NFL Week 3: Breaking Down Sunday's Biggest Matchups to Watch

Week 3 is upon us, ladies and gents, and this week offers up some exceptionally juicy matchups worth breaking down.

Without wasting too much time setting the scene, let’s jump head first into some of the biggest and most intriguing matchups across the NFL landscape.

DeSean Jackson vs. the Eagles

This Sunday, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles rekindle their endless blood feud in one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL—only this time there is an intriguing layer added to the game.

This offseason, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly made a rather cavalier move by parting ways with the most explosive player in his receiving arsenal. The reasoning behind the move was deliberately left to speculation and hearsay.

There were reports from CBS Philly that Jackson threw temper tantrums and caused problems in the locker room by being selfish. Other reports, such as the one from Eliot Shorr-Parks and A.J. Perez of NJ.com, centered around gang ties that Jackson vehemently denied in a statement.

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In an interesting twist this week, Chip Kelly was asked again why he cut DeSean Jackson and he offered up a rather curious reason, per the Philadelphia Inquirer, via conference call with reporters: “Yeah, just trying to build the overall team in terms of what we’re looking for offensively and how we wanted to get bigger at the wideout spot and that’s what we did.”

This is a weird excuse to offer up, considering Jackson was by far the team’s leading receiver in 2013, with 82 catches for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. And despite being such a misfit in Kelly’s offensive plans, he still managed to make DeSean a top priority in the passing game.

But what’s more, is that Kelly’s replacement for Jackson’s production has been the 5’6” Darren Sproles. Kelly told ESPN:

"

First and foremost, Darren's a receiver. I've said that since Day 1, since we've had Darren. He's just a special player. How many ways can we find to get him the football? He is just a dynamic football player. He can run it, he can catch it. He's a complete running back.

"

We may never know the real story behind this ordeal but one thing is clear: DeSean Jackson was hurt by the way he was released from Philadelphia and is certainly looking forward to returning to the City of Brotherly Love and showing his former coach that he made a big mistake.

However, a sprained right shoulder that occurred in last week’s win over Jacksonville could cause the wideout to miss the game and spoil his day of reckoning. According to Pro Football Talk, Jackson was limited in Washington’s final practice and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Despite the injury, Jackson insists that he will be ready for this game. According to John Keim of ESPN.com, Jackson was quoted as saying: “I don't think an AC joint is jeopardizing my career in the long haul. If it's all on me, I'm playing. I don't plan on missing this game.”

Nick Wass/Associated Press

That alone should relay the pending passion set to hit the field when these two teams collide. As for Jackson, this game has a more personal meaning—so much so that he has even forsaken the cliche stance that this is just a game like any other.

How effective DeSean will be with his shoulder hurt has yet to be seen. Both teams will undoubtedly be locked in a fiercely emotional competition with the young receiver one of the primary keys to the game’s outcome.

If Jackson puts up big numbers in a win over the Eagles, it will be bittersweet to say the least.

Peyton Manning vs. Seattle Secondary

Last Sunday, the San Diego Chargers did something that has only happened to the Seahhwaks twice in the last 43 regular-season games: score at least 30 points against one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history.

Think about that for a second.

In 43 regular season games, this Seahawks team has only conceded 30 points twice.

Does that mean the secret to beating the defending Super Bowl champs is out?

If so, it comes at just the right time for the Denver Broncos to exact their much-anticipated revenge on the team that downright embarrassed them on the biggest stage in American sports.

So, can Peyton Manning find the fountain of youth and muster up the arm strength to test the perimeters outside the numbers or will he be limited to rub plays, drag routes and passes to the flats?

If he can’t scare this aggressive secondary into thinking he will attack the edges, they can sit on routes and blow things up in a similar way to what they did in the Super Bowl, with physical, smart play.

One strategy that may sound good but is somewhat foolhardy is to expect to dominate the time of possession in the same way the Chargers were able to.

The problem with this as a strategy is that it speaks more to an outcome rather than a process. In other words, the real problem is how one goes about dominating time of possession. This infers that continuously moving the chains on the Seahawks is an easy feat that other teams simply overlooked.

