NFC East X-Factors: Week 9

Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary pass proved to be the X-factor for the Commanders last week, but do NFC East teams have a prayer in Week 9? It could come down to these four players.

Brandon Coleman (LT) Washington Commanders

Washington’s rookie left tackle missed last week’s contest with the Bears after suffering a concussion against the Panthers in Week 7. Veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas got the start but left the game early with an ankle injury. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Commanders allowed 17 pressures against Chicago, tied for the third-most by any team in Week 8. This week, they’ll host a Giants team that just had four sacks against the Steelers and leads the league with 35 takedowns. 

Considered by PFF to be the third-best tackle in the NFC East, Coleman could be the key to keeping Daniels on the field, considering his quarterback is still dealing with a rib injury that nearly kept him out of last week’s game.

Coleman practiced this week, but Lucas did not. If he plays on Sunday, he’ll have his hands full with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence III (who leads the league with nine sacks) and linebackers Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari, who have a combined 11 sacks this season.

Brian Burns (LB) New York Giants

While Lawrence has been steady all year, Burns’ Giants career started slowly, with one sack in his first four games. Since then, he’s posted a sack every week and had an eight-tackle performance against the Bengals in Week 6.

Burns now looks like the player who went to a pair of Pro Bowls and registered 46 sacks in five years with Carolina. His recent hot streak couldn’t come at a better time, as fellow linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux has spent the last three weeks on the IR with a wrist injury.

With six sacks, 14 hurries and a missed tackle percentage of only 3%, Burns could be the team’s best bet to take down Daniels on Sunday.

Dak Prescott (QB) Dallas Cowboys

The Falcons average 371.6 yards of offense per game, and the Cowboys allow 372.6 yards; both numbers could be substantially higher if Dallas can’t stop Kirk Cousins this week.

With 2,106 yards and 14 touchdowns, the NFL’s third-leading passer is about to face a Dallas defense that allowed 77 points in its last two games. The best way to beat Cousins is to keep him off the field; that responsibility falls on the other team’s quarterback.