Week 8 mismatches: Mack set to dominate Jets

Let's look ahead to four of the most significant mismatches in Week 8 of the NFL season:

Khalil Mack vs. Jets' offensive tackles

The Chicago Bears paid a steep price to acquire Khalil Mack, but the former Oakland Raiders star is living up to expectations so far this season, recording 20 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles, four quarterback hits, an interception, and a defensive touchdown. Mack is filling up the box score while making an impact in every conceivable way.

This week, he gets a favorable matchup and will be pitted against New York Jets offensive tackles Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell for the majority of the game on Sunday. The Jets' tackles haven't been bad this season - Sam Darnold's lack of feel for the pass rush is hampering them - but they don't have the consistency in their hand technique, footwork, and set points to stymie Mack.

During both run and pass plays, Mack's power and superior hand usage is going to give the Jets' tackles fits. Each tackle will struggle to move him on running plays, and in pass protection, the All-Pro edge defender is going to routinely push them around.

Against the run, Mack has the unique ability to be either a brick wall or a penetrator off the edge. Mack is one of the best edge defenders in the NFL, and he's often able to showcase his superior leverage to stack and shed blocks with ease.

He also possesses the quickness to break through and make plays in the backfield:

Here, Mack lines up outside the right tackle. He initially squares up the tackle before executing a swift inside rip move to cross the blocker's face and penetrate into the backfield. Mack then balances himself after beating the block so that he can react to the ball carrier's path. That allows him to make the tackle for no gain.

Mack is one of the savvier pass-rushers in the NFL, and he utilizes angles to maximize his speed-to-power rushes off the edge:

Pay attention to his angle of attack here. Mack takes a wide angle because it lets him build up speed and attack downhill. The angle also forces offensive tackles to turn their shoulders perpendicular to the line of scrimmage, giving Mack a soft edge to attack.

He's a master at manipulating rush angles to keep offensive tackles off balance. By creating variance with his attacks, Mack makes it difficult for offensive tackles to get into a rhythm, leading to inconsistencies with hand timing and set points, which are weaknesses for the Jets' blockers.

James Conner vs. Browns' defense

The last time James Conner faced off against the Browns (Week 1), he finished with 192 total yards and two touchdowns on 36 touches. After putting together back-to-back games with 100-plus rushing yards, Conner looks primed to take advantage of Cleveland's leaky run defense again.

The Browns have the fifth-worst rush defense in the NFL, and they're allowing 134.7 yards per game. Conner, meanwhile, ranks sixth among running backs in rushing yards (453), ninth in receiving yards (257), and fourth in total yards per game (118.33).

During his first game against the Browns, Pittsburgh utilized Conner on short passes. The Steelers used the second-year running back as a check-down option, and as a means to slow down Cleveland's potent pass rush with screens.

As a runner, Conner routinely gashed the Cleveland defense between the tackles, with Pittsburgh using a nice mix of zone and gap schemes to keep the Browns on their toes:

On this play, Conner takes advantage of excellent blocking up front while illustrating his uncanny vision to read the leverage of defenders at the second level. After receiving the ball, he shows the patience to allow his blocks to develop before bursting past the line of scrimmage.

Conner identifies the safety filling the hole, and he also reads the momentum of Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey (No. 58). That allows him to cut right off his blocker's backside and into open space for a 22-yard touchdown run.

Expect Conner to prove that Week 1 was no fluke, and he could record another 150-plus-yard day.

Alvin Kamara vs. Vikings LBs

To the surprise of many, the once-vaunted Minnesota Vikings' defense has been soft against pass-catching running backs all season. After having the top DVOA against running backs catching passes out of the backfield in 2017, the Vikings have fallen to last this season, per Football Outsiders.

Minnesota Vikings linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr are struggling in coverage this season, and the Saints will likely look to take advantage with Alvin Kamara, one of the preeminent receiving threats out of the backfield.

Through seven weeks, Kamara ranks third among running backs in receiving yardage (362) and second in receiving yards per game (60.3), per Fantasy Footballers.

Saints head coach Sean Payton excels at manufacturing touches for his best weapons in space, and he'll likely have a package of plays designed to expose the Vikings' linebackers while utilizing Kamara. Slip screens are one of Payton's favorite ways to get Kamara the ball in space:

The Saints are among the best at using play-action to set up screens. On this play, they use run action to set up the slip screen to Kamara.

After initially biting on the play fake, the New York Giants' linebackers quickly bail to their zones to defend this pass, which opens up a ton of space for Kamara in the flat with blockers in front of him. Kamara then shows off his elusiveness to make a defensive back miss on his way to a 25-yard catch and run.

Screens will be just the beginning, as New Orleans isn't afraid to motion Kamara out wide and isolate the Tennessee product in one-on-one matchups against linebackers. He's also a quality outlet for Drew Brees as a check-down option.

While Mark Ingram will likely do the heavy lifting on the ground, Kamara is in line for a big day as a receiver against Minnesota's soft defense.

Travis Kelce vs. Broncos' defense

The Chiefs' Travis Kelce could take over as the NFL's top tight end. Through seven weeks, he ranks second at the position in receptions (38), receiving yards (563), and receiving yards per game (80.43) to go along with his third-place ranking in receiving touchdowns (3).

Kelce is a unique talent at tight end because he can threaten any level of the defense while being a yards-after-catch threat. Here's an example of his ability after the catch:

Kelce shows off his athleticism here as he outruns a couple defensive backs on his way to a 43-yard gain. He expertly reads the wide receiver's block while leveraging his burst to beat the Bengals' defenders to the edge.

This week, Kelce gets a favorable matchup against the Broncos and their defense that ranks 23rd in DVOA against opposing tight ends, per Football Outsiders. During his last game against the Broncos, Kelce recorded seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Don't be surprised if he puts up 100-plus yards and a couple touchdowns this week.

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