Playoff berths and seeds are on the line during Week 16, and some NFL players will play a particularly notable role in his respective team’s success.
The list is ordered based on the scheduled kickoff time, starting with a pivotal NFC East tilt on Saturday night and ending with a critical AFC battle on Monday Night Football.
Kirk Cousins, Washington football team
Although Washington hasn’t reached the postseason since Robert Griffin III’s rookie season, that would change if the team edges the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
However, Cousins and Co. have struggled on the road. Washington has posted a 6-2 record at home but a 1-5 mark away from FedEx Field, and Cousins’ performance directly correlates to those issues.
Cousins has averaged two touchdowns and 0.25 interceptions per home game, while those numbers dip to 1.0 and 1.5, respectively, on the road. In fact, he’s never not thrown an at least one interception during 11 career road games as a starter.
Washington needs a home-like performance from Cousins to clinch a playoff berth.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Houston recorded a critical victory over the Indianapolis Colts, so the Texans might only need one more victory to secure a place in the postseason.
The easiest route to the playoffs is to win twice, but Houston must accomplish that with Brandon Weeden under center if Brian Hoyer is unavailable. Either way, though, the Texans needs to keep DeAndre Hopkins as the primary focus of the game plan.
Hopkins registered eight receptions, 94 yards and a touchdown earlier this season against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed five receivers to eclipse the 100-yard mark during the last five weeks.
Rotation of covering Rob Gronkowski, New York Jets
The New England Patriots are running out of weapons for Tom Brady. Julian Edelman is sidelined and Danny Amendola is out until the playoffs, leaving Rob Gronkowski as the lone significant option.
While Gronk is a tremendous player — and his presence is invaluable — if the Jets can contain the tight end, they’ll focus on shutting down Brandon LaFell and Keshawn Martin, which is hardly a daunting task.
But containing Gronk is no easy job. It’s not a one-man job, and that can mean shuffling through defenders responsible for him, double-covering the All-Pro or a combination of both.
When the Patriots and Jets met in Week 7, Gronkowski shredded the defense for 11 catches, 108 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals
One of the most disappointing headlines of the week read “Tyrann Mathieu tears right ACL, out for season.” Jerraud Powers should fill the void at nickelback, but Deone Bucannon will play a major role opposite the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers probably won’t have much success throwing to the outside. James Jones and Davante Adams have struggled to create separation, and that shouldn’t change against Arizona’s stout secondary.
So, Green Bay must attack other areas of the field. Since a staple of head coach Mike McCarthy’s play-calling is screens, Bucannon will be tasked with keying James Starks and Eddie Lacy out of the backfield. Bucannon may cover tight end Richard Rodgers, too.
Rashad Jennings, New York Giants
This might come as a surprise, but the Giants backfield assembled a productive, balanced day when the coaching staff didn’t use a four-man rotation.
Shocking, right?
Since Odell Beckham Jr. is suspended for the must-win contest against the Minnesota Vikings, the offense needs to take some pressure off of Eli Manning. Running back Rashad Jennings is critical to that effort.
Jennings has tallied 188 rushing yards over the last two outings. You can’t find a four-game stretch prior to Weeks 14 and 15 where he even matched the number.
Minnesota has surrendered 100-plus total yards to each of their last five opponents’ starting running backs. New York needs Jennings to be close to that mark.
AJ McCarron, Cincinnati Bengals
Here’s the complete list of running backs who recorded at least 10 carries and averaged four yards per attempt against the Denver Broncos: Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson.
Expecting Jeremy Hill or Giovani Bernard to join that group would be unwise, though it probably won’t be due to a lack of trying. After all, do the Bengals really want to rely on AJ McCarron to beat the NFL’s No. 1 defense?
Well, sometimes you don’t get what you want. In all likelihood, Cincinnati will regularly face third-and-long situations where passing the ball is the only realistic option in order to avoid a punt.
The Bengals have secured a playoff berth, but they need McCarron to play like Brady or Ben Roethlisberger to beat the Broncos and clinch home-field advantage.