X-Factors For NFL Divisional Round
The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs consists of eight of the very best teams in the league, all led by eight of the very best quarterbacks in the league.
Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Russel Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Alex Smith, Carson Palmer.
That's quite a list, right?
All of the games have a fairly even match-up at the quarterback position, so for the sake of argument, let's look at other players on the field who could be x-factors for their team's success.
Kansas City Chiefs - Travis Kelce
The Kansas City tight end has been one of Smith's favorite targets this season. His 72 receptions was good for second on the team, just after Jeremy Maclin who had 87.
With Maclin's health a question mark for the game against the Patriots on Saturday, Kelce's role is going to be amplified.
Kelce had a big game against the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round leading the team in both receptions with eight and yards with 128.
The Kansas City offense uses the tight ends and running backs often in the pass game. For the Chiefs to have any success against the Patriots, they are going to have to put up enough points to keep up with Brady and the New England offense.
New England Patriots - Julian Edelman
Edelman missed the last seven games of the regular season. There's no doubt that the Patriots offense has struggled without him.
In just the nine games the wide receiver played in this season, he had 61 receptions and seven touchdowns.
As much of a threat as Rob Gronkowski is for New England, Edelman is the most important skill player on the team. His health is questionable, although it is being reported that he will play against the Chiefs on Saturday.
If he plays up to his potential, it will be hard for Kansas City to stop the pass game of the Patriots. If his health is an issue in the game, New England could be in some trouble.
Green Bay Packers - Eddie Lacy
Aaron Rodgers needs some help. As good as he is, he needs help from the rest of his offense.
The best way to help Rodgers is to get a quality running game going. Lacy hasn't had a great season, but he has played well as of late.
Lacy ran for 63 yards and a touchdown in the Wild Card round against the Washington Redskins.
With Arizona's pass rush and secondary being as tough as it is, Lacy can really change the defensive scheme with an effective run game.
Look for the Packers to feed Lacy early to see if he can get anything going. If he does, it gives the Packers a much better chance for success. If not, the Packers offense may not stand a chance.
Arizona Cardinals - Patrick Peterson
He's one of the very few corner backs in the league who can change the outcome of an entire game. He is easily the best player on a great Arizona defense.
He will match-up against the Green Bay Packers' best receiver, Randall Cobb.
If he can shut down Cobb, it limits the things Green Bay can do through the air.
Not only is he a shut down corner, but he is also one of the best punt-returners in the league. Field position is huge in the NFL playoffs and he can change the game with a big punt return, he may even return one for a touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks - Tyler Lockett
Lockett may be one of the most explosive players in the NFL. He doesn't rack up the receptions or targets, but when he does touch the ball, he has a chance of making a big play.
Whether it's on a kick return, a deep pass, or a wide receiver screen, his speed and agility make him a dangerous weapon.
The Carolina defense is one of the toughest in the NFL.
The best chance the Seahawks have against the Panthers dominant defense is to come up with a creative offensive game plan which could incorporate Lockett quite a lot.
Carolina Panthers - Luke Kuechly
Kuechly is a complete game changer on defense. His ability to play the pass and run makes him one of the most dominant middle linebackers in the game today.
Kuechly has the ability to sack the quarterback, make a one on one tackle with a running back and shut down a tight end in the pass game.
Russell Wilson likes to take off and run if his receivers aren't open and Keuchly may be on the few linebackers who can chase the quarterback down.
It will be hard for the Seahawks to set-up in offensive flow with number 59 roaming in the middle of field.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Martavis Bryant
Antonio Brown has been officially ruled out of the game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
With Brown out, the rest of the receivers will have a big responsibility to step up. Roethlisberger called out Bryant two weeks ago and he responded with a big game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
He will have to step up even more now that he is the number one receiver on the team.
Pittsburgh is banged up on offense. "Big Ben" has an injured right shoulder, but he should play. DeAngelo Williams will not be playing for the second week in a row.
The offense needs Bryant to have a big game.
Denver Broncos- Ronnie Hillman/C.J. Andersen
The Broncos will need both running backs to have a big game against the Steelers.
The Peyton Manning playing on Sunday is not the same Peyton Manning of old who could completely dominate a defense by throwing it 50 times.
Hillman and Andersen will need to take some pressure off of Manning.
If the two running backs can open up the run game against a less than stellar Pittsburgh defense, it will allow Manning more time in play-action and pass plays.
The quarterback position has been a struggle all year for the Broncos. Some of the biggest wins they have this year were a result of the running game playing well.
