The Saints have a surprising X-factor this season according to the 33rd Team’s Andy Benoit, who writes that Alontae Taylor is set up for success | @DillySanders
There are some big names still on the New Orleans Saints defense, but they might be the biggest pieces of the puzzle in the upcoming season. The 33rd Team’s Andy Benoit went through and listed every team’s X-factor for this upcoming season. When it got to the Saints, a surprising yet understandable name was listed. Benoit said that sophomore cornerback Alontae Taylor will be the biggest X-factor for this season, and this was his reasoning:
Taylor is listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds, and plays bigger than that. Yet, in Week 7, he had positive snaps matching up to shifty Cardinals receiver Rondale Moore. When Taylor faced receivers who were closer (or beyond) his own size, he thrived even more. He was competitive against Davante Adams in Week 8. He was downright dominant against Atlanta’s Drake London in Week 15. Taylor has shown he can make individual pass stops at all three levels downfield.
It’s a good point, in that some other names might be too obvious and even just expected to perform well. Taylor’s performance is still up in the air, yet everyone is hopeful that he will improve.
Benoit also gave good reasoning as to why Dennis Allen’s defense could help Taylor out and why he’s so important:
His 3-2 dime packages are already conducive to amoeba fronts and feature a superb off-the-ball pass rusher in linebacker Demario Davis, plus a historically electric blitzer in safety/slot Tyrann Mathieu. Allen might be inclined to get more creative and aggressive with those dime pass rushes in 2023. For this, it makes a world of difference if Taylor becomes a top-flight cover corner opposite Lattimore.
Taking a look at the biggest X-factors for the Colts in 2023.
If the Indianapolis Colts are going to shock the league during the season and make a playoff run, then it is going to come down to certain individuals making that possible.
Having a talented and deep roster is vital for any team looking to play well into January, but there are also a handful of players and position groups whose performance can drastically change the outcome of the season.
We call them X-factors. Depending on how these certain players perform, it could vault the Colts into a tier of competition higher than expected.
Whether it’s a coach or a player, let’s take a look at the biggest X-factors for the Colts in 2023:
Saturday night’s Divisional Round playoff matchup between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers is expected to be highly competitive despite the difference in the win column. After all, at this point in the NFL season, the margin for error is razor thin.
After beginning the season with 3-5 record, San Francisco rattled off seven wins in their final nine games. The red-hot 49ers also enter this game with a chip on their shoulder after losing in Week 3 to Green Bay by way of a Mason Crosby field goal as time expired.
In other words, throw the records out. Besides, football is truly a game of inches, and most of the time the end result comes down to situational awareness; in other words: X-factors. The dictionary definition of X-factor? A variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome.
It’s hard to predict exactly how this game will play out. We’ve seen some crazy things happen over the years in the NFL Playoffs. But what we can do is attempt to predict how it might be influenced by certain players. With that said, here are two players who could be X-factors for the Packers in the Divisional Round against the 49ers:
Offensive X-factor: Allen Lazard
It’s easy to overlook Allen Lazard’s value to the Packers’ offense for two reasons: 1.) He has the privilege of catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, and 2.) Davante Adams draws the majority of the attention from opposing defenses. But Lazard isn’t just an ancillary piece anymore. The former undrafted free agent is an important factor in how Green Bay wants to run their offense.
Not only is Lazard a stalwart as a blocker in the run game, but Rodgers trusts him in big moments. As a run blocker, Lazard has no issues against smaller defensive backs because of his large frame (6-5, 230). He’s a tenacious bully who shows great effort on every play. Lazard has been critical to the Packers’ offense down the stretch this season, and it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been Green Bay’s second-best receiver behind Adams. He’s been on fire over his last five games, having caught 21 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns.
Lazard’s role becomes even more important against San Francisco with Marquez Valdes-Scantling being listed as doubtful to play due to a back injury. While the Packers are expected to have Randall Cobb back (groin), it remains to be seen how much he’ll actually play. Of course, Adams is more than capable of holding his own, but even he can’t do everything alone.
Green Bay will need someone besides Davante to step up in the passing game. For a quarterback, it’s all about trusting that your receiver will be in the right place at the right time. It’s clear that Rodgers and Lazard have built a connection, especially over the second half of the season.
Defensive X-factor: De’Vondre Campbell
(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
The 49ers run game has been on fire lately, and rookie running back Elijah Mitchell is a major reason why. When these two teams met back in Week 3, Mitchell did not play due to a shoulder injury. In the 12 games he’s appeared in this season, Mitchell has compiled 1,059 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns. Against the Cowboys in the Wildcard round, he posted 96 rushing yards.
