Cowboys Eagles Patriots among O-lines to watch in Week 8

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Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots among O-lines to watch in Week 8 Published: Oct 27, 2016 at 07:39 AM NFL.com Analyst New England Patriots This week's matchup: There are a lot of interesting storylines in this AFC East matchup, as the try to sweep the for the first time since 1999, a year when Wade Phillips (Buffalo) and Pete Carroll (New England) were the head coaches. Of course, the haven't been swept in their division since the did it in 2000. The look very different than the first time these two teams met this season -- back in Week 4, when , handing the Pats their first home shutout since 1993 -- as is back. Brady has more wins (25) and more touchdown pa ses (62) vs. Buffalo than any other QB in NFL history. Brady isn't the only fresh face in this matchup, as the welcome back , who served a four-game suspension and then battled through a hamstring injury that forced him to mi s the last three games. The are still licking their wounds after the ground thrashing Miami gave them , ama sing 256 rushing yards. The will be eager to test Buffalo's ability to stop the run with , who is tied for the most rushing TDs this season and leads the team's . , the sacked QB three times, and they already have Kostas Antetokounmpo Jersey matched their season total from 2015 with 21 sacks (second-most in the NFL). The interior offensive line -- left guard , center and right guard -- will have its hands full with the fresh legs of Dareus and the powerful . Tackles and will be tested by the NFL's current sack leader, (with nine), as well as on the outside. The have had a lot of succe s with their odd three-man fronts on third down, something New England should have plenty of film on. Atlanta Falcons This week's matchup: fans are feeling a little dj vu this season after watching their team lose two straight . After blowing a 17-point lead , Atlanta will face an even tougher challenge in the ' seventh-ranked defense. Green Bay has given up some big plays to No. 1 receivers this season, but against the run, the Pack defense is allowing just 71.8 yards per game and a meager 3.15 yards per carry (both tops in the league). The have allowed only one running back to ama s more than 50 yards rushing in a game this season Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey . Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has done a good job attacking defenses in the run game with and , and I'd expect Shanahan to use some perimeter runs to try to keep the off balance. Being efficient on first down will be crucial for the because the have been excellent on third down, allowing offenses to convert just 33 percent of the time (third-best in the league). There are two main matchups to keep an eye on here: LG vs. DT , as well as LT vs. OLB . Dallas Cowboys This week's matchup: The boast the No. 1 rushing offense in the league, but will face an team that is fifth in total defense. Dallas has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, which has led the way for 's superb weekly rushing performances, including a 157-yard outing against Green Bay's top-ranked run defense . The lead the league in time of po se sion and are doing an excellent job protecting quarterback , only giving up nine sacks in their first six games (second-fewest in the league). The heavyweight battle inside will feature right guard and defensive tackle . , Cox was neutralized by Washington's , so this matchup has all of the ingredients to be great, as I believe Martin is one of the best guards in the NFL. On the outside, (one of the best left tackles in the game right now) will battle the long-armed , while Philly's (one of the more underrated players on the defense) will give right tackle all he can handle. Philadelphia Eagles This week's matchup: Yes, I am double-dipping again this week, as both Philadelphia and Dallas have good matchups. The ' offensive line suffered a major blow when was suspended a few weeks ago. Rookie stepped in at right tackle and, while he struggled in his first game against Washington, he settled in last week . The Rajon Rondo Jersey O-line has been solid this season, but is a little banged-up heading into Week 8. Right guard battled an ankle injury last week, and left tackle left the game vs. the with a bicep injury. The have done a complete turnaround from Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense and are doing a much better job controlling time of po se sion. They need to protect the ball better Sunday night (four turnovers last week) if they want to keep Elliott and company on the sidelines. Minnesota Vikings This week's matchup: It can't get any uglier than the awful performance the ' offensive line had (six sacks allowed, along with 12 QB hits), followed by a public shaming from head coach Mike Zimmer. "We didn't block anybody," . "We were soft. We got overpowered." Believe me, this offensive line is fired up. Things like that don't happen very often, even when they are warranted, but the me sage has been sent. The first order of busine s is improving . The averaged 3.4 yards per carry last week against the and have the second-worst rushing attack in the league. Couple that with an inability to protect quarterback , who is taking an average of 7.2 hits per game (third-most in the NFL), and now we see why Zimmer is upset. The ' offensive line has been ravaged by injuries, as both starting tackles ( and Matt Kalil) are on IR. Minnesota signed and that experiment didn't go well. He eventually was benched, leaving at left tackle and at right tackle. The better figure out a solution before Monday because rookie will be ready to pounce. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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