NFL Week 6: Projecting Winners and Losers of Weekend's Biggest Matchups

What do we talk about when we talk about the best positional matchups each week?

Mostly, we talk about strength against strength, like the length of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman against the mountain of moving muscles and limbs that is the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones.

We talk about strength of a different kind, too. Like one man fighting through a whole unit, just as the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott will attempt to do in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers and their league-best run defense.

Or we talk about dominance in one area of the field, wondering if the Arizona Cardinals' Patrick Peterson can contain New York Jets wide receiver and red-zone threat Brandon Marshall.

It can all be distilled into a common theme that's simple enough, but also central to winning games and championships in the NFL. The game's greatest stars try to erase each other, and the on-field winner often tallies a victory on the scoreboard, too.

Another round of that endless battle awaits us with the aforementioned matchups, plus the league's leading passer running into the Legion of Boom. Let's dive in.

Julio Jones vs. Richard Sherman

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Richard Sherman is arguably the cornerback version of Julio Jones. So in a twisted way, the Seattle Seahawks cornerback will be covering himself when he squares off with the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Sunday.

Sherman rose to shutdown status because of his physically imposing size on the outside and what he can do with it. He stands 6'3" and weighs 195 pounds, which means that receivers of Jones' stature (6'3" and 220 lbs) can't win body position easily or consistently dominate at the catch point.

Instead, Sherman often does the dominating, which is how he's vacuumed back so many footballs over his 84 career games. Sherman is now four games into his sixth NFL season, and during that time he's recorded 28 interceptions. Since he entered the league in 2011, no other cornerback is remotely close to Sherman's interception total, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com, with the Cardinals' Patrick Peterson a distant second at 19.

But two can play that game of historical greatness. Jones also entered the league in 2011, and over that same period his 6,718 receiving yards ranks fourth, per Pro-Football-Reference. That is especially impressive after his missed time due to injury is factored in, as Jones will play only his 71st regular-season game Sunday.

So two of the best players at their positions in this era will attempt to outmaneuver and outmuscle each other in Week 6.

Prediction: We'll hesitantly nod toward Jones here, and only because many of Sherman's defensive teammates could have to concern themselves with stopping Falcons running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Even a premier cornerback like Sherman will find life difficult when he's trying to survive on the outside by himself against Jones.

Le'Veon Bell vs. Kiko Alonso

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It feels like Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is featured somewhere in this space most weeks because, well, that's probably true. When you're one of the NFL's most versatile threats, defensive crosshairs are always on you.

And what's most impressive about what Bell has done in the two games since returning from his suspension is that he's posted his 332 yards from scrimmage in different ways while adapting to what the defense offers.

In Week 5, for example, Bell was faced with the New York Jets and their nearly impenetrable run defense. So even though he was mostly stymied on the ground (66 yards at an average of only 3.3 per carry), Bell then shrugged his shoulders and went ahead to post 88 receiving yards.

No problem, right? Right, although this week the challenge comes in the form of an individual.

Miami Dolpins middle linebacker Kiko Alonso has the athleticism to match Bell's versatility, and he's starting to look like the high-end pass and run defender who recorded 159 tackles and four interceptions as a rookie with the Buffalo Bills. Injuries then struck to either sideline Alonso or zap him of his effectiveness for two seasons.

But he's posted 14 defensive stops over five games in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, which is tied for third among all middle linebackers.

Prediction: Alonso can move like a safety in coverage while also clogging run lanes fast. Still, Bell is averaging 6.4 yards per touch, and efforts to contain him as both a runner and pass-catcher usually end in flailing. That won't change in Week 6.

Brandon Marshall vs. Patrick Peterson

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New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall does one good thing just about as often as he does a very bad thing.

He's a running human telephone pole and has been among the league's most consistent red-zone threats, finishing with double-digit touchdowns in three of his past four seasons. Which is where his skill set can get confusing, because many of those scoring catches have been of the leaping and spectacular variety in the corner of end zones.

The same hands responsible for Marshall's touchdowns are also to blame for his frequent battles with drops. Marshall has already logged four drops in 2016, per PFF, which comes after his 11 drops in 2015.

That paints the picture of a looming receiver who may struggle in Week 6 to capitalize on the few opportunities he'll get against Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Peterson was surely going to be focused on Marshall regardless. But his attention will become magnetic now with fellow Jets receiver Eric Decker landing on the injured reserve.

The issue for Marshall is that Peterson excels in the same important area of the field where he's also quite comfortable. Peterson has only allowed four touchdowns in coverage over his last 94 targets, per PFF.

Prediction: Marshall has played one game in 2016 without recording a drop. He's also been as wildly inconsistent as the Jets' entire offense, with his single-game receiving total reaching as high as 114 yards and as low as 27 during a tougher matchup against the Chiefs' Marcus Peters.

If the drop-prone Marshall shows up in Week 6—as he does most weeks—he won't make much of a dent against Peterson.

Ezekiel Elliott vs. Green Bay Packers Run Defense

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Another week, another run defense that Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott shouldn't be able to rumble against.

So will he be able to tame the Green Bay Packers run defense?

Eventually, a respected and feared front seven will be able to sufficiently slow Elliott and make him look at least somewhat like a rookie again. Because even at a position where rookie success is common the NFL, it still shouldn't be this easy.

