NFC X-Factors for the NFL Playoffs Divisional Round

Now that the NFL is down to the Divisional Round of the playoffs, there are just eight teams and four games left in the tournament to ultimately decide which two squads will face off in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9. As these postseason games grow in importance, so do the performances from all the superstars you know.

But there are also crucial players with lesser-known names whose exploits could ultimately be just as important to the final outcome. Every game has them – those “X-Factor” players who become the foundations of their teams’ successes despite the fact that casual fans might not even know who they are.

Here are potential “X-Factors” for each of the four NFC teams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions
Saturday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. EST

Washington Commanders: WR Dyami Brown

It’s amazing what Jayden Daniels has done in all kinds of ways in his rookie season, and it’s even more amazing when you consider that Daniels had done it all with one true No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin, and (with all due respect) a bunch of role-players. McLaurin is the only Daniels target that defenses really have to scheme for on a snap-to-snap basis, and beyond that, there’s a lot of Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown doing cool things occasionally.

Based on his performance in Washington’s 23-20 Wild Card win over the Buccaneers, it’s possible that Dyami Brown could elevate himself at the right time. Brown was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft out of North Carolina, perhaps because the team thought he would jibe well with Sam Howell, who threw the ball often to Brown when they were in college together. But the 6’, 195-pound Brown caught 59 passes on 102 targets for 784 yards and four touchdowns over his four regular seasons – it’s just that he picked the Bucs game to have his most important NFL performance. That’s when he caught five passes on five targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. Brown had three explosive plays (21, 24, and 30 yards), and he was getting past Tampa Bay’s defense on all manner of crossers and comebacks.

If Brown can repeat that performance against the Lions, leaving McLaurin to play his go/post/over/dig repertoire, all the better for Daniels and the Commanders’ passing game.

Detroit Lions: EDGE Za’Darius Smith

We all know that it’s tougher to list the defensive players the Lions DON’T have these days due to injury than the guys who are actually on the field, but soon after the team lost Aidan Hutchinson for (presumably) the rest of the season to a fractured tibia and fibula in October, they traded with the Cleveland Browns for the services of veteran pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith. That as much as anything has held Detroit’s defense together through all the moving parts. In his eight games with the Lions this season, Smith has five sacks and 36 total pressures, and he fit in with Aaron Glenn’s system right away.

This Lions-Commanders game is the only Divisional Round matchup that isn’t a re-do of a regular-season contest, so the Lions are going into this without first-hand experience. They’re smart enough to know that Jayden Daniels is a cyborg at quarterback, especially for a rookie, and they also know that two things the Lions like to do a lot – blitz and play man coverage – don’t really bother Daniels at all. So, if the decision is to throw fewer pass-rushers at Daniels and flood the routes with more defenders in coverage, it would be up to those up front to take the day without help.

And if that’s the case, Smith could well be the man in charge. Both from the edge and when he kicks inside, the 32-year-old Smith can disrupt through single- and double-teams.

By the way, if the Lions make it to the Super Bowl, and Hutchinson is able to make it back for that game as he’s promised ever since the injuries… well, watch OUT for that duo.

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 19 at 3:00 p.m. EST

Los Angeles Rams: EDGE Byron Young

The Rams are coming off a 27-9 Wild Card dismantling of the Minnesota Vikings in which they tied the NFL record for sacks in a postseason game with nine, and that’s a testament to how general manager Les Snead and his staff have replaced Aaron Donald in the aggregate, Moneyball-style. Kobie Turner, Jared Verse, and Braden Fiske are the marquee names in that nasty defensive front, but let’s not overlook Byron Young … because the Vikings seemed to, and they really regretted it. Young put up two sacks and eight total pressures in that game, and he also set Turner up for one of his two sacks.

Young, the 2023 third-round pick out of Tennessee, has been a dude all along. He had eight sacks and 51 total pressures in his rookie season, and now that he’s Jared Verse’s bookend, he’s amped it up this season with 11 sacks and 52 total pressures. Yes, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are great offensive tackles, but against those guys in Week 12, Young had four pressures, and he was particularly annoying for Johnson to deal with. In fact, the Eagles were just as prone to send chip help to Young’s side even when Verse was also on the field. That should be a massive matchup in the sequel, and don’t be surprised if Young get his once again.

Philadelphia Eagles: DB Cooper DeJean

If there’s one thing we know about Sean McVay, it’s that the man loves himself some 11 personnel – one running back, one tight end, and three receivers. The Rams’ passing game is deviously diverse in concept, but in personnel, you pretty much know what you’re getting. This season, only the Atlanta Falcons (whose offense was designed by former McVay assistant Zac Robinson) had a higher rate of 11 personnel (87%) than the Rams’ 80%.

So, when you’re playing the Rams, you need a really good slot cornerback to deal with that third receiver, and that slot defender should also be able to lock up tight ends, because the Rams do run 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends, two receivers) as a productive adjunct to their primary philosophy.

Fortunately for the Eagles, they were smart enough to select Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 draft. DeJean didn’t become a full-time starter until Week 5 of his rookie season, but when he did, he took to Vic Fangio’s defense like the proverbial duck to water, and he’s been a major part of that ever-improving unit ever since. Not that he’s the only reason for the ways in which Philly’s defense has become dangerous, but it is worth mentioning that with DeJean on the field this season, the Eagles have allowed an EPA per play of -0.12, and without him, they were stuck at -0.02. DeJean has become a force in the slot against the run and the pass, and while there have been a few rookie hangups, he’s looked like a grizzled veteran more often than not.

In the Week 12 matchup between the Rams and the Eagles (which the Eagles won, 37-20), DeJean was debited with six catches allowed on nine targets for 49 yards, 47 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 80.3. DeJean was great when facing up against the Rams’ slot receivers in man and match coverage; he was a bit more befuddled when dealing with all those receiver motions in zone concepts.

We’ll see how things go in the rematch, but there’s no doubt about DeJean’s importance to what the Eagles will do.