10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 6

There are some absolutely tremendous matchups heading into Week 6 of the NFL season. From one of the game's best receivers in Antonio Brown taking on Patrick Peterson to Andrew Luck and Tom Brady going at it on "Sunday Night Football", we are going to enjoy this week's slate of action around the league.

More so than those two individual matchups, it's going to be intriguing to see how Adrian Peterson does against a desperate Kansas City Chiefs team that needs a win to avoid a fifth consecutive loss.

We also want to see how the Seattle Seahawks offensive line holds up at home against an undefeated Carolina Panthers squad. Can it do enough for the two-time defending NFC champions to avoid a 2-4 start to the season?

1. Antonio Brown vs Patrick Peterson

In the two games since Ben Roethlisberger went down to injury, Brown has seen his production dip big time. He was averaging nearly 10 receptions and 113 yards per game in the three games that Big Ben started. Since then, Brown has put up a total of eight receptions for 87 yards.

Meanwhile, Peterson has allowed just eight receptions for 133 yards in five games. He's also seeing quarterbacks complete just 45 percent of the passes thrown in his direction this year. In order for Pittsburgh to find a way to 4-2 on the season, it will have to get Brown more involved in the offense. This means that Michael Vick will likely test Peterson deep a few times.

2. Mitchel Schwartz vs Von Miller

Miller is one of the leading candidates for Defensive Player of the Year through five weeks. As the face of the best defensive in the NFL, he's recorded three sacks and a whopping 21 quarterback hurries in five games. In order for the Denver Broncos to shut down what has been an improved Cleveland Browns passing game, this will have to continue on Sunday.

Fortunately for Cleveland, Schwartz should be more than up for the task. According to Pro Football Focus, the former second-round pick is the top pass-protecting right tackle in the NFL through five weeks. That should help limit Miller's production against a suddenly hot Josh McCown. It's now going to be up to Cleveland receivers to beat the best secondary in football. That's a conversation for another time.

3. Adrian Peterson vs Kansas City Chiefs run defense

Peterson leads the NFL with an average of 116 total yards per game from the running back position. In fact, he's putting up over 137 per outing since a dud of a performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. As Peterson goes, so does the Vikings offense — a unit that ranks dead least in the NFL in passing.

For the Chiefs, their struggles have mainly been against the pass. Opposing quarterbacks are putting up an average of 285 passing yards per game with 13 touchdowns compared to two interceptions. On the other hand, Kansas City's defense is yielding less than 100 rushing yards per game.

If they can find a way to contain Peterson, it will make the Chiefs secondary that much more adept at stopping a struggling passing game. And at 1-4, that's something we will have to see on Sunday if Kansas City plans on salvaging the season.

4. A.J. Green vs Stephon Gilmore

How much fun was it seeing Green go up against Richard Sherman last week? Both elite players won individual plays in that game, but Green was able to put up a workmanlike performance by tallying six receptions for 78 yards. That came on the heels of Cincinnati's top receiver gaining over 300 combined receiving yards in his previous two games.

Taking on another top-end corner this week, Green will have his hands full against Gilmore. While the Bengals will likely look to move Green around into a matchup against rookie Ronald Darby, these two should be lining up against another more often than not.

Through five games, Gilmore is allowing quarterbacks to complete less than 47 percent of the passes thrown in his directions for a ridiculously low 63.3 rating. If this continues on Sunday, Rex Ryan and Co. will hand Cincinnati its first loss of the season.

5. Seattle Seahawks offensive line vs Carolina Panthers pass rush

The loss of Greg Hardy in free agency as well as the injury to Charles Johnson has Carolina in a precarious position as it attempts to remain undefeated in Seattle on Sunday.

Mario Addison (three sacks) has seen the most snaps among Panthers defensive ends thus far this season. He's followed by second-year player Kony Ealy who has yet to record a sack this season. New acquisition Jared Allen played 35 snaps in his Panthers in Week 4, so he should also see more action as well.

The good news for Carolina here is that it's going up against the worst offensive line in the NFL. Russell Wilson has been sacked a league-high 26 times in five games — numbers that have him on pace to be sacked more than any other quarterback in league history. And after being hit 10 times on 30 drop backs last week against Cincinnati, Wilson has been pressured 46 percent of the time he's dropped back to pass on the season.