Watching the tape of the San Diego vs. Seattle game, one of the things that stood out was the way Richard Sherman played the receivers. It looked as if he had a ton of respect for Rivers’ deep-ball ability and none for his velocity in intermediate routes. As a result, he tried to play softer coverage believing he could make up for the cushion before the ball would get to the target.

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I believe the decision to play it loose was more about Rivers than the WR because Keenan Allen is a guy not known to be a major deep threat. However, Sherman gave his opponent an unusual amount of cushion as if it was a big concern of his.

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Sherman is likely to play the opposite way against Denver, as he did in the Super Bowl, mainly due to Manning’s lack of deep-ball arm strength.

In addition to Sherman being an obstacle, Manning must outsmart one of the most instinctive safeties in the game.

Earl Thomas will react to the QB’s eye movement like a heat-seeking missile. He even did this quite well against Philip Rivers early on in the San Diego game.

NFL.com

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Thomas seems to understand the time clock of a QB, and after a few beats in the pocket he is more than willing to jump full speed in whatever direction the QB’s eyes take him. This demonstrates Thomas’ complete understanding of the defense and that Seattle’s pass-rushers are not going to give a QB much time.

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Another interesting element to this matchup is that Peyton is considered the master of breaking down a defense’s coverage and making the best pre-snap reads in football. But with Seattle, they don’t spend a whole lot of time trying to trick you.

Seattle does very little disguising of their defense or coverage, which is incredibly rare for an NFL defense.  Watch the tape and you’ll see these guys just line up and play saying "our guys are better than your guys."

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They’re a lot like the famous west-coast burger joint In-N-Out. They only serve burgers and fries, but they’re winning because they do it better than anyone else.  

Sammy Watkins vs. Jason Verrett

In this matchup between two very hot teams, there is one rookie battle that could end up being the difference between a win and a loss.

The undefeated Buffalo Bills play host to the San Diego Chargers, a team that just handed the defending Super Bowl champs their hats.

The reason I highlight this matchup in a game that has several noteworthy battles is because I believe Sammy Watkins and Jason Verrett are the two best rookies at their respective positions. Both players were the first picks by their teams and have been pivotal early on. Watkins has 11 catches for 148 yards and a TD. He leads all rookies in receiving yards thus far and has received nothing but rave reviews up to this point.

Jason Verrett is the Chargers’ talented new CB who may be a bit undersized, but he is incredibly instinctive and explosive. Up to this point, Pro Football Focus (paid site) has Verrett graded out as the second-best player on that team’s defense, behind only Dwight Freeney. Among all the CBs in the league, he is ranked fifth.

Per PFF, the rookie CB has not allows a catch longer than 16 yards so far and has only given up 64 yards receiving on seven catches.

It’s not entirely known how much these two will end up going head to head in this game, but hopefully it takes up a vast majority of the matchup.

Watkins and EJ Manuel seem to be getting into a rhythm after their breakout performances against the Miami Dolphins.

The rookie receiver is one of the most complete pass-catchers in the game and really doesn’t have a weakness. His route running is superb, his hands are spectacular, and he has a lot of impressive yards after the catch ability, which we have yet to see at the NFL level.

Watkins has struggled to stay healthy early on this season, which may have caused him to play a little more conservative than normal. That will need to change on Sunday with Verrett lined up in front of him.

Verrett is incredibly gifted physically, which he showed off at the NFL combine, jumping 39 inches on his vertical and running 6.69 in the three-cone drill. Both of those numbers are among the best at any position in his draft class.

Even more impressive is the way he attacks and challenges a receiver for a catch. Very few easy receptions are caught in his direction, so you can bet Sammy Watkins will not have an easy time putting up yards.

One way Watkins can win is by using his size advantage. At 6’1”, 211 pounds, Watkins towers over the 5’9”, 189 pound Verrett.

This size mismatch could be significant, but Verrett has shown the ability to overcome this liability with great timing and utilizing that elite vertical jump we talked about earlier.

Whoever wins this battle, expect it to be a hard-fought victory.

Ryan Riddle is a former NFL player and currently writes for Bleacher Report

Follow @Ryan_Riddle