NFL Wild Card X-Factors: Will Shakir emerge as Allen’s No. 1?

The 2024 regular season is officially in the books, which means the best time of the year is finally here: the NFL Playoffs have arrived. 

What will happen this year? Will a top seed roll to a Lombardi Trophy, or will a Cinderella story emerge? Which team will pull an upset on Wild Card Weekend, and which players are poised to become household names? 

With all that and more in mind, let’s take a look at one player from each game this weekend who has a chance to play hero. 

Joe Alt, OT, Los Angeles Chargers | @ Houston Texans, Saturday 4:30 p.m. ET 

The Chargers’ selection of Joe Alt as the fifth overall pick last April marked a commitment by then-new head coach Jim Harbaugh to his philosophy of protecting the quarterback and running the football. 

While the pick was hotly debated at the time, there’s no question it worked out — with Alt and fellow tackle Rashawn Slater providing protection, the Chargers’ offence (when healthy) has been one of the more explosive units in the league. 

If they want that success to continue against a stingy Texans defence, they’ll need the best out of Alt. He’ll be facing off against both Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who combined for 23 sacks this season. It’s no easy task, but if he and Slater can continue to provide Herbert with some cover, the biggest strength of Houston’s defence will be minimized, and the Chargers will roll. 

Ar’Darius Washington, S, Baltimore Ravens | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Saturday 8:00 p.m. ET 

Early in the season, it was a valid question to ask whether or not the Ravens' defence would sink them come playoff time. While Lamar Jackson was putting up MVP-worthy performances at the helm of one of the league’s best scoring offences, Baltimore’s defence was posting bottom-five numbers against the pass. 

Defensive coordinator Zach Orr made some changes, moving safety Kyle Hamilton back to a full-time free safety role, while veteran Marcus Williams was benched outright in Week 11. Coinciding with Williams’ benching has been the emergence of Ar’Darius Washington, who has played nearly 100 per cent of defensive snaps since then — a turning point for the unit, which has allowed the league’s fewest points and fewest net yards per game since Week 11 while also allowing an NFL-low passer rating of 75.5 in the six games over that stretch. 

Even with their offence expected to keep rolling, the Ravens are going to need a lot from Washington and company if they’re to compete in the AFC Championship for a second straight year. 

Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills | vs. Denver Broncos, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET 

Quarterback Josh Allen has authored an MVP-worthy season, and he largely did it without a true No. 1 wide receiver — no pass-catcher topped 1,000 receiving yards on the season. 

Khalil Shakir did eventually emerge to stake his claim as Allen’s preferred option, however, and led the way with 76 receptions for 821 yards and four touchdowns. Those are relatively modest numbers in today’s NFL, but they point to a trend. Shakir saw 100 targets this season, 25 more than the next closest player (tight end Dalton Kincaid).  

With Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, a lockdown defender and potential defensive player of the year, lurking on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Allen and the Bills will have to choose their weapons wisely — and they’ll need every first down they can get out of Shakir. 

Zach Allen, DE, Denver Broncos | @ Buffalo Bills, Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET 

If there’s one universal truth in football, it’s this: games are won and lost in the trenches. Enter the Broncos’ front seven, which leads the league in sacks with 63 — nine more than any other team. Among the many disruptive pass-rushers defensive coordinator Vance Joseph utilizes is Zach Allen, a high-impact player who doesn’t always get the credit he’s due despite posting strong numbers. A snub for the Pro Bowl this year, he led all interior defensive linemen with 65 quarterback pressures and had 8.5 sacks to boot. 

On the flip side, Buffalo’s offensive line allowed just 14 sacks — eight fewer than any other team. If the Broncos want to get Bills quarterback and MVP favourite Josh Allen out of rhythm, they’re going to need Pro Bowl play out of Allen and the rest of Denver’s pass rush. 

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles | vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday 4:30 p.m. ET 

It’s easy to see why the Eagles’ offence has been humming this season, considering running back Saquon Barkley rumbled for over 2,000 yards on the ground. As you might imagine, the club’s passing stats have taken a step back from years past, throwing almost 100 fewer passing attempts and tallying 640 fewer passing yards than 2023.  

Even with a slightly different offensive approach this season, opposing defences know they can’t let the Eagles’ wideouts run wild — and DeVonta Smith is a big reason why. Despite the increased focus on the run game (or perhaps because of it), Smith racked up 833 yards and eight touchdowns, including 317 yards and four touchdowns in the month of December alone, which also saw three different quarterbacks throwing to him. 

The health of quarterback Jalen Hurts will certainly factor greatly for the Eagles, but no matter who is under center, Smith will need to continue being a focal point for this offence. 

Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday 8:00 p.m. ET 

This season ushered in a lot of change in a short period of time in Washington, which entered the year with a new head coach in Dan Quinn, a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels, and plenty of unknowns.  

We learned pretty early on that Daniels is the real deal — and, more recently, we’ve also learned that he loves to target his tight end in the end zone. After catching just one touchdown through Week 10, Ertz saw an uptick in targets down the stretch. He tallied six touchdown catches in the past seven games and finished the year second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns through the air. 

The Commanders wrapped up the season as the third-highest scoring offence in the NFC behind only the Lions and their wild card opponents in Tampa Bay. In a game where defence might be optional, Ertz — the oldest offensive player on the team, at 34 — will have to use that veteran presence and step up once again. 

Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | vs. Washington Commanders, Sunday 8:00 p.m. ET 

It’s been a year of discovery for the Buccaneers offence. After losing trusted wide receiver Chris Godwin in Week 7 to a dislocated ankle, quarterback Baker Mayfield seemed to test a variety of options behind Mike Evans to be his No. 2 target. From rookie running back Bucky Irving to tight end Cade Otton, the Buccaneers auditioned several players for the role through much of the season.  

Mayfield may have found his answer in rookie Jalen McMillan. After totalling 13 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown from Weeks 1 through 12, the third-rounder turned his season around in a hurry: from Weeks 13 through 17, he racked up 24 catches for 316 yards and seven touchdowns en route to the NFC South title. 

McMillan clearly has chemistry with Mayfield, but more importantly, he has the quarterback’s trust. The Buccaneers are going to need both to continue if they want to make a run to the Super Bowl. 

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams | vs. Minnesota Vikings, Monday 8:00 p.m. ET 

If you’ve watched football at any point in the last few years, you’d know the name Cooper Kupp. After all, he’s been one of the league’s most prolific wide receivers for several seasons as a focal point of the Rams’ offence, including being named MVP of Super Bowl LVI to cap a 2021 season in which he led the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. 

Things have been different year. Despite his offensive success under head coach Sean McVay, Kupp has turned in just 710 yards and six touchdown catches over 12 games this season. The last three games of the season (before starters were rested in Week 18) yielded just four total catches for 53 scoreless yards. If McVay and company are going to find success against a stout Vikings defence on Monday night, they’re going to need more from Kupp.