Most dangerous playmakers on remaining NFL playoff teams

The best weekend of the NFL playoffs is here. While the conference championship games and Super Bowl have higher stakes, the divisional round is the last time we’ll be seeing two NFL playoff games on Saturday and Sunday for a while.

So, which guys will make the biggest plays for each team? That’s who we’re looking at now. Here’s another way of looking at it. If the underdog is going to win, who needs to show up big? Who do they need to stop?

In the order that we’ll be seeing them, these are the most dangerous playmakers remaining for each team still alive in the NFL playoffs.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

This is clearly not a vintage New England Patriots team, but it can still win a Super Bowl. The Pats just need to make sure this guy gets the ball in his hands early and often.

The Patriots have had a healthy Rob Gronkowski in one of the last four postseasons. Not coincidentally, it was the one time they won a Super Bowl. He was healthy until late in the AFC Championship Game in 2011 and they nearly won the Super Bowl when he was clearly hobbled.

Gronk is an absolute game changer, and with Julian Edelman expected back, opponents can’t put 100 percent all of their attention on Gronkowski. This makes them a very hard time to beat.

Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs

September 29, 2014. The New England Patriots traveled to Missouri to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The results were ugly for the Pats. Kansas City won the game 41-14, Tom Brady was 14-for-23 with only 159 yards passing, one touchdowns, and two interceptions. Worse than that, Brady was actually pulled from the game.

A lot went right for the Chiefs in that game, but they were aided by a significant pass rush. Justin Houston sacked Tom Brady twice and forced a fumble. New England hasn’t seen the Chiefs since.

If the Chiefs are going to work though the AFC playoffs, they’re going to need to beat Brady on Saturday, and then either Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger.

They’re going to need a heavy pass rush for that to happen, and that means a lot of Justin Houston. Given that he’s only one year removed from giving the single-season sack record a real run, their chances could be worse.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals do not lack for weapons, but David Johnson makes them a complete offense that when firing, is nearly unstoppable. His running prowess is well known, but Johnson is also a more than a capable receiver out of the backfield.

With a runner like Johnson in the game, opponents have to pick their poison. Either they load up in the front to stop him, opening the door for Carson Palmer to find John Brown, Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald deep.

If they play to stop the deep ball, the Cardinals can hand the ball to Johnson and let him do this.

James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers

This isn’t exactly the best team the Green Bay Packers have ever had. If they’re going to continue to win playoff games, then they’ll need big production out of Aaron Rodgers. If that’s going happen, James Jones is going to need to come through in a big way.

With that being said, the chances of that happening aren’t exactly terrible.

No player who caught more than 50 passes during the 2015 regular season had a higher yards per reception rate than Jones, who caught 50 passes at 17.8 yards per reception. Jones also had eight touchdowns during the regular season, and while he didn’t find the end zone on Sunday against the Redskins, he did stretch the field.

The Packers also played each of the NFC’s other three remaining playoff teams, and Jones caught eight passes at 16.5 yards per reception in those three games.

If Jones is able to do that again, it sets the running game up for Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and even Aaron Rodgers to make big plays. With the exception of Aaron Rodgers, Jones is Green Bay’s most dangerous player.

Josh Norman, CB, Carolina Panthers

A trip to the Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers would mean a victory over Russell Wilson and then another over either Carson Palmer or Aaron Rodgers.

Shutting down quarterbacks of that caliber is not easy, but nobody has been better at shutting down quarterbacks than Josh Norman.

Playoff games are often extremely competitive. As an example, the next opponent for Norman and the Panthers is the Seattle Seahawks, who have played in three straight postseason games decided by six points or less when either team could have easily won.

Games like that are often swayed by a few big plays. With a cornerback like Josh Norman playing as well as he’s played this season, the chances of that play happening against the Panthers significantly drops.

Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Let’s say that the Arizona Cardinals defeat the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. Who are they going to be pulling for when the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers play on Sunday?

On the one hand, a game against the Seahawks would be in Arizona. On the other hand, that would mean facing Tyler Lockett, the man who had punt returns of 66, 42, and 31 yards in Arizona when the two teams played in Week 17.

Lockett was a first-team All-Pro kick returner in 2015, the only rookie to make the team. He also caught 51 passes for 664 yards and six touchdowns, helping contribute to by far the best season of Russell Wilson’s career.

While he only caught one pass against the Vikings, it was a big one and happened on the game’s biggest play.

Indeed, Wilson deserves a lot of credit for tracking the ball down and getting a pass off, but Lockett deserves a lot of credit, as well. He stayed downfield, caught the pass and let his pure speed propell him to what was almost a touchdown.

The Panthers will need to find some way to contain Lockett if they’re going to beat Seattle on Sunday.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos

While Demaryius Thomas might be the Denver Broncos leading receiver, Emmanuel Sanders is their most dangerous playmaker.

First of all, Sanders has a higher yards per reception average than Thomas. Secondly, when the Broncos played four games against the AFC’s other three remaining teams during the regular season he delivered in a big way.

The results speak for themselves.

Neither player was bad by any stretch. But despite having a game where he caught no passes, Sanders caught more total passes for more yards and touchdowns than Thomas. He also had a vastly superior game than Thomas against the Broncos next opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he had a monster game.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, Sanders is also a threat to bust open big plays as a punt returner. Thomas is a great player, but Sainders is the more lethal player heading into a showdown against his former team.

Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

We are, of course, presuming that Antonio Brown will be playing on Sunday. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown “is said to be fine and should be able to play against the Broncos”, so we’re expecting to see him out there.

Like the Broncos, the Steelers played the AFC’s other playoff teams during the regular season. But while Sanders and Thomas both put up good numbers, neither were close to what Brown did.

That’s more receptions and yards — by far — in three games than either Sanders or Thomas had in four, and Brown didn’t get the benefit of playing against Pittsburgh’s secondary. Unlike those two, he also had to play against Denver’s.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, the Steelers have a potential ace up their sleeves with Brown, if they need a big play in special teams.

Brown is a threat to score any time the ball is in his hands. He’s not only the most dangerous playmaker on the Steelers’ roster, but he is also the most dangerous playmaker left in the NFL playoffs.