MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUPS- WEEK 6
Los Angeles Chargers @ Baltimore Ravens
These two teams were both involved in the best games of Week 5, are division leaders, and now find themselves as the best matchup of Week 6. The Ravens had an absolutely electric comeback Monday night against the Colts, hopping on the back of Lamar Jackson’s passing game. Jackson passed for 442 yards and 4 TDs, leading the Ravens to an overtime victory. Jackson’s passing game has improved greatly this season, and the Ravens have needed it as their injuries at running back have finally caught up to them. Outside of Lamar Jackson, there is no clear workhorse runner for the Ravens and none of the running backs have any fantasy value. As for the Chargers, they seem to have hit full stride on offense and are firing on all cylinders. Justin Herbert has continued his excellent play and is being aided by the emergence of wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams and Keenan Allen have been great this year and a healthy Austin Ekeler has been the secret ingredient in their recipe for success. The defense has underperformed from their expectations, but they have enough pieces to force turnovers as well as make the game slightly challenging for opposing offenses. All in all, this is the matchup that will garner the most attention on Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns
Another matchup that features two great offenses, the Cardinals and Browns look to continue their scoring prowess into Week 6 and beyond. The Cardinals are the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team and look to bounce back from an uncharacteristically low scoring effort against the 49ers; prior to last week’s game, the Cardinals had scored over 30 points each game. Kyler Murray has had an MVP-caliber season and has been distributing to his playmakers at a Peyton Manning-esque level. The run game has looked resurgent with Chase Edmunds as the lead guy and James Conner being the goal line bruiser. The defense has stepped up and matched the level that is required from a Super Bowl contending team. The Browns are coming off the loss of the week, having scored 42 points against the Chargers but were not able to convert a 2-minute drive into any points. Baker Mayfield has shown that he can keep the team close with his passing, but the real bread and butter for the Browns is the rushing attack. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are the best running back 1-2 punch in the NFL and it isn’t particularly close. Outside of the running backs, all other playmakers leave much to be desired. The defense has been good for the Browns, despite dealing with injuries in the secondary. I think this is the week we see the Cardinals catch their first “L”, therefore, giving the Browns a statement win.
