When picking your starters each week, one thing that must be considered is the matchups. We’ve taken each game and broken down the matchups for you here. PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT replace the Cheatsheet ranking. The Cheatsheet rankings are the final say on where we see a player for that week. The Matchup Breakdowns are simply one more tool in the box when it comes to helping choose your lineup. Also note, just because a player has a "bad" matchup, it does NOT mean he's not a starter in your league. If Ahman Green is playing the toughest rush defense in the league, he's got a tough matchup that week. He's also your starter unless you're sitting on Marshall Faulk. Let's jump to it. Great Matchups – Defenses will have major problems with the offense in these games Miami's Ricky Williams vs. the New York Jets Defense (Great Matchup) Ricky Williams has been huge in the first two games of the season, and absolutely torched the Colt's defensive front in week 2, (132 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving + 1 reception for a touchdown). Now, the soft Jets defense comes to South Florida. The same Jets who surrendered to Travis Henry his career-best game week one. The same Jets who were pounded for 163 yards rushing by the Patriots, (leading rushers A. Smith 15/66 yards (4.4 yards per carry average) and K. Faulk 10/48 yards (4.8 ypc average) and a touchdown). The same Jets who can't seem to contain anybody. Ricky Williams is a better back than any of the three backs who have already victimized the Jets weeks one and two. If the Jets defenders think they have had it rough so far, wait until they see Ricky Williams tear it up on Sunday. Green Bay's Rondell Mealey vs. the Detroit Defense (Great Matchup) The news is that Ahman Green injured his right knee and quadriceps tendon in last weeks game against New Orleans, and will be unable to practice and likely won't play this week against Detroit. That means that back-up Rondell Mealey gets his shot at NFL glory against a shoddy Detroit Defense week 3. He has already shown his worth in the pre-season, and in spot duty against Atlanta week one put up 30 yards on 5 carries and scored a touchdown in relief of Green. Najeh Davenport may also see time at RB. Detroit's rushing defense can't stop anybody - they have been steam-rolled by Miami and Carolina this season, and nothing has changed to indicate that it should be any different with Green Bay. In fact, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers broke his thumb against Carolina, and is probably lost for 2-3 weeks (at the minimum). A bad season will continue to get worse for the Lions this weekend. New York Giants' Tiki Barber vs. the Seattle Defense (Great Matchup) The Giants' Tiki Barber is still nursing a sore second toe on his right foot, but expects to be ready for the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. What back wouldn't want to be on the field against these Seahawks? After all, they've surrendered 174 yards to the vaunted Thomas Jones and the Cardinals offensive line, and a total of 221 yards rushing to the Oakland Raiders (Charlie Garner accounted for 127 yards of that on 15 carries (8.5 ypc average!). Both Jones and Garner scored a rushing touchdown in the contests. Despite Ron Dayne's ineffectual play in 2002 (11 rushes for 18 yards against the Rams last week, for example), Coach Fassel insists that he still believes in the big fella, and that Dayne will continue to get opportunities to carry the ball. We'll see how that plays out against the soft Seahawks. Ernie Accorsi echoed Fassel's sentiments this week, stating that the Giants will not give up on Ron Dayne. The only question mark for Big Blue's offensive line this week is whether C Dusty Zeigler (knee injury) can go, but he planned to practice in pads on Wednesday. Given the effectiveness of the Giants against St. Louis last week - plus the increased confidence the whole team is feeling as a result - and the super-flimsy Seattle rushing defense, expect Barber to have a big day on Sunday. Even Dayne may see some action - stranger things have happened. Good Matchups – Defenses will struggle to stop the offense in these games New England's Antowain Smith vs. the Kansas City Defense (Good Matchup) Antowain Smith has been effective in his role during the first two weeks of play. The game plan against the great Steelers defensive front called for passing, passing and more passing, yet Smith still ground out needed yardage late in the game to burn the remaining time off the clock. Week 2, he put up 66 yards on 15 rushes for a 4.4 ypc average vs. the Jets, although back-up Kevin Faulk notched the only rushing touchdown in the game. This week he faces a Chiefs D that has largely contained their opponent's