• Can the Chargers fend off a Houston rush?: Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt vs. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. is a top-class duel.

• Josh Allen has a big task against Denver’s Cover 3: As is often the case, the Broncos were visually one of the best defenses in the NFL.

• The 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try out PFF’s premium mock draft simulator and learn about the top 2025 prospects as you trade and draft for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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While the outcome of each soccer match is influenced by the 22 players on each team, the niche, micro-level battles add additional nuance. This includes players or units going head-to-head against each other, or even defensive coaches trying to outsmart the opposing quarterback.

The focus of Week 18 will be on the Jets’ rushing game out of the zone (seven runs for 41 yards and a 42.9% success rate) and Spencer Rattler’s throwing past the sticks (7-for-20, two turnover-worthy plays, 44.2 PFF passing grade) helped determine who won in the final week of the regular season. Now that the first week of the postseason begins, the stakes are even higher.

Whether it’s strength against strength, weakness against weakness, or simply a single war of great magnitude, here’s a fight worth paying special attention to across all six wildcard battles.

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Chargers Pass blocking vs. Texan Edge runner

If you want to see iron sharpening, look no further than the trenches when the Chargers have the ball. The first wild card game pits an elite tackling duo against arguably the best edge rushing tandem in the NFL.

Jim Harbaugh’s focus is on protection Justin Herbert paid off in the first year. This year, Chargers tackles combined for a pass-blocking grade of 87.7 PFF, the best in the NFL. Appetizers Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt combined to give up just nine sacks and 42 pressures in 1,149 pass-blocking snaps.

On the other side of the battle line will be a duo looking to dominate the game Danielle Hunter And Will Anderson Jr. The two led Houston’s edge rushers to second in pass rush win rate (29.6%), fifth in total pressure creation (162) and sixth in PFF pass rush rating (75 ,1).

Los Angeles’ ability to guard Herbert will be crucial in a game with two very strong defenses. If Hunter and Anderson can influence Herbert, that could favor Houston – but if not, it could be a long day for the Texans.

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Derrick Henry vs. Steelers‘ heavy boxes

Without Zay flowersThe Ravens’ offense will likely look to lean on their running game against the Steelers. But perhaps Pittsburgh should think twice about loading the penalty box against it Derrick Henry.

The last time these two bitter rivals met in Week 16, Pittsburgh put eight or more defenders in the box on 16 snaps, but Henry carried the ball nine times for 42 yards, a 78.7 PFF rushing grade and two explosive runs . Granted, poor tackling by the Steelers didn’t help, but it’s clear that defensive coordinator Teryl Austin’s attempts to get past Henry weren’t effective.

However, Henry fared much worse in his first matchup against heavy boxers in Week 11, gaining just 3 yards on six carries while posting a 64.5 PFF rushing grade. The fact that Henry got 3 yards at all is pretty incredible considering he gained 11 yards after contact.

Pittsburgh didn’t occupy the box often against the Ravens, hitting 25.8% in Week 16 and 31.5% in Week 11 – although those numbers were higher than the team’s season-high penalty rate of 21.9%. If the Steelers put eight or more defenders in the box, they need to make sure they can actually utilize Henry or they’re in for a long night.

Top-Rated Running Backs vs. 8-Plus Box Defenders (min. 25 snaps)

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Josh Allen vs. Broncos‘Cover 3

As a football fan, it’s hard to ask for more than an MVP candidate going up against one of the stingiest defenses in the league. That’s exactly what we’ll see when Allen takes on Denver on Sunday, with Cover 3 taking center stage.

The Broncos have played Cover 3 25.1% of the time this year, and it has worked well. Looking at it this way, Denver ranks first in success rate allowed, fifth in EPA allowed per game, and first in yards allowed per game.

Meanwhile, Allen was strong with three full-backs. His 80.0 PFF pass rating ranks eighth among qualified quarterbacks, although his 95.8 pass rating is 16thTh. It’s also worth noting that Allen’s 92.3 PFF rushing grade against Cover 3 is the highest in the NFL, regardless of position.

Allen has multiple ways to beat an elite Broncos defense, including beating the blitz with quick throws and scrambling. If Denver wants to beat one of the AFC’s best teams, it will have to avoid hole shots and limit Allen’s effectiveness against Cover 3.