Elliott leads the league with 546 rushing yards and has averaged 137.3 yards on the ground over the past three weeks. If that's not impressive enough (it should be!), please recall that the Cincinnati Bengals defense entered a Week 4 matchup against Elliott allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. So of course, the former Buckeye standout went ahead and averaged 8.9 yards against them.

The Packers have been even more effective against the run through the first quarter of their 2016 season. Green Bay is giving up a tiny average of only 42.8 rushing yards per game.

Prediction: Elliott has scored five touchdowns over five games. Meanwhile, the Packers have allowed only one touchdown on the ground. Something has to give in this matchup, and Elliott has mowed down every hurdle so far.

He'll do that again in Week 6.

Amari Cooper vs. Marcus Peters

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Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper is immensely talented, but often in the most maddening way, because of the yards he leaves on the field.

He has a way of producing eye-popping numbers for the suddenly 4-1 Raiders yet still leaving us all wanting more. That's what happens when you've posted two 130-plus yard games in the first five weeks and are averaging 17.5 yards per catch, but you've also recorded 20 drops over the first 21 games of your career, per PFF.

But although his hands may fail him at times, Cooper makes up for it simply by getting open so damn much through his fluid footwork. Then he becomes slippery right away and has already created five missed tackles after the catch, per PFF.

Cooper presents the latest challenge for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters. Overall he's been inconsistent early in 2016 while either eliminating top-tier receivers or being exposed by them. Peters has recorded four interceptions already, two of which came during a week when he allowed only 17 yards in coverage. But against the high-octane Pittsburgh Steelers passing offense in Week 5, he gave up 86 yards.

Prediction: Cooper has the elusiveness to get separation whenever Peters is across from him and then pile up chunk yardage. Whether he can hold on to the ball is another matter, and a far more unpredictable one.

David Johnson vs. New York Jets Front Seven

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Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson is rapidly rising to become one of the most multifaceted talents at his position. With Week 6 here, we're still waiting on the first game in which he fails to produce 100-plus yards from scrimmage.

He's the league leader in that category at 695 yards (457 rushing yards and 238 receiving yards). Of that total, 157 yards and two touchdowns came against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5.

But now Johnson will face a much tougher test against a New York Jets front seven that swarms, mashes and gives up so very little. The Jets run defense is ranked second, allowing only 68.4 yards per game and giving up just one rushing touchdown.

However, Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has a similar skill set when compared to Johnson, and although he was relatively contained as a rusher in Week 5 against the Jets, he busted out as a receiver.

In total, Bell finished with 154 yards from scrimmage, which is even higher than Johnson's current per-game average of 139 yards.

Prediction: The Jets have managed to contain some other talented running backs, like the Bills' LeSean McCoy and the Seahawks' Christine Michael. But facing Bell and Johnson in back-to-back weeks will be a reality check.

Johnson is set up to carry his offense again.

Matt Ryan vs. Seahawks Secondary

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Let's zoom out a little after examining Jones vs. Sherman earlier. It's important to observe that on Sunday in Seattle, we're going to watch a fireworks blaster go up against an extinguisher.

In one corner there's the Atlanta Falcons offense, which is averaging an absurd 457.4 yards per game. That's after five games, too, and therefore isn't just some bloated number based on a booming week or two. For perspective, please note that the second-place Dallas Cowboys offense is averaging 397.0 yards.

At the center of that Falcons offense is quarterback Matt Ryan. He's thrown 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Even more impressively, Ryan is averaging 10.4 yards per attempt.

That's some astronomically high production for both Ryan and the Falcons offense as a whole. But now Atlanta is traveling to face a Seahawks defense still very much in the business of snuffing out any offense it comes across.

The Seahawks have the league's top-ranked defense overall and the second-ranked secondary. A concrete pass defense has always been a staple in Seattle, and the Seahawks have allowed just one passing touchdown in 2016.

Prediction: If the Falcons didn't have Freeman and Coleman excelling in the passing game as running backs, they likely wouldn't stand a chance in Seattle. But they do, and this Falcons offense has too many weapons even for the Seahawks to handle.

Ryan Clady vs. Chandler Jones

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The Arizona Cardinals had to pay a hefty fee for the services of outside linebacker Chandler Jones when they shipped a second-round pick off to the New England Patriots. But it was also necessary because of their limping pass rush.

The Cardinals were NFC championship contenders in 2015, even with a defense that generated little pressure and finished the season with 36 sacks (20th). Dwight Freeney, the 36-year-old rotational outside linebacker, led the defense with eight sacks, and defensive end Calais Campbell finished behind him with five.

Now after five games, Jones is already halfway to Freeney's total.

His streak of four straight games with a sack was snapped in Week 5. But Jones has been one of the most consistently disruptive pass-rushers while recorded 22 pressures, per PFF, which ranks him tied for fourth among all 3-4 outside linebackers.

He'll provide a tough challenge Monday night for New York Jets tackle Ryan Clady, the four-time Pro Bowler who isn't far removed from being among the league's best left tackles before his torn ACL in 2015. Prior to that injury he had allowed only seven sacks over the previous three seasons while playing 2,537 snaps.

Prediction: Clady is still an effective and technically sound blocker. But his body is beginning to age after multiple serious injuries, and he'll be overmatched against Jones.