5 most interesting NFL matchups to watch Week 7

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 18: Running back Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Texans 42-36 in overtime. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

3. Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Bill Belichick

Credit Garoppolo for bouncing back from a horrendous Week 5 performance against the Dolphins to lead his team to a solid victory over the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff deserve a ton of credit too. They crafted the ideal game plan to get Garoppolo back on track.

To put it bluntly, he wasn’t asked to do very much in the 24-16 victory over Los Angeles. Instead, he was asked to operate the offense with surgeon like efficiency. The plus for Garoppolo was that he wasn’t asked to throw the ball down the field very often.

The Patriots aren’t going to let their former developmental quarterback enjoy that kind of comfort. Look for Belichick and his coaching staff to crowd the line of scrimmage. That will force Garoppolo to try to beat them with shots down the field.

That means the outcome of this game could easily be decided by two or three key chances the 49ers have to hit the Patriots defense over the top. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle all have the ability to break off long touchdown catches. The open question is whether or not Garoppolo can hit them in stride when it counts.

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