Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Philadelphia Eagles' Week 9 Game vs. Houston

This week, the Philadelphia Eagles will look to rebound from a tough 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The game against the Houston Texans seems winnable; after all, the Texans won just two games last year and their quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, doesn’t scare anyone.

But Houston is already 4-4 this year and just a game back of the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South. And they have a slew of stars, ranging from running back Arian Foster to wide receiver Andre Johnson to all-world defensive end J.J. Watt.

It’s difficult to pinpoint just three matchups that will decide this contest, but here are the ones that will likely play the largest impact in determining the winner, starting with a nightmarish matchup for Philadelphia.

RG Todd Herremans/RT Lane Johnson vs. LDE J.J. Watt

There aren't enough superlatives to fully express J.J. Watt's greatness. He's every bit the player Lawrence Taylor was in his prime; Watt is flat-out unblockable and has the ability to take over a game from the 3-4 defensive end position. He's probably the best player in football in terms of pure dominance.

The 4-4 Houston Texans might be 3-5 or 2-6 or even worse without Watt, who is just running away with the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.

For the season, Watt has seven sacks, three fumble recoveries, 22 tackles, seven passes defensed, an 80-yard pick-six, a 45-yard fumble return touchdown and a receiving touchdown. He can rush the passer and play the run as well as anyone in the game. And he's a master at the batted pass.

Even when he's not accumulating statistics, he's opening up opportunities for his teammates.

Watt typically lines up as the 5-technique defensive end on the left side of a three-man front. That would put him head-to-head against either right guard Todd Herremans or right tackle Lane Johnson. The problem is that no one man can block Watt, and Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will be creative and allow Watt to line up at multiple spots on the line.

Oh yeah, and Herremans is dealing with a pretty serious injury that he wants to play through.

"

Todd Herremans tore the biceps in his left arm, per NFL sources. The #Eagles RG is apparently going to try and play at least for 1 week.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 28, 2014"

There's a pretty good chance Herremans will have to leave early due to injury. With Matt Tobin already filling in for Evan Mathis at left guard, third-year lineman Dennis Kelly would seem like the logical choice as the fill-in. Or not?

"

I wonder if Andrew Gardner's experience practicing against J.J. Watt would influence having him as backup RG ahead of Dennis Kelly.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 29, 2014"

Regardless of who plays right guard, he's in for a long game. Watt also doesn't line up exclusively at one spot; he can pretty much pick where he wants to play on the line, and he's good enough to inflict damage.

The key won't be for Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to stop Watt; that can't be done. What Shurmur (and head coach Chip Kelly) can hope for is that he's creative enough with his game plan that the Eagles limit the number of impact plays Watt makes.

The Tennessee Titans certainly couldn't do it last week. Playing against right tackle Michael Oher, Watt finished with two sacks, four pressures, three stops and a batted pass, rating as a ridiculous plus-9.2 per Pro Football Focus' game grades (subscription required).

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Watt is far and away the best player this season at his respective position; in fact, he's rated by PFF as the best player in the league, regardless of position.

The only team to slow him down this season was the Oakland Raiders, who held Watt sackless and forced a minus-0.2 rating, per PFF's standards. (Of course, Watt still did finish with two quarterback hits, three pressures and a touchdown catch on offense, all of which would constitute a banner day for most defensive ends.)

If the Eagles can work some miracle and a find a way to slow Watt, they have a chance. But if they don't, it could be the longest afternoon of Nick Foles' NFL life.

LT Jason Peters vs. ROLB Jadeveon Clowney

Not only do the Houston Texans have J.J. Watt, but they have Jadeveon Clowney, this year's first overall draft pick and a player with a skill set that gives him a chance to be one of the game's all-time greats.

Clowney has missed the majority of his rookie season with a knee injury. In his first action back last week he played 33 snaps, registering just a single quarterback hurry. His NFL stats thus far are nothing to brag about: just two tackles and no sacks.

But that doesn't mean the Philadelphia Eagles should take Clowney lightly. He was the first player taken in the 2014 NFL draft for a reason; his first step as a pass-rusher is almost lethal, and he can play the run too.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Fortunately, Jason Peters is a tremendous left tackle. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler who excels in both run blocking and pass blocking. He shut down Robert Quinn and Jason Pierre-Paul in consecutive weeks, and PFF rates him as the fifth-best overall offensive tackle in the NFL this season.

The fact that J.J. Watt will be likely terrorizing the right side of the Eagles’ offensive line only increases the importance of Peters playing well.

CB Cary Williams vs. WR Andre Johnson

The Cary Williams-Andre Johnson matchup could spell serious trouble for Philadelphia Eagles fans. Cary Williams has struggled this season, to say the least.

Per Pro Football Focus, he’s been targeted 50 times. Thirty-one of those passes have been complete (62.0 percent) for 411 yards, three touchdowns and a 108.0 passer rating. Williams hasn’t recorded a single interception yet, this after picking off three in 2013.

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Andre Johnson is a 12-year veteran, but he’s still one of the best wide receivers in the game. He possesses a scary combination of size, speed and strength, checking in at 6’2”, 220 pounds. Johnson is on pace for another 1,100-yard season made even more impressive by the fact that he doesn’t have even close to an elite quarterback throwing to him.

Per PFF Gold (subscription required), Johnson lines up on the left side at a slightly greater rate (45 percent) than DeAndre Hopkins (38 percent). Meanwhile, Williams plays right cornerback almost exclusively.

Williams has faced Johnson previously; back in 2012 when Williams was on the Baltimore Ravens he matched up against Johnson for the majority of the game. Johnson finished with four catches (on four targets) for 37 yards, although he didn’t score a touchdown.

If Williams can hold Johnson to 37 yards in this contest, he’ll have done his job; the problem is that the Houston Texans have another receiver in Hopkins who could give just as much fits to the Eagles’ other cornerback, Bradley Fletcher.