25 players to watch in the 2020 NFL playoffs

The Ravens will go as far as the runaway NFL MVP takes them. Last year, Jackson completed just 14 of 29 passes in a first-round exit from the postseason. After Baltimore earned the top seed in the AFC, the expectations are that he’ll do a whole lot more the second time around. Jackson’s been downright unstoppable all year and threw just one interception in his last 10 starts of the regular season.

Key stat: 1,206 rushing yards and an NFL-leading 36 touchdown passes

Brees turns 41 in January, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him in 2019. After an early-season thumb injury kept him out for five games, Brees returned and looked as good as new. The Saints’ offense kicked into another gear in December with an average of 40 points per game. Brees threw 15 touchdowns and no interceptions in the last month of the season and became the NFL’s all-time passing touchdown leader.

Key stat: Career-best 116.3 passer rating in 2019

It was a trying season for the reigning MVP. His top receiver, Tyreek Hill, dealt with injuries, while Mahomes went down with a dislocated patella in October. Somehow, he only missed two games, but Mahomes couldn’t quite replicate his touchdown avalanche of 2018. Did he have a bad year, though? Absolutely not. Mahomes still ranked in the top 10 in touchdown passes, passing yards per game, and passer rating. Once he got back to 100 percent, the Chiefs won their last six games of the year to secure a first-round bye.

Key stat: Cut his interception rate from 2.1 percent in 2018 to 1.0 percent in 2019

Gilmore, the leader of the NFL’s top secondary, has been a shutdown corner in every aspect. He hauled in six interceptions (tied for the league lead) while allowing just one touchdown in coverage in 2019. He’s a trusted piece of Bill Belichick’s defense, and the Patriots’ willingness to let him sink or swim in single coverage creates the flexibility and chaos that had Sam Darnold “seeing ghosts” early in the season.

Key stat: Held QBs to a 47.4 passer rating this season

Kittle is the most complete tight end in football. Despite looking like a traditional receiving tight end, he’s a mauling blocker who is also often used as a gadget-type player in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The 49ers run screens to him, he’s the primary blocker on wham and trap runs, and he’s even run a reverse or two this season. More importantly, he’s just a great receiver who is nearly impossible to bring down.

Key stat: Led all receivers and tight ends with 17 avoided tackles after reception

The Seahawks tore down their defense in the last few years and have struggled to find offensive line help or weapons to surround Wilson. Yet, through it all, Wilson kept leading Seattle to more wins than losses. He has the Seahawks in the playoffs again in 2019, despite getting sacked more than any player in the NFL and Seattle’s defense ranking in the bottom five in yards per play allowed.

Key stat: Five game-winning drives in 2019

It made no difference whether it was Drew Brees or Teddy Bridgewater under center. Thomas caught a ridiculous amount of passes, regardless. He finished with double-digit receptions in nine games en route to the most productive season for a pass catcher in NFL history. His 1,725 receiving yards weren’t too shabby either, coming in at seventh-most in an NFL season. Stopping Thomas was impossible all year and probably won’t be easy in the playoffs.

Key stat: 149 receptions, a single-season NFL record

Watson led Houston to double-digit wins for the second year in a row and was especially good when the Texans needed him most. Watson outdueled Patrick Mahomes in a win over the Chiefs, scored four touchdowns to beat the Patriots, and threw two touchdowns to beat the Titans and claim the AFC South. Even in a tight loss to the Saints, Watson accounted for four total touchdowns. When the stakes are highest, Watson always shows up.

Key stat: Responsible for 34 total touchdowns (26 passing, seven rushing, one receiving)

Few expected Sherman to recover from his ruptured Achilles the way he has. But he had a strong showing in 2018 and this season he has been absolutely lockdown. Quarterbacks hardly ever throw to his side of the field, and he’s playing like one of the top cornerbacks in the league again, even at age 31. He’s not just the leader of San Francisco’s defense, but also of the entire team.

Key stat: Allowed a 46.8 passer rating on throws in his direction

Rodgers hasn’t been his usual explosive self in 2019. A rotating cast of unheralded but occasionally overachieving wideouts has led to the lowest QBR of his career as a starter in Green Bay. That doesn’t tell the full story of his season, though. Rodgers remains the kind of quarterback who can slice your defense up several different ways, scrambling for first downs one quarter before unleashing a pinpoint deep ball with a flick of his wrist moments later.

Key stat: Threw interceptions on just 0.7 percent of his passes, lowest in the NFL

A 247-pound man shouldn’t be this fast, but no one has had more breakaway touchdowns than Henry since he joined the league in 2016 — he’s got four 70+ yard touchdown runs. He turned into an unstoppable force late in the year with 896 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the last six games alone. It’s no coincidence that Tennessee finished the season by winning five of its last six to secure a wild card berth.

Key stat: NFL leader in rushing yards (1,540) and rushing touchdowns (16)

Before the season, there were major questions about Garoppolo, who had never played a full 16-game season and was coming off an ACL tear. Yet almost every time teams have tried to force Garoppolo to beat them, he’s done just that. He’s an efficient passer who can make all the throws, and he executes the nuances of Kyle Shanahan’s offense while being exceedingly calm under pressure. He’s thrown his share of interceptions, but a number were his receivers’ fault.

