Convention championship video games are performed in rarefied (and generally skinny) air. The stakes are clearly increased, particular person performs imply extra, and the sport script can veer in extremely unpredictable methods that may determine issues fairly rapidly.
For the 4 groups left within the 2024 season as we flip our consideration to the NFC and AFC Championship video games, it’s additionally about maximizing the efforts of crucial gamers on either side of the ball. Some key gamers are key gamers due to place, some due to expertise, and a few due to particular eventualities that will require them to play the video games of their lives if their groups are to fulfill their targets of a Tremendous Bowl look.
Given the significance of those X-Components, we’ve expanded the dialogue to incorporate one participant from every workforce on each offense and protection. Right here’s one offensive X-Issue for every of the 4 groups that may face off on Sunday for the glory of collaborating in Tremendous Bowl LIX.
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 26, at 3:00 p.m. EST
Philadelphia Eagles: TE Dallas Goedert
The Eagles hold successful primarily as a result of Saquon Barkley is Thanos, and since Vic Fangio’s protection is without doubt one of the NFL’s finest. That’s nice and all, however anyone who doesn’t see the problems with Philly’s passing sport is trying on the factor by way of green-colored glasses.
This season, Jalen Hurts has accomplished 276 of 402 passes for 3,162 yards, 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a passer score of 103.5, which is a profession excessive. Add in Hurts’ 163 carries for 736 yards and 15 touchdowns, and it will appear that every one is effectively. However the tape tells a unique story. Hurts has had points studying route progressions downfield this season, which has at all times been a problem, however issues appear to have decelerated in that regard. Hurts is getting used as extra of a “sport supervisor” in a pejorative sense. He’s thrown for lower than 200 yards in eight full video games this season, and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is requested week after week what’s fallacious with the non-Saquon components of the factor.
Now, the Eagles are in place to advance to the Tremendous Bowl if they’ll outduel Jayden Daniels, who threw 5 landing passes when these two groups final met in Week 16. That was a 36-33 win in Washington’s favor through which Hurts left the sport with a concussion. All through this sequence of explosive passing video games, the one goal Hurts has appeared to depend on essentially the most is tight finish Dallas Goedert, which makes Goedert essential to stated development.
“He has a knack for making performs in large moments, that’s for certain,” head coach Nick Sirianni stated of Goedert on Monday. “And he makes these actually large splash performs, too, the place generally they’re not even lots of yards, nevertheless it’s so energetic. The physicality that he brings to it’s large.
“He ran a route on that 30-plus acquire [in Philly’s Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams]. We had nice safety on the play. Jalen put a superb throw on him. However Dallas did such a superb job of getting open on that route in opposition to man protection. It was a extremely nice route, only a outlined route. Simply acquired into it, caught the defensive again the other approach, put a seed of doubt in his thoughts, after which continued on.”
That was a 31-yard catch with 6:21 within the third quarter. It was a 13-13 tie at that time. The Rams have been in Cowl-1, and Goedert took security Quentin Lake upfield on the dig route. Goedert maintained his route, Lake fell down, and that was that.
Goedert has additionally confirmed to be fairly fascinated by giving out as a lot aggro to defenders as he will get.
Conserving Hurts in rhythm and out of bother from a stress perspective shall be Job 1 for Moore and his workers, and as Goedert has been Hurts’ safety blanket, anticipate an enormous day there – or, on the very least, lots of targets.
Washington Commanders: RG Trent Scott
Talking of Jayden Daniels and stress, there’s the small matter of Commanders proper guard Sam Cosmi and the torn ACL he suffered in Washigton’s Divisional win over the Detroit Lions. It’s an enormous hit as a result of Cosmi is Washington’s finest offensive lineman. It’s probably an even bigger hit due to what Eagles super-tackle Jalen Carter did to the Rams’ offensive line, and particularly what he did to proper guard Kevin Dotson, a superb participant in his personal proper. Carter had two sacks and eight complete pressures within the sport, and people stats don’t inform the true story of the carnage Carter left behind.
After Cosmi was harm, the Commanders changed him with Trent Scott, a journeyman offensive lineman who’s been with 4 totally different groups and has performed a number of positions as a job participant and backup all through his seven-year profession. Scott didn’t permit a stress of any sort in opposition to Detroit’s blitz-happy protection in 19 pass-blocking reps, and general, he held up effectively. Scott isn’t a dominant blocker, however he is aware of sufficient to cope with stunts and video games, he can pull with energy, and he understands leverage effectively sufficient to place some inside pass-rushers on their heels every so often.
