Best individual matchups of the NFL season

Ward was the top cornerback taken in this year's draft, selected fourth overall by the Browns. He will get a challenging introduction to the NFL vs. arguably the best wide receiver in the league if and when he has the responsibility of covering Brown in his first game.

Brady all but owes his Super Bowl XLIX ring to Butler, who came up with the game-saving interception of Russell Wilson at the goal line. This plot gets much more interesting after Butler was benched during last year's Super Bowl, a game that the Patriots lost to the Eagles. Now Brady will throw against Butler for the first time in a real game after four years of duking it out in practice.

Two Oakland natives, Lynch and Peters are best of friends. In fact, it was reported last year that Lynch came to Peters' defense when a near-brawl broke out between the Chiefs and Raiders last season. Now Peters plays for the Rams and will face his friend and play in his hometown for likely the last time.

This game could be the start of something special. The Packers and Vikings already have a long-standing rivalry that is especially heated after Rodgers broke his collarbone against Minnesota last season, and the addition of Cousins gives Minnesota a legitimate quarterback who could compete with Rodgers. This early-season game at Lambeau should draw plenty of interest.

Ramsey is one of the NFL's best and most outspoken cornerbacks, and he recently critiqued just about every quarterback in the NFL in GQ. He gave Brady a sideways complement when he confirmed that Brady doesn't suck. That's an interesting observation after the Patriots beat Jacksonville 24-20 in last year's AFC Championship, and this will be another opportunity for the two stars to get acquainted. 

A late bloomer, Whitworth has become of the league's best left tackles. He's been an All-Pro in two of the last three seasons as he enters his age 37 campaign with the Rams. Meanwhile, Bosa is a rising star with a total of 23 sacks in his first two NFL seasons. This will be one of the most exciting matchups in the battle for L.A.

Belichick is widely regarded as the best coach in football, but not all of his former assistants have had success as head coaches elsewhere. Patricia is trying his hand in Detroit this year and is set to face his mentor on national television when the Patriots visit the Lions.

A member of the Patriots for five years, Amendola took the money and ran to the rival Dolphins this offseason. Amendola's play was particularly great down the stretch last year with 26 receptions for 348 yards and two touchdowns during the playoffs. Belichick's defense will get its first shot at stopping Amendola in Week 4.

It's hard to forget last year's epic season opener between the Patriots and Chiefs. Gronkowski had arguably the worst game of his season while being covered by Berry, catching only two passes for 33 yards. Before the game ended, Berry tore his Achilles, but it was a rough-and-tumble matchup between two elite NFL talents that we'll hopefully have another chance to see in Week 6.

Minnesota traded a first-round pick to Philadelphia right before the 2016 season for Bradford, and the quarterback proceeded to start 15 games for the Vikings. Last year he was able to start only two games due to injury, and rather than re-sign him, Minnesota opted to bring in Kirk Cousins. It remains to be seen if that was the right move, but Bradford will have an opportunity to show his old team and former head coach Zimmer that they made the wrong decision.

Talib spent four years as a cornerback in Denver, covering Thomas in practice. He will pay a visit to his former team in Week 6 with the Rams and get to cover Thomas in a real game.

Haley spent six seasons as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator, leading one of the top offenses in football. The job held special significance for Haley because his father, Dick Haley, was the Director of Player Personnel for the Steelers from 1971-1990. Todd's time in Pittsburgh came to an end after Tomlin didn't renew his contract following the 2017 season, and Haley caught on with the division-rival Browns. Haley pays his first visit back to Pittsburgh in Week 8 and will certainly want to make his return vs. his former boss memorable.

Who is the best quarterback in football? That debate, at the very least, usually involves Brady and Rodgers. The two starting quarterbacks will get a chance to face each other in Week 9 and possibly for the final time given that Brady is 41 and Rodgers turns 35 in December.

The rare battle of the Bay Area between the 49ers and Raiders holds special significance this year with the Raiders off to Las Vegas next year. The matchup has plenty of fun stories, but the most intriguing one on the field could be the battle between Pro Bowl 49ers left tackle Joe Staley and elite Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack.

Bell has established himself as arguably the best running back in football with three 1,200-plus yard rushing seasons over his five years in the league. Carolina's defense will have its hands full, but Kuechly is one of the NFL's top middle linebackers and is usually up for the challenge. The four-time All-Pro finished with 125 tackles last season.

Hill is the NFL's fastest player if we're going by NFL Next Gen Stats, and he's yet to find a cornerback who can keep up with him consistently. Peterson is one of the league's fastest and most athletic cornerbacks, however, and he has made the Pro Bowl in each of his seven seasons. This will certainly be an exciting battle between the Chiefs and Cardinals.

The 2018 NFL Draft featured five quarterbacks in the first round, and the two most likely to play this year have a chance to go head-to-head in Week 10 when the Jets face the Bills. Fans are hopeful this matchup will be the first of many for the AFC East quarterbacks.

There's no other way to say it: The Jaguars offense embarrassed the Steelers defense in the AFC Divisional Round last year. Often maligned for his play, Bortles threw for 214 yards and one score to help the Jaguars put up 45 points on the Steelers in the upset. The Steelers will certainly be amped for the rematch, particularly Tomlin's defense.

The Chiefs and Rams will face off in Mexico City in Week 11. The subplot of the game is former Chiefs cornerback Peters facing his old team and trying to keep up with star wide receiver Hill. Peters, for his purposes, was a takeaway machine and shutdown corner in three seasons with the Chiefs, but Hill's speed presents a new challenge.

Villanueva has blossomed into a Pro Bowl left tackle for the Steelers, but he will arguably get the toughest challenge possible when Pittsburgh faces Denver and Miller in Week 12. Miller is a three-time All-Pro and 2011 Defensive Player of the Year. For fans of line play, it will be fun to watch.

Sherman left Seattle for the rival 49ers in the offseason, meaning that he will get to face his former team twice. That also means that he will face former Stanford and Seahawks teammate Doug Baldwin for the first time in a game. The two are very familiar with each other from years of facing one another in practice.

Given his great size and speed, Jones is certainly one of the toughest wideouts to cover in the NFL. Peterson will get his shot in Week 15. For what it's worth, Jones has had plenty of success in three career games against Arizona, with 17 receptions for 257 yards and one touchdown.

Brady and Roethlisberger are familiar foes, both in the regular season and playoffs. There aren't many matchups left between the two star quarterbacks given their ages, and this one could have huge playoff implications, as last year's epic mid-December 27-24 win by New England did, effectively giving the Pats home-field advantage. Since Roethlisberger entered the league in 2004, the Patriots are 9-3 vs. Pittsburgh, including wins in the last five games.

The Rams opted to take Goff first overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, while Philadelphia was happy to take Wentz second overall. With only two years under their belts, the jury is still out on which team made the right pick, though Wentz has looked like the better quarterback thus far. When the two signal callers face off in Week 15, the games between LA and Philadelphia could have a huge impact on the NFC playoff picture.

Brown gets another huge challenge when he faces second-year cornerback Lattimore and the Saints. The 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Lattimore was a huge contributor to the Saints defensive improvement last season with a Pro Bowl appearance in his rookie campaign.