Chris Jones, DT, New England Patriots
By no fault of his own, Jones has been thrust into a prominent role in the decimated middle of the Patriots' defense. The great Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and now Brandon Spikes are all on injured reserve.
Spikes was a liability in coverage, but might be the best interior run-stuffer in the NFL. Jones simply isn't very talented. He struggles to handle a double-team, often gets overpowered in the run game and offers very little as a pass-rusher on the interior. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they don't have great alternatives. Jones' counterpart on the interior, Joe Vellano, offers little more. Isaac Sopoaga has a pedigree in this league as an interior presence, but he has been underwhelming since New England traded for him.
Ideally, the Colts would love to attack the interior of this defense with a power back like Trent Richardson to shorten the game and force New England's worst defensive players to make play after play. But it will be Donald Brown getting the bulk of the carries, and do the Colts have the interior offensive linemen to make that happen? That brings us to ...
Mike McGlynn, OG, Indianapolis Colts
When the Colts have the ball, it will be very interesting to watch the interior line battles, as it is truly a matchup of "weakness versus weakness."
We know that Bill Belichick's defensive philosophy is to take away whatever the offense does best, which in this case means trying to eliminate T.Y. Hilton. You would think that would lead to great rushing opportunities, but the interior of Indianapolis' offensive line is a mess.
At left guard, Hugh Thornton hasn't played well, but he is a rookie with some upside, while center Samson Satele is what he is at this point, which is a very average all-around player. But it is McGlynn that has hurt this line the most. Best suited to play center, the big-bodied but heavy-footed McGlynn has been consistently beaten in one-on-one matchups, especially in the run game, where he is often seen bending at the waist and overextending to try to reach his target.
Donald Brown is sure to get the majority of the rushing attempts, and it will be interesting to see how successful he might be, especially in terms of sustainability on interior runs for four quarters. Protection for Andrew Luck will also be a question mark.
Wesley Woodyard, LB, Denver Broncos
Von Miller is out for the year, and while Danny Trevathan and Woodyard have very good speed, this linebacking unit (along with safety Duke Ihenacho) has struggled quite a bit in coverage against running backs out of the backfield as well as tight ends. Well, it just so happens that San Diego has backs and tight ends that can do plenty of damage.
The venerable Antonio Gates remains a very solid contributor, while his successor, Ladarius Green, is dripping with upside. Woodyard isn't a bad player but struggles against the size of such tight ends, which can be especially problematic in the end zone. Ronnie Brown is an accomplished, but not dynamic, receiving option andRyan Mathews has improved in this area as well. But this could be a big Danny Woodhead game, as he has a massive advantage over the middle of Denver's defense, and Woodyard in particular.
It would not be surprising to see Woodhead operating out of the slot quite a bit or even out wide, where he could draw a linebacker out with him in man coverage.
Shareece Wright, CB, San Diego Chargers
The Chargers' defense was awful for much of the season. But after allowing just 10 points last week -- and making A.J. Green nearly invisible -- the Chargers average just over 16 points allowed over their past six games, winning five in a row while John Pagano has incorporated more creative blitz packages and a wide variety of coverages very effectively. Pagano's unpredictability has been a great asset for a defense that lacks high-end talent, especially in the secondary.
Such tactics caused the Broncos' offense major problems in the most recent meeting between these two teams, but San Diego's cornerbacks remain a huge concern, and this is one of the worst overall coverage units in the NFL. Starters Richard Marshall and Wright have been liabilities, and the depth behind them is poor, although things have improved once Marshall was inserted as the starter over Derek Cox. Safety Eric Weddle is the only member of this secondary who can be considered above average, and the Chargers will align him all over the defense.
Of course, Peyton Manning will learn from the last meeting and should target Wright without relent, as well San Diego's depth cover men.
By no fault of his own, Jones has been thrust into a prominent role in the decimated middle of the Patriots' defense. The great Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and now Brandon Spikes are all on injured reserve.
Spikes was a liability in coverage, but might be the best interior run-stuffer in the NFL. Jones simply isn't very talented. He struggles to handle a double-team, often gets overpowered in the run game and offers very little as a pass-rusher on the interior. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they don't have great alternatives. Jones' counterpart on the interior, Joe Vellano, offers little more. Isaac Sopoaga has a pedigree in this league as an interior presence, but he has been underwhelming since New England traded for him.
Ideally, the Colts would love to attack the interior of this defense with a power back like Trent Richardson to shorten the game and force New England's worst defensive players to make play after play. But it will be Donald Brown getting the bulk of the carries, and do the Colts have the interior offensive linemen to make that happen? That brings us to ...
Mike McGlynn, OG, Indianapolis Colts
When the Colts have the ball, it will be very interesting to watch the interior line battles, as it is truly a matchup of "weakness versus weakness."
We know that Bill Belichick's defensive philosophy is to take away whatever the offense does best, which in this case means trying to eliminate T.Y. Hilton. You would think that would lead to great rushing opportunities, but the interior of Indianapolis' offensive line is a mess.
At left guard, Hugh Thornton hasn't played well, but he is a rookie with some upside, while center Samson Satele is what he is at this point, which is a very average all-around player. But it is McGlynn that has hurt this line the most. Best suited to play center, the big-bodied but heavy-footed McGlynn has been consistently beaten in one-on-one matchups, especially in the run game, where he is often seen bending at the waist and overextending to try to reach his target.
Donald Brown is sure to get the majority of the rushing attempts, and it will be interesting to see how successful he might be, especially in terms of sustainability on interior runs for four quarters. Protection for Andrew Luck will also be a question mark.
Wesley Woodyard, LB, Denver Broncos
Von Miller is out for the year, and while Danny Trevathan and Woodyard have very good speed, this linebacking unit (along with safety Duke Ihenacho) has struggled quite a bit in coverage against running backs out of the backfield as well as tight ends. Well, it just so happens that San Diego has backs and tight ends that can do plenty of damage.
The venerable Antonio Gates remains a very solid contributor, while his successor, Ladarius Green, is dripping with upside. Woodyard isn't a bad player but struggles against the size of such tight ends, which can be especially problematic in the end zone. Ronnie Brown is an accomplished, but not dynamic, receiving option andRyan Mathews has improved in this area as well. But this could be a big Danny Woodhead game, as he has a massive advantage over the middle of Denver's defense, and Woodyard in particular.
It would not be surprising to see Woodhead operating out of the slot quite a bit or even out wide, where he could draw a linebacker out with him in man coverage.
Shareece Wright, CB, San Diego Chargers
The Chargers' defense was awful for much of the season. But after allowing just 10 points last week -- and making A.J. Green nearly invisible -- the Chargers average just over 16 points allowed over their past six games, winning five in a row while John Pagano has incorporated more creative blitz packages and a wide variety of coverages very effectively. Pagano's unpredictability has been a great asset for a defense that lacks high-end talent, especially in the secondary.
Such tactics caused the Broncos' offense major problems in the most recent meeting between these two teams, but San Diego's cornerbacks remain a huge concern, and this is one of the worst overall coverage units in the NFL. Starters Richard Marshall and Wright have been liabilities, and the depth behind them is poor, although things have improved once Marshall was inserted as the starter over Derek Cox. Safety Eric Weddle is the only member of this secondary who can be considered above average, and the Chargers will align him all over the defense.
Of course, Peyton Manning will learn from the last meeting and should target Wright without relent, as well San Diego's depth cover men.