rushing attacks in the early part of the season (they had held Fred Taylor to under 40 yards until his one long scoring gallop late in the fourth quarter week 2). However, with the excellent Patriots passing attack unloading on a suspect Chief's pass defense, and given the excellent and deep offensive line that the Patriots possess, Smith should have a productive Sunday against the Chiefs. The advantage in this game lies with the Patriots rushing attack. Indianapolis' Edgerrin James vs. the Houston Defense (Good Matchup) Even though the Texans were reminded of their lowly status in the NFL by the Chargers last weekend, their rushing defense actually played pretty well against the mighty Charger's attack - they only surrendered 124 yards total to the team, and LaDainian Tomlinson was held scoreless and under 100 yards rushing (84 yards/3.1 ypc average). This, after the Texans smothered Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys week 1. Not bad, especially when you consider how mercilessly the Chargers whipped the Cincinnati Bengals in this phase of the game week 1. However, Indianapolis has one of the finest offensive lines in the league, and perhaps the premier quarterback, one Peyton Manning. With Marvin Harrison, Qadry Ismail and Reggie Wayne to worry about in the passing game, the Houston defensive front will be largely on it's own Sunday. James and the Colt's line will be stronger than the Texans defensive front in this contest. Denver's Posse Backfield (Gary, Anderson, and Portis) vs. the Buffalo Defense (Good Matchup) Taken as an offensive unit, the triple-threat Broncos' backfield is running as well as any team in the league. Their offensive line is blocking superbly, helping the runners rack up a total of 305 yards in two games. The Buffalo defense was stout against the anemic Jets week 1, and porous against the Vikings week 2. They allowed 213 yards to the Vikings week 2, with the trio of Williams, Bennett and Chapman accounting for 188 of those yards (Williams led the way with 102 yards and a score). The parallels between the Broncos' tandem and the Vikings' tandem are obvious. Look for a similar high level of offensive production out of the Broncos backfield this week against the Bills. Minnesota's Bennett/Williams/Chapman vs. the Carolina Defense (Good Matchup) Minnesota's tandem of backs have been very effective against the opposition so far, raking up 136 yards as a unit against the Chicago Bears, and 213 yards against the Bills week 2. Moe Williams led the way last week with 102 yards rushing and a score, and has the most yardage of the three overall, with 150 yards after two weeks. Bennett has 98 yards, Chapman has 74. However, these aren't last year's Panthers. They have been solid against the run, limiting Jamal Lewis to 64 yards week 1, and James Stewart to 53 yards week 2. Remember, though, that neither of these two teams have a passing game worth mentioning, and therefore the Panthers could concentrate on stuffing the run. Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, Derrick Alexander and D'Wayne Bates are definitely a credible passing attack. They will force the Panthers to play more in pass coverage, and thereby open up rushing lanes for the tandem of Vikings backs. New Orleans' Deuce McAllister vs. the Chicago Defense (Good Matchup) Deuce McAllister is making Jim Haslett look like a genius for letting Ricky Williams go on to Miami. His 232 yards rushing in the first two games put him in the top tier of NFL backs in the early part of the season, and he looks very comfortable in his second year of play. The Bears, meanwhile, have been soft against the run, giving up 136 yards to the Minnesota triple-threat, and then getting beat for 122 yards by the Dunn/Vick/Duckett combination in Atlanta. Part of the problem is that DE Philip Daniels is out until October 8th. DT Ted Washington also will not be able to go due to a left leg/ankle injury suffered in the win over Atlanta. It is possible that he is gone for as long as 10-12 weeks. He is replaced in the lineup by Alfonso Boone (a second year man who had 7 tackles, 2 assists and 2 sacks in limited action in 2001) Bad news as the Bears prepare to face yet another mobile quarterback in Aaron Brooks, paired up with nimble Deuce McAllister. Expect another long day for the Bears defenders as they pant and puff about in pursuit of Brooks and McAllister. