Five Players To Watch On Sunday

Added on Oct 22, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

I love NFL weekends like this one. At least six matchups jump off the schedule. There are key intra-conference tussles, bitter divisional rivalries and juicy inter-conference showdowns. It’s a perfect storm of pigskin perfection that offers a little bit of something for everyone. As with every NFL Sunday, the outcome of many games will be decided by individual performances. With this in mind, here are five players to keep an eye on in week seven.

Antonio Gates (Chargers) – Gates should be able to go against the Patriots, but he could be limited with a gimpy ankle. Injuries to Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee have left the Chargers passing attack paper thin. If Gates can’t be his dominating self, it will be a long afternoon for the Bolts.

King Dunlap (Eagles) – The power forward left tackle passed his first test last week against a less than 100% John Abraham. Sledding will be much tougher against a Titans front that has registered 24 sacks so far. The Birds occasionally helped Dunlap with backs and tight ends against Atlanta, but they might have to utilize more maximum protection in order to keep Kevin Kolb upright.

Jay Cutler (Bears) – If Cutler is going to get back on track this is the week to do it against a Redskins defense ranked 31st versus the pass. The real problem is the Bears dreadful offensive line. If Cutler has time to set up and throw, he should be able to pick apart a secondary filled the with big names but little talent.

Michael Turner (Falcons) – The Burner hasn’t been generating much heat this season. His 4.3 yards per carry is solid, but his one trip to the end zone is not. The Bengals defense has struggled on the road, so Turner should find room to run. However, if he continues to underwhelm, don’t be surprised if Jason Snelling is given more touches.

Clay Matthews (Packers) – Matthews is the Packers pass rush. His 8.5 sacks leads the league. If his hamstring is fully healed, he should be able to tee off on the geriatric Brett Favre, who has been dumped 13 times in five starts. Matthews, when healthy, is an absolute beast and virtually unstoppable. For Green Bay to win, they’ll need #52 to be a factor.