After all, Jalen Carter isn’t just some inside pass-rusher, and you may wager that Vic Fangio will put Carter on the brand new child early and sometimes.
“We do rotate him some inside and generally it’s even on the present workforce if a participant wants different reps,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn stated this week when requested what number of reps Scott had at proper guard in observe in preparation for the Lions. “As a result of right now of the yr, the reps are precious, you realize this. So, they’re not as many as you might have through the early a part of the season. So, for him, generally that’s in a walkthrough, would possibly simply be on the carded spot, however he has the expertise on either side. It’s each tackles and so he actually nailed it. And he was additionally the one which needed to work on communication for the cadence. So, he didn’t have lots of work at that, so he actually stepped into a major position. And I really like when these moments occur.”
Daniels has been nice below stress this season, however there are totally different sorts of stress, and whenever you’re dealing with a game-wrecker like Carter, these safety units shall be of essential significance.
Buffalo Payments at Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
Sunday, January 26, at 6:30 p.m. EST
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs: RB Kareem Hunt
Beneath first-year full-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Payments have put collectively a a number of and various run sport they didn’t have earlier than. Between James Cook dinner, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and what Josh Allen can do as a runner, that’s part of Buffalo’s offense that may bleed the clock, beat defenses down, and management the sport. The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are effectively conscious of this. Within the Payments’ 30-21 Week 11 win over the Chiefs, Cook dinner scored two dashing touchdowns, and Allen added certainly one of his personal. The distinction was all of the distinction.
On the Chiefs’ facet, it may very well be stated that Andy Reid and firm are on the lookout for their dashing identification this season. Accidents have prevented Isiah Pacheco from capitalizing on his first two NFL seasons, and with out Kareem Hunt, one would possibly marvel what sort of run sport the Chiefs would have in any respect. Kansas Metropolis signed Hunt to a one-year, $1.21 million contract this offseason after Hunt had spent his earlier 5 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. After all, this was a reunion for the Chiefs and Hunt, who Kansas Metropolis launched in Nov. 2018 after video surfaced of Hunt pushing a lady to the bottom and kicking her.
Nevertheless the 2 events acquired right here, Hunt has been a key a part of the Chiefs offense. He has 772 yards and eight touchdowns on 208 carries, and all of these totals lead the workforce by a large margin. In that Payments sport, Hunt ran 14 occasions for 60 yards, and whereas he had only one explosive run (a 17-yarder with 11:44 left within the fourth quarter), he repeatedly set issues up with productive good points on first downs.
“We like to provide him the ball no matter approach we are able to get him the ball, as a result of he’s a superb participant,” Reid stated of Hunt within the lead-up to that first Payments sport. “He’s doing effectively for simply coming off the sofa. He’s doing a heck of a job, and he needs extra.”
If he needs extra within the AFC Championship sport, it will be sensible to lean on that. Hunt is coming off an eight-carry, 44-yard, one-touchdown dashing sport in opposition to the Houston Texans within the Divisional Spherical, and now’s the time to shoot your finest pictures.
Buffalo Payments: WR Khalil Shakir
As clearly outlined because the Payments’ run sport is, the passing sport is a little more nebulous. Josh Allen doesn’t actually have an alpha canine receiver to throw to; it’s extra of an fascinating mixture of men who current particular attributes for particular conditions. If there’s one receiver who defines it greater than every other, it’s Khalil Shakir, the 2022 fifth-round pick of Boise State who has seen his position develop increasingly over time. This season, Shakir has led the Payments with 88 catches on 108 targets for 949 yards, and he additionally has 4 touchdowns so as to add to his resume.
Whereas the 6’, 190-pound Shakir is primarily a slot receiver, it will be unwise to typecast him in any approach. In Buffalo’s Divisional Spherical win over the Baltimore Ravens, he proved capable of not solely bag an explosive play on a seam route for 34 yards…
…but additionally to dam the heck out of one of many NFL’s finest defensive gamers on Ray Davis’ 1-yard landing run with 4:46 left within the first quarter.
Josh Allen focused Shakir 11 occasions in opposition to the Chiefs in Week 11, which marked Shakir’s season-high. It could behoove the Payments to attract up the same plan on Sunday.