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson vs. the Arizona Defense (Good Matchup) Coming off a laugher vs. the Bengals, Tomlinson and his mates on the offensive line found the Houston defense a slightly tougher nut to crack. In fact, even though the Texans were soundly whipped by the Chargers, Tomlinson didn't have a field day, only gaining 84 yards on 27 carries and no touchdowns. Arizona manhandled the depleted Seattle rushing attack, keeping Shaun Alexander in check with 37 yards on 17 carries (he did add 6 catches for 46 yards, though). They were soft week one, though, allowing Stephen Davis to rack up 104 yards on 26 carries and a td. San Diego's rushing attack has been spectacular (week 1) and average (week 2) - expect them to look like the team we saw week 1 as they get back on track against the strictly average Cardinals defense. San Francisco's Garrison Hearst/Kevan Barlow vs. the Washington Defense (Good Matchup) Hearst and Barlow really struggled against a tough Broncos' defense week 2, only managing to amass 52 yards rushing against a very talented defense. The lack of a long-ball threat allowed the Broncos' to crowd the line and stuff the run more often than not. In spite of the struggles, both players and coaches have vowed to stick with the rotation scheme that splits carries almost evenly between the two backs. The San Francisco backs face another talented defensive front this week in Marvin Lewis's Redskins and their trio of linebackers (Trotter, Arrington and Armstead). The team was embarrassed on Monday night by the Eagles, but the defense got very little support from the offense. Their secondary play was very poor, though, allowing 283 yards to a plethora of Eagles' receivers. Also, to this point in the season the high-visibility unit is giving up a lot of points - the defense ranks in the bottom third of the league in this category in the early going. Look for the 49'ers backs to get opportunities to make plays when the efficient passing of Garcia causes the defensive front to loosen. The 'Skins showed themselves to be vulnerable in the passing game, and Mariucci and the 49'ers will exploit this weakness to open up the running game, as well. Don't forget the Japan incident - you can bet the 49'ers haven't (no matter what they claim in the media this week). Cincinnati's Corey Dillon vs. the Atlanta Defense (Good Matchup) Corey Dillon and his team-mates on the offensive line shook off their shell-shock from the debacle vs. San Diego week one, and announced his return to the land of the NFL living with a 175 combined-yards effort against the Browns week 2 (108 yards rushing, 67 receiving). Unfortunately for his team and fantasy teams playing Dillon everywhere, the effort did not include a touchdown. This week, Dillon gets to play against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were horrible against the run week 1, allowing Ahman Green to gain 155 yards against their unit. However, in week 2 several linebackers returned to active duty, and the unit stiffened and held Anthony Thomas to 88 yards rushing. This week indications are that defensive lineman Travis Hall is definitely out, and that linebacker Will Overstreet remains doubtful to start against the Bengals. John Thierry, Overstreet's backup, is probable and should be able to go. Between the improving linebacker situation in Atlanta and the re-emergence of the Bengals rushing attack, neither side looks to have an overwhelming advantage over the other personnel-wise. The exceptional talents of Corey Dillon makes the difference in this match-up, and gives the advantage to the Bengals. St. Louis' Marshall Faulk vs. the Tampa Bay Defense (Good Matchup) Marshall Faulk and his line re-discovered their games against the Giants, and the result was 87 yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns. Not exactly the dominating numbers Faulk owners are used to, but a far sight better than the pathetic 19 yards on 10 carries (and one touchdown) he managed against the Broncos. This week the Rams visit the Buccaneers on Monday night, and they come in to face a fired-up Buccaneers defensive unit fresh off a blanking of anemic Baltimore. In their loss to New Orleans, week one, the Buccaneers gave up 109 yards on 31 rushing attempts to Deuce McAllister. The Rams' line is a solid veteran unit, which will go toe to toe with the Buc's fearsome front line of Rice, Sapp, McFarland and Spires. Both teams come into the contest healthy, so the difference here is provided by Marshall Faulk. What a difference he makes, too! Neutral Matchups – The Defense and Offense are fairly evenly matched in these games Tennessee's Eddie George/Mike Green/John Simon vs. the Cleveland Defense (Neutral Matchup) The Titans have a huge problem. Eddie George's left foot is hurting, bad. He is on crutches and wearing a protective boot around it as of Wednesday, though the MRI showed no structural damage to the ankle. George is questionable heading into the weekend. (Coach Fisher rarely utilizes any other designation on the injury report), and his back-up Robert Holcombe is out for 6-8 more weeks with a hip injury suffered in the season opener. That