Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts are the headliners of the NFL’s convention championship video games. They contact the ball greater than anybody else on the sector and could have a significant influence on who wins and loses on Sunday.
However what about their supporting casts?
We take a better take a look at potential X-factors, gamers who aren’t as well-known however may very well be in place to make some essential performs that might ship their groups to the Tremendous Bowl.
A serious storyline heading into Sunday’s NFC Championship Sport is whether or not Jalen Hurts can get Philadelphia’s passing sport going, significantly after No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown had simply two receptions for 14 yards on seven targets in final week’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
To get rolling by means of the air, Hurts ought to lean on Goedert, a safety blanket on the tight finish place. The staff’s main receiver this postseason with eight receptions for 103 yards and a rating, Goedert has confirmed to be a dependable goal in essential conditions for Hurts.
And Washington has been susceptible in cross protection over the center of the sector. Based on Subsequent Gen Stats, opposing groups have accomplished 67.6% of their passes at a depth of 10-to-19 yards within the center third of the sector, totaling 408 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, with no interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a 147.7 passer ranking on these throws, No. 2 within the league.
Goedert had 5 catches for 61 receiving yards in opposition to Washington in Week 11.
The rookie out of Iowa was chosen to the Professional Soccer Writers Affiliation All-Rookie Group as a cornerback. DeJean performed 63% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps, ending with 51 mixed tackles — together with three tackles for loss — six cross 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 slot nook, can be on the sector many of the sport defensively. And his play, each in protection and doubtlessly as a blitzer, can be vital in slowing down Jayden Daniels.
Particularly, when the Eagles are in zone protection and Daniels decides to take off, DeJean is likely one of the most athletic gamers on the sector and a certain tackler. He’ll be essential in ensuring that Daniels doesn’t constantly transfer the chains along with his toes.
Since DeJean took over as Philadelphia’s nickel nook, the Eagles have allowed a league-low 4.2 yards per play when utilizing 5 defensive backs. DeJean additionally has an opportunity to make an enormous play as a returner.
[Related: NFC Championship preview: Commanders vs. Eagles breakdown, game prediction]
LB Bobby Wagner
Saquon Barkley has been an unstoppable power this season, and like most defenses, the Commanders struggled to cease him. In two video games vs. Washington, Barkley had 296 speeding yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
The Commanders allowed 137 speeding yards a contest throughout the common season, No. 30 within the NFL. In addition they allowed the second-highest explosive run fee (13.2%) and essentially the most yards earlier than contact per carry (1.9) to operating backs, per Subsequent Gen Stats. In two video games, the Commanders gave up 197 yards earlier than contact to Barkley (3.6 YBC per carry), together with six explosive runs.
In his prime with the Seattle Seahawks, veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner was among the best run defenders for the Legion of Growth. His strengths have all the time been utilizing his smarts to get his protection into the appropriate play name earlier than the snap, after which taking part in with anticipation and getting runners to the bottom contained in the sort out field.
The Utah State product led the Commanders throughout the common season with 132 mixed tackles. Per Subsequent Gen Stats, Wagner has generated 55 run stops (tackles for damaging EPA) this season, tied for 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 comprise Saquon Barkley in NFC title sport?
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun has been a tremendous story this 12 months, incomes All-Professional honors in his first 12 months as an inside linebacker after transitioning from an edge rusher throughout his time with the New Orleans Saints.
Whereas Baun has been stable in protection, he is nonetheless studying the intricacies of the place, which may create a possibility for one of many higher third down backs within the league. A free agent pickup by the Commanders throughout the offseason, Ekeler completed with eight catches for 89 yards on 9 targets within the first matchup between these two groups.
Baun allowed seven receptions on eight targets for 82 yards and a landing in that sport. A method for Daniels and the Commanders to assault Philadelphia’s protection, significantly on third down, is to create favorable matchups the place Baun should cowl Ekeler or veteran tight finish Zach Ertz in house.
Brown missed many of the season with a shoulder damage suffered throughout preseason play. Now that he is again, pairing Brown with rookie speedster Xavier Worthy permits the Chiefs to play how they supposed when this staff was put collectively — two vertical threats to stretch the sector 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 making essentially the most out of function gamers on the receiver place, so do not be shocked if Brown makes an enormous play in opposition to the Payments.
Are Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs formally three-peat prepared?
LB Nick Bolton
The Chiefs should determine the way to comprise the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Josh Allen, probably the most bodily runners and dynamic passers within the league. And that begins with probably the most underrated linebackers within the league.
The main tackler in the course of Kansas Metropolis’s protection this season, Bolton is nice at getting ball carriers on the bottom. Nonetheless, not solely does he must be good close to the road of scrimmage in opposition to a various operating sport led by Allen and James Cook, however Bolton additionally should deal with his enterprise in zone protection in opposition to pass-catchers Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel.
Of their Week 11 loss to Buffalo, the Chiefs allowed the Payments to transform 9-of-15 third downs, giving up 30 factors for the primary time since Kansas Metropolis’s Tremendous Bowl win after the 2022 common season.
Bolton completed with seven mixed tackles within the first matchup in opposition to Buffalo this season. And he allowed solely three receptions for 13 yards on 33 protection snaps, in response to Subsequent Gen Stats.
[Related: AFC Championship preview: Bills vs. Chiefs breakdown, game prediction]
With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis having moved on final offseason, Shakir has taken on the function as 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 the catch throughout the common season, ninth-most within the NFL. So there can be alternatives for Shakir to create some explosive performs down the sector in opposition to Kansas Metropolis’s protection.
Is that this the BIlls’ greatest shot at beating the Chiefs?
DE Von Miller
Miller is likely one of the greatest closers within the postseason 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 lively leaders. And Miller clearly nonetheless has a knack for making huge performs in huge video games. On Sunday night time, he scooped up a Lamar Jackson fumble and returned it 39 yards, resulting in a landing for Buffalo in its 27-25 win over the Ravens.
The 35-year-old edge rusher nonetheless has some fuel left within the tank. Based on Subsequent Gen Stats, Miller has generated 19 pressures on 79 cross rushes since Week 12, good for a league-high 24.1% strain fee over that span (min. 50 cross rushes). Miller’s 0.60-second common cross rush get-off 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 activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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