But it doesn’t stop there. Did I mention receiver Deebo Samuel’s versatility in the run game? It’s going to be hard for the Packers defense to completely shut down Samuel. He was an All-Pro this season for a reason. Plus, Samuel only lined up in the backfield twice when these two teams faced off in Week 3. Since then, San Fran has regularly deployed him as a running back out of the backfield. He’s averaging 6.4 yards per carry this season and has scored nine rushing touchdowns. Last week against Dallas, he rushed for 72 yards and a score on 10 carries.
All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will be the ultimate X-factor when it comes to minimizing San Francisco’s rushing attack. Deebo is one of the toughest players in the NFL to get on the ground on first contact. He’s essentially a running back who plays receiver. Luckily for Green Bay, Campbell is one of the best in the NFL at tackling. Basically, if Campbell gets his hands on a ball carrier, it’s almost a guarantee that he’s going to bring them down. He missed only four tackles and had the lowest missed tackle percentage (2.9) among all qualified linebackers in 2021, per Pro Football Focus.
As the Packers’ leading tackler this season (146), Campbell thrives off his ability to read and react. He’s been the ultimate eraser on the second level, limiting big plays and keeping yards after catch to a minimum. If Green Bay’s defense is to hold Mitchell and Samuel in check, they’re going to need a stellar game from their All-Pro linebacker.
The play of Jacksonville’s two offensive tackles, Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor, will be crucial in the development of Trevor Lawrence.
Jacksonville did a lot this offseason to bolster both the offense and the defense, but the most momentous move was the decision to draft quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. For the first time in decades, the Jaguars have a franchise quarterback, but his play as a rookie will be largely determined by other variables around him, most notably the play of the offensive line.
The Jaguars have one of the league’s more experienced units, and it allowed for rookie running back James Robinson to finish fifth in rushing in 2020. Now with another playmaker in the backfield in first-round pick Travis Etienne, the play of the offensive line will be key this season, both in establishing the run and protecting Lawrence.
According to Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon, the Jags have two “X-factors” in 2021, and they both play along the offensive line. While the interior of the Jags’ line is solid, there are a bit more questions at the tackle spots. The team chose to franchise tag Cam Robinson this offseason, and his play hasn’t quite lived up to his payday this year. But the team was desperate to make sure it had a starting-caliber player along the blindside, and Robinson fits that bill.
On the other side is Jawaan Taylor, who was the Jags’ second-round pick in 2019 and has great potential. The former second-round pick is listed as an X-factor, alongside Robinson.
We’re cheating here and giving you two relatively young second-round picks who will start at the same critical position and be charged with making sure Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season is less dangerous than Joe Burrow’s was with the Bengals in 2020.
PFF ranked the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive line in the bottom 12 last year, and much of that had to do with the fact that offensive tackles Cam Robinson, 25, and Jawaan Taylor, 23, didn’t get the job done.
But the Jags are rolling with the status quo for Lawrence. They somewhat surprisingly hit Robinson with the franchise tag, and they seem to be hoping Taylor can break out in his third season. They did draft offensive tackle Walker Little in Round 2, but he’s got a small college sample and a large injury history, so they’re putting most of their eggs in baskets belonging to Robinson and Taylor.
If both can put it together in Urban Meyer’s offense, Lawrence will have a good chance of meeting expectations as a rookie No. 1 overall pick. If not, he could be running for his life for much of 2021.
Though Jacksonville certainly could have upgraded at tackle this offseason with players like Trent Williams and Orlando Brown, none of those options worked out or came at a reasonable cost by the Jags’ standards. In Robinson, the team at least secures a guy who is capable of getting the job done. Taylor has much more of a future on the team, but he needs to take a step up this season.
Expectations are high for Lawrence as a rookie, even though he’s inheriting a team that went 1-15 last year. But if he’s going to meet (or exceed) those expectations, he’ll need some help. And that will start with the players tasked with blocking premier NFL edge rushers in Robinson and Taylor.
Highlighting the potential X-factor players for the Packers on Saturday against the Rams in the NFC playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers have a chance to advance to the NFC Championship Game if they can beat the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field on Saturday in the divisional round.
The game has plenty of star power, including six first-team All-Pros, the presumptive MVP and a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. But other players will have also have a big say in the outcome on Saturday in Green Bay.
Here are a few potential playoff X-factors for the Packers against the Rams:
