10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 11

With only seven weeks remaining in the NFL regular season there is a lot going on around the football world. Teams are jockeying for position heading into the stretch run, and a few important games are slated to take place over the weekend.

From a Cincinnati Bengals receiver looking to rebound following a costly late-game turnover last week to Dez Bryant looking to get his footing against the Miami Dolphins, here are the top 10 matchups for Week 11 of the NFL season.

1. A.J. Green vs Patrick Peterson

Coming off a dreadful performance that saw him lose a fumble in the Cincinnati Bengals first loss of the season Monday night, Green is going to want to make a statement here.

Unfortunately for the star receiver, he's going up against the type of cover corner he has struggled with this season. Simply put, Green doesn't handle physical/press-like corners too well — something Peterson will want to take advantage of come Sunday night.

That was magnified back in Week 6 against Buffalo Bills rookie Ronald Darby, who held Green to just four catches for 36 yards on five targets.

If Cincinnati is going to get back on track this week, it will need Green to perform at a much higher level than we saw against the Houston Texans. In addition to that lost fumble in the final minute, Green failed to drive to the ball on the third-down play immediately prior to the turnover, enabling rookie Kevin Johnson to break up a pass from Andy Dalton.

These types of mistakes will be magnified against a corner in Patrick Peterson that has allowed less than 49 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed this season.

2. Teddy Bridgewater vs Aaron Rodgers

Two struggling quarterbacks vying for first place in the NFC North and a potential first-round playoff bye. That's what is at stake when the Green Bay Packers travel to Minnesota to take on a red-hot Vikings team on Sunday.

Bridgewater may have won seven of his past eight starts, but he's nowhere near the primary reason his team is finding success as of late. The second-year quarterback has put up just seven touchdowns compared to six interceptions in nine starts this year. He's also leading the league's second-worst passing offense at 181.4 yards per game.

Meanwhile, Rodgers' struggles represent one of the most dramatic turnabouts during what has been a surprising season around the NFL. Over the course of the Packers' current three-game losing streak, Rodgers has led his offense to an average of 18.3 points per game. For comparison's sake, the Packers averaged 31.4 points per game in Rodgers' past 19 starts.

Taking on the league's eighth-best pass defense, Rodgers needs to step up big time in this game. If not, the Packers might very well find themselves two games back in the NFC North with six left.

3. New England Patriots offensive line vs Buffalo Bills defensive line

Here are two units that find themselves in the midst of surprising struggles. For the Patriots, their offensive line has been ravaged by injuries this year. The loss of Nate Solder with an elbow injury back in Week 5 has hurt big time.

In fact, Tom Brady has been sacked 21 times through nine games this season after going down the same amount of times all of last year. He's also been under pressure 30 percent of the time compared to a quarter of the time in 2014.

While this hasn't had a major impact on the undefeated Patriots, it's surely something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Defensive line was expected to be a major strength for the Bills this season. After racking up 54 sacks last year and seeing three different players put up double-digit take downs, the Bills are on pace to put up just 25 sacks this year.

A sprained ligament in the knee suffered by Kyle Williams back in Week 6 coupled with the ineffectiveness of one Mario Williams have both played major roles in Buffalo's inability to get to the quarterback. With one Williams "brother" still sidelined and the other taking on a smaller role, someone else is going to have to step up here.

At 9-0 on the year, New England pretty much has the AFC East locked up. However, it's still only one game ahead of Cincinnati for home-field in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Buffalo finds itself hanging on to the final wildcard spot in the conference heading into Week 11.

This trench battle will play a huge role in the outcome of what promises to be an intriguing divisional matchup.

4. Kirk Cousins vs Carolina Panthers pass defense

Cousins is coming off a career-best performance that saw him put up a perfect quarterback rating while throwing for 324 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-14 blowout win over the hapless New Orleans Saints last week.

That performance has Cousins feeling darn good heading into an important road game against the undefeated Panthers on Sunday.

Unfortunately for the much-maligned quarterback, taking on Carolina on the road is vastly different than humiliating the Saints at home.

Cousins has put up a 4-1 record with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in five home starts this season. Comparatively, he's 0-4 with four touchdowns and seven picks on the road.

It also doesn't help Cousins' outlook that the Panthers' defense is allowing a NFL-best 69.1 opposing quarterback rating on the season.

At 4-5 on the year and just a half game back in the NFC East, Washington can make a major statement in Carolina on Sunday. In order for it to do that, Cousins will have to play darn good football against an elite secondary.

5. Todd Gurley vs Baltimore Ravens run defense

The matchup within the matchup here has to be a dominant run-stuffing nose tackle in Brandon Williams taking on what has to be considered an injury-plagued St. Louis Rams offensive line. If Williams can control the line of scrimmage here, it's going to create major issues for Gurley and the Rams running game.

