Although nobody would mistake either the Houston Texans or the Seattle Seahawks as one of the NFL's marquee franchises, when these two teams take the field for a 10 pm ET kickoff on Monday Night Football, some of the league's biggest stars and most important players will be going head to head in a pair of individual matchups that could go a long way in dictating whether the Seahawks send the 12th Man home happy, or the Texans earn their third win in a row.
The obvious matchup to keep an eye on pits reigning All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. against the league's leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is on pace to break the single-season NFL record for receiving yards this season.
Now while it's not a guarantee that Derek Stingley will be shadowing JSN everywhere he goes -- Stingley has played only a handful of snaps in the slot this season, and prior to this year, Smith-Njigba had been primarily used in the slot -- it's reasonable to assume that these two will be lined up across from each other a decent amount on Monday night. And when that happens, there are bound to be fireworks.
"I mean, he's a great receiver. "He's doing everything the right way on the field. It's going to be a fun matchup," Stingley said, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. "He knows how to just get open. He's a great route-runner. He showed that last year, when he was in college, you know, he's been getting open. I think he's just putting together the pieces."
It's not just that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been putting together the pieces... it's that he's been given the opportunity to do so. When Seattle traded DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a sign that the Seahawks believed that JSN was ready to handle the burden that comes with being the no-doubt-about-it #1 receivier in Klint Kubiak's offense. The acquisition of Cooper Kupp threw everyone off the scent that Smith-Njigba was set to emerge as one of the most prolific receivers in the league.
Through six weeks, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving yards, yards per target and explosive plays, meaning not only Stingley, but Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, Calen Bullock and this entire Texans secondary will have its hands full Monday night.
Charles Cross faces tough assignment in Danielle Hunter
359 of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's league-leading 696 receiving yards have been on routes of more than 20 yards, so that means the Seahawks offensive line will need to hold up long enough to give Sam Darnold the time to let those routes materialize. Against a Texans defense that features two edge rushers that appeared in the NFL's Top 100 list this offseason, that's easier said than done.
According to Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus, how fourth-year starting tackle Charles Cross handles the pressure of Danielle Hunter is one of the key matchups to watch across the entire NFL in Week 7.
"Hunter is playing arguably the best football of his career. His 90.2 PFF pass-rushing grade is his highest yet, not to mention tied for fifth among qualified edge rushers," Hunter notes. "Meanwhile, Cross’ 83.1 PFF pass-blocking grade sits seventh among qualified tackles, and he’s tied for eighth in PFF WAR at the position.
"The big question that any offense needs to confront when facing the Texans is if it can block Hunter for an entire 60 minutes. The Seahawks’ improved offensive line will get important answers to that dilemma in the form of its best overall player, who faces one of the toughest tests in the NFL. Cross was up to that challenge a week ago, neutralizing Josh Hines-Allen to zero pressures on 13 pass-rushing matchups."
If Seattle can keep Sam Darnold clean, Houston's defense -- which is on an historic pace to finish as one of the best units of the last 25 years -- could be in for an uncharacteristically long night in the Pacific Northwest.