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We are on the doorstep of yet another season in the NFL and it’s expected to be a doozy. Right out of the shoot, we have four days of action on deck with games being played on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday across the league. Those games feature some must-see matchups between Super Bowl contenders, including Ravens-Chiefs on Thursday night.
While those contests are intriguing simply because of how they may impact the overall season, we will peel back the onion a bit here in this space. Below, we’re going to highlight specific in-game matchups that are worth your time to seek out as you sit back and watch the 2024 season take its first steps. Some will be actual in-game duels between particular players and/or position groups (Ex. WR vs. CB) while others will be more of overarching matchups (Ex. QB vs. QB). So, get your pencil ready to circle these marquee matchups that are set to pop off in Week 1.
Lamar Jackson vs. Steve Spagnuolo’s blitzes
The main storyline surrounding this game is the sheer fact that the Ravens and Chiefs will be duking it out for the first time since K.C. knocked Baltimore out of the playoffs in the AFC Championship last season. If both franchises live up to their potential this season, this could prove to be a game that determines key seeding in the conference. That said, we’re specifically looking at something from that playoff showdown last winter that could rear its head in this matchup.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deployed 20 different blitzes at Jackson in the AFC Championship and knocked the league MVP off-kilter. In those dropbacks, Jackson completed just eight of his 18 pass attempts (44%) and averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt. When facing no blitz, he was 12 of 19 (63%) and had a 7.7 yards-per-pass-attempt average. When the Chiefs sent six rushers, Jackson was 1 of 6 for 5 yards passing.
Specifically, we’ll be looking to…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-1-top-matchups-lamar-jackson-vs-chiefs-blitz-nico-collins-vs-colts-secondary-among-notable-duels/
Author : Tyler Sullivan
Publish date : 2024-09-05 09:01:08
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