As it relates to Gurley, he's failed to put up 100-plus rushing yards in the past two games after tallying triple-digit yardage in each of his previous four outings. Though, the rookie still ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards despite attempting six total rushes in the first three games of the year.

With Case Keenum replacing Nick Foles as the Rams starter, it's going to be important for Gurley to put up a big game in this one. If not, the Rams could be looking at a third consecutive loss while pretty much falling completely out of the playoff race.

6. Bobby Massie vs Carlos Dunlap

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has been absolutely dominating this year. He's thrown 23 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions while leading the league in yards per attempt and yards per completion. Dating back to Week 8 of the 2013 season, Palmer also boasts a 20-4 record as the team's starter.

This stellar recent success will be on the line against a Cincinnati Bengals team that's looking to rebound from its first loss of the season Monday night. It will also come against a defense that's racked up 26 sacks in nine games after putting up just 20 all of last year.

Among the biggest keys will be how Bobby Massie performs against one of the best 4-3 pass rushers in the business. Through nine games, Carlos Dunlap has recorded 18 quarterback hurries and 10 sacks. That has him on pace for a career season.

Contrarily, Massie has struggled a great deal at right tackle on the year. Pro Football Focus grades him out as the third-worst pass-protecting player at his position in the NFL. In fact, Massie has yielded a ridiculous 27 quarterback hurries on the year.

Going up against his former Bengals team for the first time, Palmer is going to need to receive above-average protection from the right side of the line. If that doesn't happen, the Cardinals could very well drop this one.

7. Justin Houston vs Ryan Schraeder

Schraeder has quietly turned into one of the best right tackles in the NFL, fortifying an Atlanta Falcons offensive line that was once considered a major weakness. In nine games this season, the fourth-year pro has allowed just two sacks and one quarterback hit.

Atlanta is going to need Schraeder to be on top of his game against a Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher in Justin Houston who is among the top players at his position. Houston has put up eight sacks and a ridiculous 39 quarterback hurries thus far this season. Along with fellow outside linebacker Tamba Hali, he's one of the primary reasons Kansas City is right back in the AFC Playoff race.

This game is huge for a number of reasons. Atlanta is playing for playoff positioning in the NFC and a potential division title. Meanwhile, at 4-5 on the year, the suddenly red-hot Chiefs need to continue this momentum to keep up in the wild card race. In this, the trench battle could be one of the primary differences.

8. Dez Bryant vs Brent Grimes

Looking as close as 100 percent as he will be all season, Bryant will have Tony Romo back in the mix for the first time since the two last took the field together in Week 1 for the then conference title contending Dallas Cowboys.

Losers of seven consecutive, the Cowboys simply need to find a way to get a win before they can even talk playoffs. That's going to be up to Bryant and Romo rekindling an old flame that had them as one of the best tandems in the NFL.

At 4-5 on the season, the Miami Dolphins are right there in the AFC Playoff race. And following a drama-filled late-game win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the momentum is clearly here. If Grimes is able to contain Bryant, it will go a long way in the Dolphins' efforts to win a second consecutive.

9. Brock Osweiler vs Chicago Bears pass defense

Filling in for an injured and ineffective Peyton Manning last week, Osweiler saw his first substantial NFL action under center. He completed 14-of-24 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

At the very least, this former Arizona State standout was able to move the Broncos up and down the field a couple times. Prior to his entrance in the game, Denver had put up exactly zero points and a half dozen first downs in nearly three full quarters with Manning under center.

Now taking on a suddenly hot Bears team that's won two in a row and four of six, it's going to be up to Osweiler to get his Broncos back on track in this one.

If he's able to do that, it will be interesting to see where the Broncos go from there. Here's a team that's 7-2 on the season despite its starting quarterback posting nine touchdowns compared to a league-high 17 interceptions in nine games.

If Osweiler performs at a high level, the Broncos — no matter what they want us to believe — will have a difficult decision to make.

10. Blaine Gabbert vs Legion of Boom

The Seattle Seahawks have had some great luck when it comes to quarterbacks they've lined up against this year. First it was Jimmy Clausen replacing an injured Jay Cutler in a 26-0 win over the Chicago Bears back in Week 3. It was then Matt Cassel in a 13-12 win over the Dallas Cowboys a couple weeks back.

Following a meltdown of epic proportions against the Arizona Cardinals at home on Sunday night, Seattle will take on yet another former clipboard holder in a game that has turned out to be a battle for last place in the NFC West.

If Gabbert has any type of success against the Legion of Boom in Seattle on Sunday afternoon, it will tell us all we need to know about where Pete Carroll and Co. are at heading into late November. That makes this a rather intriguing matchup.

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