If Carolina wants to go into Seattle and come out undefeated, it's going to have to put consistent pressure on Wilson. More than that, it will need to hold contain when pass protection breaks down. If that happens, Carolina could be looking at a 5-0 record with Seattle dropping to 2-4.

6. Jay Cutler vs Matthew Stafford

Is this some sort of self masochism for those of us who love watching good quarterback play? Well, the interesting thing here is that Cutler is playing at a much higher level than Stafford.

Since returning from a hamstring injury, the much-maligned Chicago Bears quarterback is completing over 60 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and just one interception. Meanwhile, Stafford found himself benched in favor of Dan Orlovsky after throwing three interceptions in a shade over two quarters on Sunday.

Quarterback play is going to be big in this one. At 0-5 on the season, all Detroit needs to worry about winning a darn football game. On the other hand, Chicago has a chance to even its record after losing three consecutive to start the season. Sadly for fans in the Motor City, the money has to be on Cutler and Co. in this one.

7. Denver Broncos rushing game vs Cleveland Browns run defense

This is somewhat like the NFL's version of the Razzies. It also takes place in what has to be considered an important game for both teams. Denver ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing offense at 71.6 yards per game. Broncos backs are also averaging just 3.3 yards per attempt.

On the other hand, Cleveland ranks 31st in the NFL in run defense at nearly 150 yards per outing. In fact, this unit has yielded 150-plus rushing yards in four of the Browns' first five games.

We already know that a struggling Peyton Manning doesn't have what it takes to carry Denver's offense. If the Browns are able to shut down a weak running game, they could then zero in on what has also been a substandard passing game. If that happens, Mike Pettine and Co. could be looking at an even record heading into Week 7.

8. Colin Kaepernick vs Baltimore Ravens pass defense

Baltimore just yielded 457 passing yards to Josh McCown in an overtime loss against the Cleveland Browns last week. It's the third time in four games that this once stout defense has given up 350-plus passing yards.

Seen as a train wreck heading into Week 5, Kaepernick found a way to get back on track in a close loss to the New York Giants. He completed 23-of-35 passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and zero picks. The much-maligned signal caller also led San Francisco to three touchdown-scoring drives of 80-plus yards in the second half.

With both teams at 1-4 on the season, a loss here would end any small hope of getting back into the playoff race. And while the winner will still be behind the proverbial eight ball, it beats the alternative. Kaepernick's ability to continue the good play we saw last week could be the difference here.

9. Odell Beckham Jr. vs Byron Maxwell

With both players hampered by injury heading into Week 6, this could be an intriguing matchup. Going up against the opposing team's No. 1 wide receiver for the first time in his career after playing second fiddle to Richard Sherman in Seattle, Maxwell has struggled big time. He's allowing a near 80 percent completion percentage when targeted this season with opposing quarterbacks putting up a 140.5 rating.

For his part, Beckham Jr. hasn't really seen his production dip as a sophomore. He's currently on pace to record 100 receptions for nearly 1,400 yards. Coming off a game against San Francisco that saw him suffer a hamstring injury, it's going to be interesting to see how the talented youngster responds on Monday should he be able to go.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, this is an opportunity to get back to .500 following a blowout win over the New Orleans Saints. And for the New York Giants, the ability to open up a two-game lead against Philadelphia is of utmost importance in this usually bitter divisional game. This one matchup could decide a whole heck of a lot.

10. Andrew Luck vs Tom Brady

How much does Brady want to lay a 50 burger on the Colts in this one? On pace to put up a record-setting statistical season, the New England Patriots quarterback has some unfinished business here.

Remember the whole Deflategate thing? Well, the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts is where it all started. With a fully inflated football, Brady looks to continue an early-season stretch that has him playing the best football of his career.

For Luck and the Colts, it's all about him actually getting back on the field after missing the previous two games of the season. He's likely to go in a huge game against the defending conference champions, but the larger question here is how Luck will respond after early-season struggles. After all, it's Matt Hasselbeck who saved the Colts season by winning the two games with Luck sidelined.

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