Eric Williams
NFL reporter
Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts headline the NFL convention championship video games. They contact the ball greater than anybody else on the sphere and may have a significant impression on who wins and who loses on Sunday.
But what about their supporting casts?
Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at potential X-factors, gamers who aren’t that large however who is likely to be in place to make some important performs that would ship their groups to the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles
THE Dallas Goedert
A significant storyline heading into Sunday’s NFC Championship Game is whether or not Jalen Hurts can get Philadelphia’s passing recreation working, significantly after No. 1 receiver AJ Brown had simply two receptions for 14 yards on seven targets within the win final week on the Los Angeles Rams.
To launch himself into the air, Hurts must lean on Goedert, a safety blanket on the tight finish place. The workforce’s main receiver this postseason with eight receptions for 103 yards and a rating, Goedert has confirmed to be a dependable goal in important conditions for Hurts.
And Washington was weak in half-field move protection. According to Next Gen Stats, opposing groups accomplished 67.6 p.c of their passes between 10 and 19 yards deep within the center third of the sphere, for a complete of 408 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, with no interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks posted a passer score of 147.7 on these throws, No. 2 within the league.
Goedert made 5 receptions for 61 receiving yards in opposition to Washington in Week 11.
DB Cooper DeJean
The Iowa rookie was chosen to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie workforce as a cornerback. DeJean performed 63 p.c of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps, ending with 51 mixed tackles — together with three tackles for loss — six move breakups, a pressured fumble and half a sack.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio performed nickel protection on 80.5% of the unit’s snaps, No. 3 within the NFL. So DeJean, Philadelphia’s nook, shall be on the sphere for a lot of the recreation on protection. And his play, each in protection and doubtlessly as a blitzer, shall be necessary in slowing down Jayden Daniels.
Specifically, when the Eagles are in zone protection and Daniels decides to take off, DeJean is likely one of the most athletic gamers on the sphere and a positive tackler. He shall be key in ensuring Daniels does not continually transfer the chains together with his ft.
Since DeJean turned Philadelphia’s nickel nook, the Eagles have allowed a league-low 4.2 yards per play whereas utilizing 5 defenders. DeJean additionally has an opportunity to make a giant play as a returner.
(Related: NFC Championship Game Preview: Commanders vs. Breakdown Eagles, match prediction)
Washington commanders
POUNDS Bobby Wagner
Saquon Barkley has been an unstoppable drive this season, and like most defenses, commanders have struggled to cease him. In two video games in opposition to Washington, Barkley had 296 speeding yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
The Commanders allowed 137 speeding yards in a single recreation throughout the common season, No. 30 within the NFL. They additionally allowed the second-highest explosive run price (13.2 p.c) and most yards earlier than contact per carry (1.9) to operating backs, based on Next Gen Stats. In two video games, the Commanders have given up 197 yards earlier than contact with Barkley (3.6 YBC per carry), together with six explosive rushes.
In his prime with the Seattle Seahawks, veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner was probably the greatest defenders within the Legion of Boom. His strengths have at all times been utilizing his intelligence to get his protection into the appropriate play name earlier than the snap, after which enjoying with anticipation and getting runners downfield contained in the sort out field.
The Utah State product led the Commanders throughout the common season with 132 mixed tackles. According to Next Gen Stats, Wagner has generated 55 run stops (tackles per unfavourable EPA) this season, rating tenth within the NFL.
Washington wants Wagner to assist the entrance seven decelerate Barkley, placing the onus on Hurts to maneuver the ball.
Can the Commanders include Saquon Barkley within the NFC title recreation?
RB Austin Thank you
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun had a breakout story this yr, incomes All-Pro honors in his first yr at inside linebacker after transitioning from edge rusher throughout his time with the New Orleans Saints.
While Baun has been strong in protection, he’s nonetheless studying the intricacies of the place, which might create a chance for probably the greatest third defensemen within the league. A free agent decide up by the Commanders within the offseason, Ekeler completed with eight receptions for 89 yards on 9 targets within the first assembly between these two groups.
Baun allowed seven receptions on eight targets for 82 yards and a landing in that recreation. One manner for Daniels and the Commanders to assault Philadelphia’s protection, significantly on third down, is to create favorable matchups wherein Baun should cowl Ekeler or veteran tight finish Zach Ertz in house.
Kansas City Chiefs
WR Hollywood Brown
Brown missed a lot of the season because of a shoulder damage suffered throughout the preseason recreation. Now that he is again, pairing Brown with rookie speedster Xavier Worthy permits the Chiefs to play how they supposed when this workforce was put collectively: two vertical threats to stretch the sphere for intermediate targets Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins.
Brown totaled 9 receptions for 91 yards on 15 targets throughout the common season. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is a grasp at getting probably the most out of function gamers on the receiver place, so do not be stunned if Brown makes a giant play in opposition to the Bills.
Patrick Mahomes, are Chiefs formally prepared for the three-peat?
POUNDS Nick Bolton
The Chiefs have to determine learn how to include 6-foot-1, 250-pound Josh Allen, one of the bodily runners and dynamic passers within the league. And all of it begins with one of the underrated linebackers within the league.
The main tackler in the course of Kansas City’s protection this season, Bolton is nice at bringing ball carriers to the bottom. However, not solely does he must be good close to the road of scrimmage in opposition to a various operating recreation led by Allen and James Cook, however Bolton additionally has to deal with his enterprise in zone protection in opposition to move receivers Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel .
In their Week 11 loss to Buffalo, the Chiefs allowed the Bills to transform 9 of 15 third downs, giving up 30 factors for the primary time since Kansas City’s Super Bowl win following the 2022 common season.
Bolton completed with seven mixed tackles within the first assembly in opposition to Buffalo this season. And he allowed simply three receptions for 13 yards on 33 protection snaps, based on Next Gen Stats.
(Related: AFC Championship Preview: Bills vs. Bills Breakdown Chiefs, match prediction)
Buffalo payments
WR Khalil Shakir
With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis shifting on final offseason, Shakir took on the function of Buffalo’s go-to receiver. He led Buffalo throughout the common season with 76 receptions for 821 yards and 4 touchdowns. Shakir performed effectively in Buffalo’s win over the Chiefs earlier this season, ending with eight receptions for 70 yards on 12 targets, together with 56 yards after the catch.
The Chiefs allowed 2,123 yards after receiving throughout the common season, ninth most within the NFL. So there shall be alternatives for Shakir to create some explosive performs down the sphere in opposition to the Kansas City protection.
Is this the Bills’ finest likelihood to beat the Chiefs?
FROM By Miller
Miller is likely one of the finest postseason closers throughout his 13-year NFL profession. His 10.5 sacks within the playoffs are tied for No. 11 all-time and second to Frank Clark amongst energetic leaders. And Miller clearly nonetheless has a knack for making large performs in large video games. On Sunday night time, he picked up a Lamar Jackson fumble and returned it 39 yards, resulting in a landing for Buffalo in a 27-25 win over the Ravens.
The 35-year-old edge rusher nonetheless has some gasoline left within the tank. According to Next Gen Stats, Miller has generated 19 pressures on 79 move rushes since Week 12, good for a league-high strain price of 24.1% in that span (min. 50 move rushes). Miller’s common move rush begin of 0.60 seconds on all downs was the quickest within the NFL over that span.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, masking the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN e Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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