Passing Matchups Week 9

Photo: Mark Konezny, USA Today Sports

Go here for this week's Rushing Matchups.

Top 5 Passing Matchups

NY Jets vs LA Chargers

Somehow, the Jets are 4-3 on the season after losing Aaron Rodgers just three snaps into the NFL season. Zach Wilson's passing numbers have not been pretty this season as he has not topped 250 passing yards in a game, has thrown for less than 200 yards in five games his season, and has just five passing touchdowns, but thanks to their defense, Wilson can do just enough to pull out wins. In the last two weeks, we've seen the Jets switch to an offense that keeps it simple, as their passing offense has turned into Zach Wilson looking for Garrett Wilson and then checking it down to Breece Hall to get him in space. Alan Lazard is the only player over the last two games who has topped 25 receiving yards besides Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and that was thanks to a deep downfield gain for 29 yards last week. The one thing to give credit to the Jets here is that they understand who they are, which is a team with a limited quarterback, a strong rushing attack, and a defense that can keep them in most games with the slimmest of hope of Aaron Rodgers coming back if they can somehow make the playoffs.

The Chargers’ secondary is a mess. This is a passing defense that allows 50 more yards than the second-closest defense on the season, as every quarterback that they have faced has thrown for 230 passing yards or more. For a defense that is allowing 321 passing yards per game, you would expect them to be playing the league's best every week, but they have faced Tyson Bagent, Ryan Tannehill, and Aidan O'Connell as three of the seven quarterbacks they have faced this season. The issue is that outside of Asante Samuel Jr, their secondary is filled with holes as corners Ja'Sir Taylor and Michael Davis have been liabilities in coverage, while Derwin James has seen a massive decline this season in coverage. This is a defense that relies heavily on their pass rush which has been inconsistent this season. Still, when it is good, it is among the league's best as Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa can make up a game-changing duo, but we have seen it disappear at times as, over the last two weeks, the Chargers have just two total sacks.

New England vs Washington

The Patriots passing attack has been a struggle all season, and it got even worse this past week as their breakout leading receiver, Kendrick Bourne, is out for the year with a torn ACL. Outside of Kendrick Bourne, the only other receiver who has averaged over 25 yards receiving per game is Demario Douglas, who is a sixth-round rookie out of Liberty. Beyond that, it is especially bleak for the Patriots as DeVante Parker (22 yards per game) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (14 yards per game) are the only other two receivers to have an impact this season. So, expect a lot of volume to the tight ends in Hunter Henry, Pharoah Brown, and potentially Mike Gesicki, although he may be falling out of favor in New England. This is a passing offense that has thrown for 200 yards or less in four of its last five games but should have an opportunity to exploit this Washington defense this week.

This Washington defense could unravel quickly. Before this week, this was already the defense that allowed the third-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks, and the trades that were made this week certainly won't help. This week, the Commanders traded both Montez Sweat and Chase Young, which will leave this defense incredibly thin along the defensive line outside of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. In the secondary, it is a stars-and-scrubs type of unit that has been assembled. As bad as this defense has been this season, Kendall Fuller is still having a great year. However, there are some massive holes in this defense, particularly at slot corner and safety as Danny Johnson and safety Percy Butler have both been liabilities in the secondary, causing major issues. This is a defense that is allowing 275 passing yards or more in each of their last five games to quarterbacks Desmond Ridder, Tyrod Taylor, Justin Fields, and Jalen Hurts twice. If this defense cannot rush the passer, it could make for a long day for the secondary.

Houston vs Tampa Bay

C.J. Stroud and the Houston passing offense have struggled over the last several weeks after getting out to an incredible pace to start the season. Stroud has averaged just 196 passing yards over his last three games while failing to throw for over 200 yards in the previous two games against New Orleans and Carolina. Stroud, in his prior three games, had averaged 323 passing yards heading into this streak. The big difference is the level of competition. As for rookies, we expect them to have the arm talent to take advantage of good matchups in Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh but struggle against some of the more difficult teams in the NFL in Carolina, Atlanta, and New Orleans, which are top 10 passing defenses. Not helping matters for the Texans is the complete lack of running game as they're averaging just 3.3 yards-per-carry on the season as the duo of Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce has not worked out putting additional pressure on Stroud and this passing attack each week.

Tampa Bay's secondary has struggled this season, albeit they've faced a very difficult schedule so far in the 2023 season. On the year, they've allowed three 300+ passing yards to Kirk Cousins, Josh Allen, and Jared Goff while also allowing 250 or more to Desmond Ridder and Jalen Hurts. The question will be, as they face further competition, how will they perform, as their only other two games are against Derek Carr when he had a shoulder injury and could not throw the ball, as well as Justin Fields back in Week 2 when the Bears offense was a complete mess. On the defensive side of the ball, the Buccaneers are held back by Ryan Neal, one of the worst coverage safeties in the NFL this season. After a strong 2022 season, Neal was a veteran minimum free agent signing who likely is a better depth guy than a starter. The Buccaneers' corners are just a group of average to slightly below average guys, as Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis are excellent in run defense but have struggled with consistency in coverage, while undrafted rookie Christian Izien is what you would expect from an undrafted rookie.