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Josh Jacobs on runs between the tackles vs. eagle

Packers-Eagles is an extremely entertaining matchup for a number of reasons, especially watching Matt LaFleur try to fight his way through one of the NFL’s elite defenses. It will be extremely telling how well Jacobs can progress between gaps A and B.

Green Bay has employed a varied running game all year, but LaFleur’s intentions to hit opponents up the middle and generally downhill continued to be the focus. That makes sense given Jacobs’ profile: His 90.5 PFF rushing grade on runs between tackles is second-best among qualifiers. Jacobs also ranks in the top seven in yards after contact per attempt (3.5), explosive runs (21) and forced missed tackles (35).

But the middle of Philadelphia’s defense has been strong for most of the year. Against exactly these types of runs, the Eagles rank sixth in the EPA with 15 per gameTh in success rate allowed, T-13Th in yards per carry and T-13 allowedTh allowed in first downs. More specifically, Cooper DeJean is the NFL’s second-highest run defender (91.6) against runs between tackles Nakobe Dean (86.5) is also top 20.

When these teams played in Week 1, Jacobs ran the ball nine times between tackles for 50 yards while posting a 74.5 PFF rushing grade, two first downs and one explosive run. Granted, that was probably a worse version of Philly’s defense, one that wasn’t playing against DeJean at the time. Will Jacobs find similar success to make up for the loss? Christian Watsonor do the Packers have to try to beat a stingy Eagles defense through the air?

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Baker Mayfield vs. Commanders‘Cover 1

Much of the spotlight in this Week 1 rematch will be whether Jayden Daniels performs better against the Buccaneers and their regular blitz attack. But how well Mayfield performs against frequent coverage from the Commanders could have a big impact.

Mayfield is coming off another strong season, ranking seventh among qualifiers with a PFF passing grade of 82.4 and sixth with an adjusted completion percentage of 78.7%. However, he struggled in Cover 1, where his 65.9 PFF passing grade ranked him 28thTh out of 45 qualifiers. Only 54.1% of Mayfield’s Cover 1 attempts were classified as correct (25Th), while 22% were recorded inaccurately (14Th).

It may not bode well that the Commanders have used Cover 1 on 20% of their snaps, their second-highest coverage rate behind Cover 3 heading into the trade deadline Marshon Lattimore was healthy in weeks 15-16, the frequency of Cover 1 remained about the same, but the coverage was much better. In those two weeks, Washington posted a PFF coverage grade of 81.2 in Cover 1, with one of those games coming against the vaunted Eagles. Compare that to a season-long PFF coverage grade of 59.2 using the men’s look.

On paper, Tampa Bay’s offense should have a big advantage in this game over the Commanders’ defense, which has struggled most of the year. But when Quinn isolates Lattimore Mike Evans – a true classic, hateful rivalry between receiver and cornerback – then he could find ways to slow down Mayfield & Co.

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Matthew Stafford under pressure vs. Vikings

When the Rams pulled off a stunning upset against the Vikings in Week 8, Stafford was a big reason why, and LA will need an encore to repeat that.

While Stafford wasn’t as top-flight as he was the year before, he had a solid performance in his age-36 season, posting a passing grade of 72.4 PFF. One caveat, however, is that the Super Bowl champions were weak under pressure. Stafford’s 29.4 overall and 29.6 PFF passing grades are the lowest in the league among pressured qualifiers. Meanwhile, when Stafford stays clean, he ranks in the top six in both overall grade (92.0) and passing grade (92.8).

Although the Vikings produce more offense than any other defense in the league, their pressure wasn’t as fantastic as expected. Minnesota is ranked 11thTh in team pressure rate, 17thTh in quarterback rush percentage and 32ndnd at a throwaway price. The Vikings’ only defensive lineman with a pass rush win rate of 11.0% or better Jonathan Greenard (15.3%).

During her Thursday Night Football Heading into the matchup, Stafford was pressured on just 23.5% of attempts and completed 6 of 8 passes for 47 yards, a big throw, a turnover-worthy play and an overall PFF grade of 62.3. If the Rams can protect Stafford this well again, they can definitely win. But if Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel — who previously accrued just one pressure in 19 pass-rushing snaps against the Rams — can wreak havoc, it will likely be difficult for LA’s high-powered offense.

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