Conference championship games are played in thin (and sometimes thin) air. The stakes are obviously higher, the implications of each individual play are greater, and the game's script can veer in very unpredictable directions and decide things very quickly.
For the four remaining teams in the 2024 season with all eyes on the NFC and AFC Championship games, it will also be important to maximize the efforts of their most important players on both sides of the ball. Some key players may need to play the game of their lives, some because of their position, some because of their talent, and others due to specific scenarios where the team may need to play the game of their lives to achieve their goal of making it to the Super Bowl. Therefore, it becomes the mainstay.
Given the importance of these X-factors, we expanded the discussion to include one player from each team on both offense and defense. Here's a breakdown of the offensive X-factors of the four teams competing on Sunday for the honor of attending Super Bowl LIX.
Philadelphia Eagles Washington Commanders
Sunday, January 26th, 3pm EST
Philadelphia Eagles: TE Dallas Goedert
The Eagles are winning mainly because Saquon Barkley is Thanos and Vic Fangio's defense is one of the best in the NFL. That's great, but anyone who doesn't understand the problems with Philadelphia's passing game is looking at things through green glasses.
This season, Jalen Hurts completed 276 of 402 passes for 3,162 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions, posting a career-high passer rating of 103.5. Add in Hurts' 163 carries, 736 yards, and 15 touchdowns, and it would seem like everything is going well. But the tape tells a different story. Hurts has had trouble reading route progressions downfield this season, which has always been an issue, but things seem to be slowing down in that regard. Hearts is used in a pejorative sense as “game manager”. He has thrown for less than 200 yards in eight full games this season, and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is asked every week what's wrong with the rest of the field.
Currently, the Eagles are in position to make the Super Bowl if they can outdo Jaden Daniels, who threw five touchdown passes the last time these teams met in Week 16. This resulted in a 36-33 victory in Washington's favor, and Hurts left the team. A game with concussions. Throughout this series of explosive passing games, Hurts' most relied-upon target has been tight end Dallas Goedert, making him essential moving forward.
“He has the ability to make plays in important situations, that's for sure,” head coach Nick Sirianni said of Goedert on Monday. “And he makes really big splash plays, too. Sometimes it's not a lot of yards, but he's very energetic. The physicality he brings is huge.
“He ran routes with that 30+ gain. [in Philly’s Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams]. He played great defense. Jalen gave him a good throw. But Dallas did a great job of getting open on that route for man coverage. It was a really nice route, just a set route. Just went at it, pushed the defensive back the other way, planted a seed of doubt in his mind, and kept going. ”
He had a 31-yard catch in 6 minutes, 21 seconds in the third quarter. At this point, it was a 13-13 tie. The Rams were in Cover 1 and Goedert safely took Quentin Lake upfield on DiGroot. Goedert held his route, Lake fell, and that was it.
Goedert has also proven that he is very interested in giving his defenders as much aggro as possible.
Setting Hearts' rhythm in terms of pressure and keeping them out of trouble is job number one for Moore and his staff, and with Goedert having been Hearts' security guard, there's a big day ahead. There are — or at least there are many targets.
Washington Commander: RG Trent Scott
Speaking of Jaden Daniels and pressure, there's a small issue with Commanders right guard Sam Cosmi and the torn ACL he suffered in Washington's divisional win over the Detroit Lions. This is a big hit since Cosmi is Washington's best offensive lineman. This could be an even bigger hit thanks to what Eagles super tackle Jalen Carter has done to the Rams' offense, especially right guard Kevin Dotson, who is a good player in his own right. There is. Carter had two sacks and eight total pressures in the game, but those stats don't tell the true story of the carnage Carter left behind.
After Cosmi was injured, the managers replaced him with Trent Scott. Trent Scott is a journeyman offensive lineman who has been with four different teams and played multiple positions as a role player and backup throughout his seven-year career. Scott held up well overall, not allowing any pressure against Detroit's fast-paced defense with 19 pass blocks. Scott isn't a dominant blocker, but he knows enough to handle stunts and games, can pull with power, and understands leverage well enough to occasionally drive inside pass rushers.
Of course, Jalen Carter is more than just an inside pass rusher, and there's no doubt Vic Fangio will use Carter early and often as a rookie.
Asked this week how many reps Scott had played at right guard in practice leading up to the game against the Lions, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said, “We're rotating him inside and we need guys to get other reps. In some cases, they may be included in the show team.'' “At this time of the year, reps are precious, so you know. So it's not as much as it was earlier in the season. So for him, sometimes it's a walk-through, sometimes it's just where he's given the card. Yes, but he has experience on both sides. And he was also someone who had to work on communication to keep his rhythm. So he got into a really important role because he didn't have a lot of work in that area. I stepped in. And I love when that moment happens.”
Daniels has performed well under pressure this season, but there are different types of pressure, and those protection sets will be extremely important when facing a game-destroying player like Carter. Dew.
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, January 26th, 6:30pm ET
Kansas City Chiefs: RB Kareem Hunt
Under first-year, full-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Bills have assembled a diverse run game unlike anything they've seen before. What James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson and Josh Allen can do as runners, that's part of Buffalo's offense, they can slow down the clock, beat the defense and control the game. The Kansas City Chiefs know this all too well. Cook scored two rushing touchdowns and Allen added one in the Bills' 30-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 11. Every difference was a difference.
On the Chiefs side, you could say Andy Reid and company are searching for an identity in a hurry this season. Isaiah Pacheco was unable to take full advantage of his first two NFL seasons due to injuries, and some may wonder what kind of run game the Chiefs would have had without Kareem Hunt. . Kansas City signed Hunt to a one-year, $1.21 million contract this offseason after spending the past five seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Of course, this was a reunion between the Chiefs and Hunt. Kansas City released them in November 2018 after footage surfaced of Hunt pushing a woman to the ground and kicking her.
No matter how far both teams get to this point, Hunt remains a key part of the Chiefs' offense. He has 208 carries for 772 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which lead the team by a wide margin. In that game against the Bills, Hunt ran 14 times for 60 yards and only had one explosive run (17 yards with 11:44 left in the fourth quarter), but he repeatedly made productive gains on first downs to set up the game. Arranged.
“We want to give him the ball every way we can give him the ball, because he's a good player,” Reid said of Hunt ahead of his first game against the Bills. “He just got off the couch and he's doing great. He's doing a great job and wants to do more.”
If he wants more action in the AFC Championship game, he would be wise to rely on that. Hunt just finished an eight-carry, 44-yard, one-touchdown rushing game against the Houston Texans in the divisional round, but now it's time to give him his best shot.
Buffalo Bills: WR Khalil Shakir
While the Bills' run game is well-defined, the passing game is a little more vague. Josh Allen doesn't really have an alpha dog receiver to throw to. It's an interesting mix of people who exhibit certain attributes in certain situations. If there's one receiver that defines it more than any other, it's 2022 fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir out of Boise State. He has seen his role grow more and more over time. This season, Shaquille led the Bills with 88 catches on 108 targets for 949 yards and added four touchdowns.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Shaquille is primarily a slot receiver, but it would be unwise to typecast him in any way. In Buffalo's divisional-round win over the Baltimore Ravens, he proved he wasn't just making an explosive play with a 34-yard seam route…
…But Ray Davis' 1-yard touchdown run with 4:46 left in the first quarter also stopped the onslaught of one of the NFL's best defensemen.
Josh Allen targeted Shaquille 11 times in Week 11 against the Chiefs, a season-high for Shaquille. The Bills will be obligated to make a similar plan on Sunday.
