Top 5 Passing Matchups
LA Rams at Jacksonville
The Rams will undoubtedly miss Puka Nacua, who is dealing with an ankle injury. It does not appear that he will be back until after their Week 8 bye. While they'd love to throw less while their All-Pro is on the shelf, Week 7 brings a quirky "funnel" matchup with the Jaguars, who tend to force the issue by pinching off the run game. If that's successful, Matthew Stafford will have no choice but to lean on Davante Adams, who could conceivably lead the league in targets this week. Stafford has sent 32% of his looks to Nacua and 27% to Adams, a truly wild share that could easily mean 12-15 looks for Adams right away. And those looks will come against a Jaguars defense that's regressed of late, with exploitable holes throughout its secondary. With only Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington as the other receivers on this team, we could see Tyler Higbee have a bigger role this week, as he has been relatively quiet thus far this season.
Unsurprisingly, the Jaguars pass defense has slipped back into the league's bottom. They looked strong to open the year, but it's easy to build a reputation against Bryce Young and Jake Browning. Over the past three weeks, they've allowed better passers to post 309, 318, and 295 yards in various game scripts. This has long been a talent-starved group, one in need of much more help than a part-time rookie. Last week's swap of cornerbacks with the Browns, Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome II, was likely a lateral move for both teams. (Newsome, for his part, was burned badly for a long touchdown in his debut.) Perhaps the time is coming for Travis Hunter, who's produced just 197 yards of offense, to sniff out his potential as a full-time cornerback. Hunter showed bursts of shutdown ability in college, something this unit desperately needs. There's little help on the back end, where safety Andrew Wingard remains a massive liability. There are at least elements of a strong front 7 in place. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker make for an electric edge duo, though consistency is still an issue. Last week, Sam Darnold in the Seahawks had little trouble neutralizing the rush with play action and quick throws.
Washington at Dallas
The Commanders are fresh off a discouraging loss, but it had to make the brass feel good about Jayden Daniels. Even with the weather shaky and top wideout Terry McLaurin on the shelf, Daniels finished an efficient 19 of 26 and threw 3 touchdowns. Daniels continues to show processing and ball placement way beyond his years, which helps him rise to tougher situations. McLaurin is questionable to return this week as he did not practice on Thursday. If he's able to play, Daniels would see a big boost with his full complement of receivers. It also helps to face the Dallas pass defense, which has essentially become a fantasy free square. The Cowboys struggle to stick with anyone downfield, making these Washington receivers true Week 7 sleepers. If McLaurin does miss once again, it will likely be Zach Ertz, along with Chris Moore and Luke McCaffrey, this week, which is not overly inspiring for this offense.
The Dallas defense has predictably come off the rails on a massive overhaul. Gone are Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, plus unheralded slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis. In are a bevy of new names, plus shaky versions of a few veterans that once held this group together. After a solid season opener, they proceeded to allow 450, 298, 337, and 283 yards to their next four opponents, with 12 touchdowns. Last week was a special kind of low, with Bryce Young and the Panthers enjoying their best passing day in months. Young has flailed for much of his NFL time, but he posted the second-best rating of his career (114.8) in this matchup. The secondary looks especially bad, as Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland simply don't appear to be the dominant cover men they were a few years ago. The team rolled the dice on ex-Bill reclamation project Kaiir Elam, but he was beaten frequently before a Week 5 benching. Safety Donovan Wilson has taken an inexplicable step back in coverage. None have been able to slow anyone on the outside, and without Lewis, the slot has become a worry as well. Carolina rookie Tetairoa McMillan easily won a pair of end-zone throws last week, a recurring theme for this bunch.
Tampa Bay at Detroit