leaves Mike Green and rookie John Simon as the only tail backs on the roster available to play Sunday. George did take the boot off Thursday and will see how he feels on Friday. Besides the injury woes with George, the line is being revealed as suspect. They just aren't opening up the holes that the running backs need to be effective in games, and McNair has had to run for his life on numerous occasions when the opposing defenses penetrate into the backfield. Luckily for the Titans, the Cleveland rushing D (LB Jamir Miller out for the season, RDE Courtney Brown supposedly is recovered from his neck injury and will return this week) isn't very good at all this year. Priest Holmes and Corey Dillon both had their way on the ground in the Brown's games one and two. With the problems besetting both squads this matchup is a toss-up. Detroit's James Stewart vs. the Green Bay Defense (Neutral Matchup) Running back James Stewart returned to the lineup this past weekend against the Carolina Panthers. He managed to put up 53 yards on 12 carries (a 4.4 ypc average), before the game was completed. This week he and his team-mates welcome the Packers to new Ford field, and James Stewart should be happy about that. The Packer's rush defense is not playing well at all right now, surrendering 123 yards to Deuce McAllister (a 5.9 ypc average) last week. That was after allowing the Falcons to gain 180 yards on the Pack week one, including Warrick Dunn's 69 yards on 15 carries (4.6 ypc average). As sorry as the Detroit offensive team is in 2002, the Packer's rush defense has been equally bad. This matchup comes up just about even. Washington's Stephen Davis vs. the San Francisco Defense (Neutral Matchup) Now we know that the 'Skins don't have the horses to run with the big boys in the NFC. Beating up on the likes of the Cardinals is one thing, but trying to challenge a top defense like the Eagles exposed the Redskins as lacking in several key areas. The quarterbacking was terrible against the attacking Eagle's defense. The receivers didn't run after the catch, limiting the yards gained on completions to modest totals. Since the team passes to set up the run, and they were unsuccessful in the passing game, Stephen Davis had a quiet night, too. He only rushed 12 times, for a total of 53 yards, with no touchdowns. San Francisco's rush defense comes off a mauling by the Broncos, who put up 201 yards on the ground against the home team last week. Week one they had better luck containing Tiki Barber, but Barber was nursing a tweaked hamstring and lacked pop in that game. The effectiveness of Davis will be determined by how successfully the 49'ers can imitate the Eagles and attack the Redskin's quarterback(s) and yet contain Davis. Considering how much both the Redskin's offense and the 49'ers defense struggled in week 2, neither unit looks like it holds the advantage week 2. Atlanta's Mike Vick/Warrick Dunn/T.J. Duckett vs. the Cincinnati Defense (Neutral Matchup) Warrick Dunn and Dan Reeves have been loudly criticized for the failures in the short yardage game that occurred in the second half against the Chicago Bears. "Why didn't you play Duckett?" is the media's universal question. Dan Reeves hasn't really come out and said it, but his response is pretty much "Hindsight is 20-20 - let's just let this go and get on with the season." Reeves hasn't really given any indication if the Falcons will play Duckett more against the Bengals or not. Anyway, the Falcons welcome a struggling Bengals team to the Georgia Dome on Sunday night. A week after getting blasted by LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers for 240+ on the ground week one, the Bengals held the Brown's tandem of William Green and Jamel White to a total of 74 yards between the two players - and still lost the game by 20-7. Warrick Dunn and the elusive Michael Vick are combining for some decent numbers - 90 rushing yards combined against the Bears, and 141 yards against the Packers. Dunn also gets a lot of short dump-off passes from Vick, and scored on one against the Bears (2 rushing touchdowns against the Packers.) Some bad news came their way this week though, when starting right guard Roberto Garza had surgery on Tuesday to repair his broken left foot. He's out 6-8 weeks, and his probable replacement, Kynan Forney, is struggling with a toe injury and isn't 100%, according to coach Reeves. In this matchup between the speedy Dunn/Vick combination and the schizophrenic Bengals rush defense, neither side has a clear advantage. It should be a real dog-fight in the trenches Sunday night. Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman/Mike Alstott vs. the St. Louis Defense (Neutral Matchup) The Saint Louis Rams played adequate run defense on last Sunday, managing to hold Tiki Barber under 80 yards (and stuffing Ron Dayne on 11 attempts for 18 yards). They were also adequate 2 weeks ago against the Denver offense, holding the trio of Denver backs to 104 yards combined. In fact, that seems to be the theme around the Rams right now - they're adequate, just not winning. In Tampa Bay, things are settling down on the offensive line. Back after his one-week benching, tackle Kenyatta Walker played a solid game, and was rejoined by team-mate Casey Colerman (recovered from an injury). Even though the line is more settled, the team still only produced 2.5 yards per carry (74 total yards), and zero touchdowns, in the shut-out victory over the Ravens (and their tough run defense headlined by Ray Lewis). However, Coach Gruden has the Buccaneers headed in the right direction, at the same time the Rams are reeling from back to back losses. In this one, the momentum of the Buccaneers' team (and their motivation, provided by Gruden, to improve) evens the matchup with the Rams' talented but lackadaisical defensive team. Tough Matchups – Defenses should be able to contain the offense in these games Arizona's Thomas Jones vs. the San Diego Defense (Tough Matchup) Anyone remember the one-hit wonder band Dexy's Midnight Runners (Their song "Come On Eileen" won a Grammy)? No? Well, expect the same response five years from now when you mention Thomas Jones' 174 yard game against the Seahawks. He and his mates on the offensive line will come crashing back to reality against the brutal Chargers defense this week. Corey Dillon gained exactly ten yards against them, and James Allen managed a better (but still minimal) 51 yards in his match against the Bolts. In his second NFL game, rookie LB Ben Leber exploded with 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Leber teams with Junior Seau and Donnie Edwards to back up the powerful defensive front that includes Marcellus Wiley (6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks against the Texans). They will look like a brick wall to the Cardinals on Sunday. Thomas Jones put up 54 yards on 17 rushes against the 'Skins defense, and he'll be at about the same level of production against these Chargers. New York Jets' Curtis Martin/LaMont Jordan vs. the Miami Defense (Tough Matchup) Lets face it, the beginning of the season has been dismal for Curtis Martin. He has 11 yards on 8 carries in 6 quarters of work for the season. Yet, offensive coordinator Paul Hackett continues to insist that everything is fine with Martin and his ankle, that the lack of production has been due to the situation the Jets have found themselves in the last two weeks - behind early and behind by a lot. But there is clearly something wrong with the line. They have surrendered 8 sacks already in 2002 (they only gave up 19 all last season) - new left Guard J.P. Machado and RT Kareem McKenzie just aren't getting the job done. The unit as a whole has stunk. This week, the Jets go to visit the Miami Dolphins, who managed to stave off the Indianapolis Colts last week, despite giving up 143 yards (4.6 yards per carry) to the excellent Colt's offensive line and returned star Edgerrin James (138 yards). The Jets' line is not nearly as good as the Colts', and Miami is one of the toughest defenses in the league. The advantage clearly lies with the Miami Defense in this contest. Kansas City's Priest Holmes vs. the New England Defense (Tough Matchup) Can you name another defensive team playing better than the Patriots at this point in the season? Neither can I. Pittsburgh's total rushing output week 1 was 74 yards - the team's best total was 35 yards for Jerome Bettis. The entire Jets team managed 32 rushing yards against the Patriots week 2. That week 2 defensive performance was without linebackers Roman Phifer (hamstring trouble) and Tedy Bruschi (left after first quarter with a neck/shoulder problem (and still led the team with 5 tackles)). Willie McGinest has played well as both a lineman and a backer in both games, and Richard Seymour is a terror on the interior of the line so far. Bill Belichick and company's game plans have been outstanding. Holmes and his compatriots on the offensive line looked awesome week 1 against the Browns, and merely decent week 2 against the Jaguars (140 yards as a team, 84 for Priest Holmes, no rushing touchdowns). The downward trend will continue this week as the Chiefs face the ferocious Patriots at home in Gillette stadium. Houston's James Allen vs. the Indianapolis Defense (Tough Matchup) The Houston Texans came crashing back to earth on Sunday, when San Diego blitzed and bashed their team into a bruised hulk. By the end of the game, poor David Carr was talking about climbing into an ice-bath with a snorkel and not coming out until (roughly) Thursday - he was sacked 9 times and pressured many more times than that. James Allen accumulated 51 tough yards, but no scores in the contest. Jonathan Wells was a non-factor. The problem in Houston is the offensive line. The Texans are without five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tony Boselli (left shoulder), guard Ryan Schau (knee), and right tackle Ryan Young (injured groin). Instead, rookie Chester Pitts has shifted to left tackle and backup Jimmy Herndon is playing at right tackle. Rookie Fred Weary is now right guard and DeMingo Graham starts at left guard in place of Schau. All this chaos in the lineup is seriously limiting the unit's ability to play cohesively - the result is 15 sacks in two games and an anemic rushing attack. Tony Dungy and his club have studied the game tapes, and are ready to train their young guns Mike Peterson and Marcus Washington on Carr and Allen. Expect more of the same from the Texans rushing attack week 3. Buffalo's Travis Henry vs. the Denver Defense (Tough Matchup) Perhaps except for the Patriots, the Denver Broncos are playing the best rushing defense in the league in the early going this season. They have defeated powerhouses St. Louis and San Francisco in back to back games, and have dominated the opposing rushing attacks in so doing. Marshall Faulk managed 19 yards against the Broncos. Hearst and Barlow mustered 52 yards between the two of them. This week, Travis Henry and the Drew Bledsoe-led aerial assault come calling in Denver. Henry had a break-out game against the Jets, but was stuffed by the Vikings week 2, rushing for 30 yards and not catching a single ball. The Broncos' rushing defense is much stronger than the Vikings' or the Jets'. It will be hard for Henry to find room to roam against the innovative and powerful Ray Rhodes defense on Sunday. Carolina's Lamar Smith vs. the Minnesota Defense (Tough Matchup) What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Panthers were bottom dwellers in nearly every statistical category in the NFL, and finished an abysmal 1-15. Now, they are 2-0, and the offense is showing signs of new life under the guidance of old veterans Lamar Smith and Rodney Peete. Of course, the signs of life are in the context of games against the Ravens and the Lions, not exactly the elite of the NFL (but the Raven's D is nothing to sniff at, for certain). Smith has put up 217 total yards of offense (140 yards rushing, 77 receiving) and scored twice, so far. This week, a surprisingly tough Vikings rushing defense welcomes the Panthers to the Metrodome. They held the Bill's Travis Henry to 30 yards rushing week 2 (after his big break-out against the Jets week one) and also contained Anthony Thomas of the Bears week 1 (45 yards, 1 td). In this clash of improved units, neither side has a decisive advantage. However, the Vikings' defenders have been extremely effective against other quality backs. They hold a slight edge over the Panthers' rushing attack on Sunday. Chicago's Anthony Thomas vs. the New Orleans Defense (Tough Matchup) Anthony Thomas is off to a slow start in 2002, and it's due to poor play by the offensive line. For example, Thomas had to struggle and fight for every inch of the 88 yards he earned on this past Sunday against Atlanta, one week after the Packers' backs tore up the same Atlanta defensive front. Guard Chris Villarial summed it up when he stated earlier this week that the line had better not play as poorly in the middle part of the schedule, or the Bears would be in trouble. Here comes trouble. Green Bay's Ahman Green was held to 81 yards on 17 carries and no scores by the Saints' D week 2, and Pittman and Alstott of Tampa Bay managed a mere 61 yards on 18 carries between the two of them week 1. While the Bears offense struggles to get on track, the Saints should make it tough on Thomas this weekend. Philadelphia's Duce Staley/Brian Westbrook vs. the Dallas Defense (Tough Matchup) Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook are having modest success rushing the ball in Philadelphia this season (they are occasionally spelled by Dorsey Levens, as well - he popped a big one against the Redskins for 47 yards and a score). The two put up 60 yards against an aggressive Tennessee defense week 1, and also managed 67 yards (55 for Staley, 12 for Westbrook) against the great Linebacking corps in Washington Monday night. Westbrook suffered an abdominal injury in that game - coach Reid calls it an "abdominal contusion" - his status for Sunday is unknown at this time. The offensive line was terrible in the Tennessee game, letting Donovan McNabb get pounded and allowing lots of defenders in the backfield to disrupt the running game. Week two the line showed modest improvement, cutting the number of sacks allowed by 