against Miami last week, the Bills are going to need to put the ball up more than the 12 times we saw in that game. If so, Watkins will need to make a major impact here.

7. Cam Newton vs Tennessee Titans pass defense

Surprisingly, Tennessee's defense ranks third in the NFL against the pass at 217.5 yards per game. That's been made possible by a cornerback group that has allowed a grand total of nine touchdowns in eight games.

It's also important to note that Tennessee has put more consistent pressure on the quarterback this season — something that plays into the success of its pass defense.

While the Panthers are only one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL, their passing game has left a lot to be desired. Here's a unit that has failed to put up as much as 200 passing yards four times this season and ranks 27th overall through the air.

It's going to be important for them to establish something through the air in order to take some of the pressure off the league's top rushing offense.

8. Marcus Mariota vs Carolina Panthers pass defense

On the other side of the equation, Tennessee's rookie quarterback is going from playing one of the NFL's worst passing defense to a unit in the Panthers that's allowing a 68.9 opposing quarterback rating.

We can't expect Mariota to put up 370-plus passing yards and four touchdowns like he did last week. He is, however, going to have to play mistake-free football against the likes of Josh Norman and Co. here. That's the only way Tennessee is going to pull off an upset win and hand the Panthers their first loss of the season.

9. Derek Carr vs Teddy Bridgewater

If you were to ask 10 experts around the football world who had a brighter future between these two quarterbacks prior to their sophomore campaigns, a good nine of them would have answered in Bridgewater's favor. It's amazing what two months of football can do to perception around the NFL.

Heading into Week 10, Carr has his Oakland Raiders 4-4 on the season and right in the thick of the AFC Playoff race. He's also tallied 19 touchdowns compared to four interceptions while putting up nearly 2,100 yards in eight games. That has Carr on pace for one of the best sophomore campaigns in NFL history.

While Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings head into Week 10 with a 6-2 record and tied for first place in the NFC North, he's not the primary reason for the team's success.

The former first-round pick has put up as many touchdowns (six) as interceptions in eight games and is on pace to put up nearly 1,000 yards less than his counterpart on the Raiders.

Assuming Bridgewater is good to go after suffering a concussion last week, this is going to be one heck of a battle between two players that came into the 2015 season said to be heading in different trajectories. Equally as important, every game for each of these two teams is a big one in the playoff race in their respective conferences.

10. Tom Brady vs New York Giants

The last time the New England Patriots took on Eli Manning and the Giants with an undefeated record this late in the season, Tom Brady and Co. came out victorious to preserve a perfect regular season record. Unfortunately for the Patriots, that undefeated season would come to an end just a few short weeks later against these Giants in the Super Bowl.

Fast forward nine years, and the first-place Giants are attempting to play spoiler here once again. It's a game that may be more important for the Giants' playoff hopes than New England chasing history, but it's also a game that we can expect Brady to bring his top game into.

Brady boasts a career 2-3 record with seven touchdowns compared to three picks against the Giants. Even if there is the slightest possibility that these two teams meet in the Super Bowl for the third time decade, Brady is going to want to show who is boss. With 22 touchdowns and two picks on the year, he's likely going to do just that.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.

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