Week 6 NFC East X-factors: A.J. Brown makes a welcome return

The Cowboys’ Jalen Tolbert and the Giants’ Tyrone Tracy Jr. delivered for the NFC East in Week 5, but which divisional players will be X-factors in Week 6?

Here’s our prediction for all four teams:

Dak Prescott (QB), Dallas Cowboys

Unlike the Cowboys, who barely survived the Steelers in Week 5, the Lions had a week to rest and have Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow back from a pec injury that kept him off the field in Week 4.

Thanks to players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions average the third-most yards (397) and eighth-most points (26) per game of any team. Given the state of the Cowboys’ 31st-ranked running game, Dallas will need to throw the ball if it hopes to keep up.

With 1,424 yards in his first five games, Dak Prescott is already the league’s third-leading passer, but his 65.4 completion percentage and 92.9 quarterback rating place him well outside the top-10 in both categories. He’s thrown a pair of touchdowns in each of his last two games, but he’ll need to do more against Detroit’s 27th-ranked passing defense.

Dexter Lawrence II (DT), New York Giants

You’d never know it by their 1-4 record, but the Cincinnati Bengals are scoring 28 points per game, fourth-most in the NFL. With a league-leading 12 touchdowns and 274 yards per contest, Joe Burrow has the best passer rating (113.6) of any quarterback not named Joe Flacco (115.6).

Getting to Burrow will be a top priority when the Giants host the Bengals this week. Lawrence led the team with three sacks against the Seahawks in Week 4 and trails only the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson (6.5) with six sacks on the season. He’ll look to keep things rolling against Cincinnati, especially with teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux expected to miss several weeks after undergoing wrist surgery against Cincinnati.

Burrow has been sacked 11 times this season, and another multi-sack performance from Lawrence would certainly help New York’s chances in Week 6.

Philadelphia Eagles (WR), A.J. Brown

Thanks to a hamstring injury, Brown hasn’t played since the team’s opening game in Brazil, where he led Eagles receivers with five catches for 119 yards and a score. He’ll look to do the same against Cleveland now that he’s been cleared to play.