2/3rds to 2 but not really opening up much room for the backs. This week, they play a Dallas defense that (in spite of all the bad press surrounding the Houston loss) has been stout against the rush, surrendering a mere 65 yards and no scores to Eddie George and 74 yards on 28 carries to the Texan's backs (Allen and Wells). In this battle between a mediocre rushing attack and a stout run defense, look for Staley and Westbrook to struggle most of the day. Seattle's Shaun Alexander vs. the New York Giants' Defense (Tough Matchup) Even though Shaun Alexander struggled again (37 yards rushing on 17 carries) in the loss to the Cardinals, there were several reasons to have hope for a better tomorrow. Trent Dilfer threw for 352 yards in the loss, and if it weren't for some crucial drops by Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson, the 'Hawks might have pulled it out. With Dilfer forcing defenses to respect the pass, Alexander should find a little more room to run. On Monday, the news became even better for Alexander, when Seattle's Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones finally signed a one year tender and rejoined the team. Reportedly Jones is in great shape, only a few pounds heavier than his playing weight of 332. He hopes to start this week against the Giants. Jones provides an instant upgrade to the struggling offensive line, and should help create opportunities for Alexander to break some longer runs in the weeks to come. Alexander and his mates will now face the Giants' defensive front, as usual powered by indefatigable Michael Strahan. The Giants are healthy coming into the game, and hope to follow in the footsteps of Arizona and Oakland before them by shutting down Alexander. The improvement in Seattle's line with the addition of Walter Jones makes this less likely to occur, as does the aerial spark that Dilfer adds to the mix. Dilfer and Jones add just enough x-factor to the equation to keep it from being a defensive slam-dunk. Bad Matchups – Defenses will cause major problems for the offense in these games Dallas' Emmitt Smith vs. the Philadelphia Defense (Bad Matchup) Emmitt Smith faces an uphill battle to gain yards each week because his fat, slow and out-of-sync line has failed to show up with even their "B" game this season, at least as far as run blocking is concerned. Look at his totals so far: 35 rushes for 126 yards, 3 catches for 16 yards. That's 3.6 yards per carry, on average. Attribute the majority of those yards to Smith's personal talent, because the line has played abominably this season. Starting guard Larry Allen is questionable for the coming game with a sprained left ankle. Back-up tackle Aaron Gibson is doubtful with a shoulder injury. These problems will strain the depth of the unit come Sunday. Who should be lurking in their creaky stadium, waiting for the Cowboys this Sunday but the Philadelphia Eagles? The same Eagles who just nuked the vaunted Redskin's offense on Monday night. The same Eagles who squashed Eddie George, holding him to 42 yards on 18 carries (and also knocked Robert Holcombe out for 6-8 weeks with a hip injury) in game one. Do you think that the Eagles are scared of Quincy Carter's arm or accuracy? Are they worried about the Cowboy's rushing attack behind that awful line? I don't think so, either. Look for the Eagles' defense to dominate at home on Sunday. Cleveland's William Green/Jamel White vs. the Tennessee Defense (Bad Matchup) How ineffectual has the Cleveland offensive line and William Green been this season? Take a look at their output vs. the Bengals last week (the same Bengals who surrendered 241 rushing yards to the Chargers week one?) - Green managed a paltry 36 yards on 17 carries (2.1 ypc average) and no touchdowns. Even so, Butch Davis insists that the team is pleased with Green's efforts, given that he is running behind a new right tackle, right guard, and center on the offensive line (Roger Chanoine, Paul Zukauskas, and Shaun O'Hara, respectively). Ryan Tucker will try and come back at right tackle this week with a brace on his injured left knee (torn MCL). Jamel White has consistently outplayed Green, and is having success as a pass receiver as well (80 yards on 20 carries this season, and 6 receptions for 62 yards), yet remains in the change-of-pace, third-down back roles for now. This week, the Browns go to visit Tennessee, who have been very stout against the run this season (allowing only 67 yards to Dallas week 2, and 80 yards to Philadelphia week 1). The Titans terrorized Donovan McNabb week 1, sacking him 6 times (though only putting Carter on the ground once week 2). Given the ineffectual play of the Brown's rushing attack with Green as the featured back, the advantage definitely lies with the Titans in this matchup.