Key stat: Four fourth-quarter comebacks, tied for the NFL lead

The 2017 first-round pick showed potential early in his career, but stepped into the class of elite cornerbacks in 2019. His six interceptions were tied for the league lead and he didn’t give up a single touchdown. There wasn’t even a player in the NFL who caught two interceptions without giving up a touchdown. He didn’t get the attention that Stephon Gilmore got, but an argument could be made that White has had the better year.

Key stat: Caught six interceptions and gave up zero touchdowns

One of the biggest reasons Tennessee is in the playoffs is due to Tannehill’s performance. After taking over for Marcus Mariota, Tannehill went 7-3 as a starter, with a 70 percent completion percentage, 22 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. The type of confidence he’s playing with coming off the bench is fun to watch. With Mariota set to be a free agent, Tannehill has solidified his case to be the Titans’ quarterback of the future.

Key stat: NFL leader in yards per yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (117.5)

Neither Za’Darius Smith nor Preston Smith had ever posted double-digit sacks before, but that changed in their first year with the Packers. Za’Darius Smith’s 13.5 sacks are more than his last three seasons in Baltimore combined. Preston Smith’s 12 sacks equal his last two seasons of production in Washington. Both are likely to have an impact in the playoffs, with Za’Darius leading the way for the Smith & Smith pass-rushing duo.

Key stat: The only team with two players at 12+ sacks

Brady has finally shown signs of decline at 42; his 24 touchdown passes were his fewest since 2006. Even so, he came up big in a game-winning drive to spark a comeback win over the Bills and secure the Patriots the AFC East title again. The veteran quarterback has something to prove, too. His Patriots actually won’t be favorites this postseason. Can he use that motivation to become the oldest player to win a Super Bowl ... again?

Key stat: A 30-10 record in the playoffs, including six Super Bowl wins

Bosa was expected be a great pass rusher, but it’s possible even the 49ers are surprised at how excellent he’s been this season. He’s a constant force on every snap who disrupts the offense better than anyone on San Francisco’s elite defense. His only issue is an occasionally lazy arm that loses him some sacks, but he hits the quarterback more than any other rookie and is effective against the run, too.

Key stat: Led all rookies in tackles for loss (16) and quarterback hits (25)

It’s kind of odd that Mathieu’s on his third team in three years when you consider how impactful he’s been throughout his career. He’s certainly lived up to the three-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Chiefs, though. After a slow start to the season, the much-maligned Kansas City defense looked like a brand new unit late in the year. That was largely thanks to Mathieu, who dialed his play up in November.

Key stat: Had three interceptions and allowed zero touchdowns in the last eight weeks

If there’s a play to be made on defense, Wagner’s probably going to be there to make it. For the second time in his career, he led the NFL in tackles, and he also recorded one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and three sacks in 2019. Wagner, a Pro Bowl selection for the sixth year in a row, does it all in the middle of the Seahawks’ defense.

Key stat: Led the NFL with 159 total tackles

Statistically, Allen is far behind the other quarterbacks on this list. But the progress he’s made in year two can’t be ignored. Compared to his rookie year, Allen threw fewer interceptions, twice as many touchdowns, and about 1,000 more passing yards. He also continues to be a danger on the ground with nine rushing touchdowns. Defense got the Bills into the postseason, but their shot at a Super Bowl rests on the shoulders of their rapidly improving quarterback.

Key stat: An NFL-high five game-winning drives and four fourth-quarter comebacks

The 30-year-old defensive end has been the heart and soul of the Saints defense for close to a decade. He’s playing some of his best-ever football in 2019, too. Jordan posted career-best sack numbers and finished third in the NFL in pressures with 83. The Saints ranked in the top 11 in yards allowed for the first time in six years, and Jordan was right there leading the way.

Key stat: Career-best 15.5 sacks

For most of 2019, Cousins looked like a quarterback actually worth a fully guaranteed $84 million deal. When Cousins played well, the Vikings were a juggernaut. In their 10 wins, he threw 19 touchdowns with only two interceptions and had a 126.2 passer rating. In his five losses in 2019, Cousins had just seven touchdowns with four interceptions. Minnesota’s postseason hopes rest on the good version of Cousins showing up in January.

Key stat: Career-best 107.4 passer rating

Early in the season, Wentz looked like he was regressing. The Eagles quarterback finished the year strong, though. In the last four games of the regular season, he threw seven touchdowns with no interceptions and posted a 100.8 passer rating. Wentz did this with a wide receivers corps full of castoffs. With DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Nelson Agholor all out, Wentz made do with a rag-tag group of replacements and led the Eagles to the NFC East crown.

Key stat: Threw completions to 16 different players and touchdowns to 10

The electric and flashy play of Lamar Jackson has been perfectly complemented by Ingram’s bowling ball style. Don’t get it twisted, though. Giving the ball to Ingram doesn’t mean three yards and a cloud of dust. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the regular season and broke loose on six rushes of at least 20 yards. Ingram also caught five touchdown passes, matching the total of receiving touchdowns he had in eight seasons with the Saints.

Key stat: Career-high 15 total touchdowns

It hasn’t been an impressive season for Cox by his lofty standards. He only posted 3.5 sacks in 2019. But when the Eagles needed their star defensive tackle to make plays, he did. He recovered a fumble in Week 17 that all but guaranteed the Eagles got to the playoffs. He also forced a fumble in a crucial Week 16 game against the Cowboys. Don’t think a slow year means Cox can’t make life difficult for opponents in January.

Key stat: Career-high three forced fumbles