Hunters and Gardeners: X-Factors on Every AFC Team

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:02)
We just haven't found the steps yet.

**Mina Kimes** (0:05)
How much did we save?

**SPEAKER_4** (0:07)
Enough. Enough to get lost?

**SPEAKER_2** (0:10)
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**SPEAKER_4** (0:13)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:16)
The Hilton sale is on now. Book on hilton.com or the Hilton app and save up to 20% to get the stay you expected. When you want savings, not surprises, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for the stay.

**Mina Kimes** (0:34)
Welcome back to The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny, Only NFL Podcast. One of the hosts thinks Garrett Bowles is sponsored by Food and Water. That's Lenny, I mean it, guys.
Garrett Bowles plays for a team that we're going to be talking about today. I keep bugging the Lenny jokes, by the way, I'm like, as I'm trying to get to them too quickly.
That team is the Denver Broncos, the conference is the AFC. Today, we're doing something I do every year, which is we're going to every single team in the AFC. We will do the AFC next week, most likely. And we are picking an X Factor for every team. Not a quarterback, not a head coach. Everyone else is fair game on the roster. Joining me to do so is my friend, Brentley Weissman. Brentley, thanks for having me.

**Brentley Weissman** (1:18)
Excited to talk about this AFC X Factor. We're really excited and only three months away from the season, so I feel like we're getting closer. Thank goodness. Crazy.

**Mina Kimes** (1:32)
I like doing this every year because it really makes you kind of sit down with the roster. And to be clear, the way I'm defining X Factor is a player who could be the hinge upon which this team's season swings. And that could be their performance, it could be their health, it could be a lot of things. But I generally try not to choose, like I said, no quarterbacks. I try not to choose, I often don't choose the best player because the best player, you kind of know what you're going to get. Although there's a few very good players on my list, including the one that I have at the top. I'll start first, Brentley.
I'm going to do the Baltimore Ravens.
And the point I want to make is that this player is not only an X factor for the Ravens, I think he is arguably an X factor for this coming NFL season. And that's Namdi Matabuike, who is to me one of the more interesting off season storylines in the NFL in terms of whether he comes back, when he comes back, how he looks. So for those who have forgotten, Matabuike missed almost all of last season, had a neck injury, seemed honestly like his football career might be over, and was a huge reason why his loss, was a huge reason why the Ravens pass rush was pretty abysmal last season.
30th in pressure rate, 31st in sack rate, 28th in pass rush win, 30th in pass rush win with the four man rush. Very bad. So Matabuike makes a ton of money. He was kind of the Ravens defensive lineman who they chose to reward with the big contract after he put up 11 sacks in 2024 and 15 sacks in 2023 In between 20, in 2023 and 2024, his final two seasons, he led all defensive tackles in quarterback hits as well with 50 If he comes back, you are looking at a Ravens defensive line that has Matabuike, Travis Jones, who I really like as a player. I like him more with Matabuike in the mix. Brodick Washington, they brought back Correus Campbell.

**Brentley Weissman** (3:36)
Unreal. It makes no sense.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:38)
Stoke will give you those.

**Mina Kimes** (3:39)
Yeah, I know.
I love one of my all-time faves. And then they added, in terms of pass rushers, they added Trey Hendrickson, of course. They drafted Zion Young, you have Tavius Robinson and Mike Greene from last year. So you're looking, the Hendrickson edition is a big deal, obviously as well, especially for the pass rush. But I would argue if you put Matabuike into that mix, and he looks anything like he did before the injury, you might see one of the biggest leaps in the NFL and pass rush, I think you will see, given how bad they were last year, from last season to the past year.

**Brentley Weissman** (4:13)
100%. I mean, for me, you thought there was a chance he might never play football again, you know, and so if he comes back in 2026, there's a huge chance this defense can kind of look and go back to what they were in 2024 when they were one of the best defenses in the entire NFL.