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Every Friday, Andy Benoit will quickly review each NFL game over the weekend. Here is his preview of the weekend of week 2.
Panthers at Falcons
The Falcons struggled with a dominant defensive line from the Eagles last Thursday. Now, they face an almost equally formidable match in the Panthers, which thwarted the Cowboys last week. Defensive tackle Kawann Short will be few for new guard right Brandon Fusco. On the right side, Mario Addison's astute and clever technique is problematic for left tackle Jake Matthews, who is athletic but does not always play with a strong stance.
Colts at Redskins
Rookie left-hand guard Quenton Nelson celebrates his NFL debut. The ups: Nelson showed a recovery ability at his third and fourth stages, the strength of plastering his blocks to the defenders and an aggressive finishing mentality. Lows: he fought against certain movements of power and leverage. It should be noted that he often faced the best defensive tackle of football, Geno Atkins. This week there will be a rotation of guys, including young Alabama products Da'Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
Chiefs at the Steelers
James Conner rushed for 135 yards last week, but the Steelers – perhaps in response to Cleveland's mild weather – have taken a peewee approach and have focused on direct transfers of heavy personnel. Conner has been productive with three receivers. That's what the Steelers have to do on Sunday. The Kansas City defense has struggled in recent years, especially against Pittsburgh, to put an end to the shortage of nickel and dime packages. New Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner should do everything in his power to convince the Chiefs to play their nickel 4-2. And the Chiefs should consider giving up the 4-2 lead for a 5-1, which would prevent the Steelers O-line from entering the two-team block.
Texans at Titans
The Titans must prepare for the same old J.J. Watt Sunday. It is difficult to adapt your gameplay to Watt because it aligns everywhere. Against New England, he had shots in three techniques, four techniques, six techniques and nine techniques, where he arrived several times to Tom Brady in the second period.
Browns at Saints
Everyone spent the week asking what happened to the Saints' defense. The short answer: he played a lot against the Bucs and Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley lost to Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, while Ryan Fitzpatrick took advantage of the decisive shots. The Saints will not see such an affirmation from Tyrod Taylor, who never makes a jet without carefully inspecting its availability. As long as the Saints, who have also been injured by Fitzpatrick's legs a few times, have their eyes riveted on Taylor to handle his race, they should be fine on Sunday.
Eagles at Buccaneers
The Bucs have a deep passing game and the Eagles are particularly aggressive outside of their base covers, with tight corners and low collateral. Something must give. A game of deep passes requires that you keep your back and finish as a help blocker. This is especially important against a D line like Philly. Look for the Bucs to go with maximum protection, and for Mike Evans to sit on the right side, facing Jalen Mills, who has blossomed into a quality bend but is still likely to make double-strokes.
Jets Dolphins
A little reproach of New York against Detroit last Monday night: the best receiver Robby Anderson has been targeted only once. And this game, a 41-yard touchdown, perfectly illustrates why Anderson needs to be targeted more. He used his speed to immediately threaten Cover 2's safety and then followed the ball to make a questionable hitch. He has done a lot in 2017 too. Anderson might look like a slender speed receiver, but it's a complete weapon, especially on vertical roads just outside the red zone.
Chargers to bills
With QB rookie Josh Allen running behind the league's worst O-line in the league and one of his worst receivers, the Buffalo D must keep the Chargers under 20 to have a chance. It is important that they be prepared to send Melvin Gordon away. Last week, 12 of Gordon's 24 touchdowns, and 76 of his 166 total yards, came to the perimeter, where he can best show his long, fast strides and improved balance.
Vikings at Packers
Few defenses are better than Minnesota to create an overloaded pressure on one side. The Vikings choose their spots sparingly but effectively. Last week, against San Francisco, they overloaded twice. One of them resulted in a Harrison Smith bag, the other at a Mike Hughes pickup. This Sunday, expect that the Vikings will display an overloaded pressure but give up at the break, keeping seven men on the cover. It's a great way to get Aaron Rodgers to hesitate and keep the ball, or to have Deshone Kizer take the kind of risk that allowed his team to lead 22 interceptions last year.
Lions at 49ers
The Lions will not satisfy Gary Gramling's NFC championship prediction if their game does not improve. They face a Niners defense that allowed just 82 yards on 27 carries to Vikings defenders last week. One of the reasons was linebacker Fred Warner, third rookie round, who quickly shone.
Cardinals in Rams
You will not find as many stars in the trenches as Rams Andrew Whitworth and Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones. Both are long-term patient technicians who allow their teams many schematic options.
Patriots at Jaguars
Security Patrick Chung, of all the people, could decide this game. The Jaguars love to close their formations, which means that one side, the widest man aligned is a line of end of fight. This forces the defense to have an easy-to-read look and puts in place safer methods for Blake Bortles. And against the Giants, Jacksonville has found creative ways to spin the ball here. As New England's hybrid safety linebacker, Chung is usually the main defender against these closed edges.
Raiders in Broncos
When Derek Carr feels uncomfortable, he tends to speed up mentally. This led to the type of overzealous check-out and hasty launches that tainted Week 1's performance. It's imperative that Jon Gruden call pieces that place Carr in a groove. Moving the pocket would be a good start. This keeps the ball in Carr's hand and introduces more instinctive and less mechanical throws. It also minimizes Von Miller, who can not crush a pocket that immediately begins to move away from him.
Giants at Cowboys
Schematically, the Giants offensive seemed good against Jacksonville. New head coach Pat Shurmur has created opportunities for the field for Odell Beckham by assigning him different positions and combinations of rounds. Unfortunately, this often does not matter because the O-line Giants have failed to protect themselves. They are not the first O-line to fight the Jags. We will have a better idea of the front of these five Giants Sunday night against a D-line Cowboys that is not very good.
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