There is no position more valuable in football than the quarterback.
It’s why the past 11 NFL MVP winners have been quarterbacks. However, every signal-caller — even MVP winners — need help from others to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions at the end of the season. With the league’s conference championship games finally here, let’s take a look at 10 of the most important contributors to their respective team’s success at other positions besides the quarterback.
The NFC divisional round matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions was a back-and-forth affair early. That is until wide receiver Terry McLaurin exploded to take a screen pass 58 yards for a touchdown to give Washington a 17-14 lead with 6:23 left in the first half. From that moment, Washington never trailed again. Scary Terry, a two-time Pro Bowler, has been a rock for Washington for years, and now he’s shining in the postseason.
9. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
It’s been a quiet postseason for one the NFL’s most dangerous receivers. A.J. Brown has just three catches for 24 yards receiving on 10 targets in the Eagles’ two playoff games this season. Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2022, Brown’s been a top-10 receiver in terms of yards receiving (4,031, fourth-most in NFL in span), yards per reception (15.4, fourth-most in NFL in span) and touchdowns receiving (25, tied for seventh-most in NFL in span). Brown could create a splash play for Philadelphia at any moment.
Kansas City Chiefs two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is on fire entering the conference championship round. The 2023 First Team All-Pro and 2024 Second Team All-Pro knocked down three passes in the Chiefs’ divisional round win against the Texans, and he has eight passes defended and two interceptions in his last four games played. Kansas City’s top cover man is cooking at just the right time.
7. Nolan Smith, DE, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith, the 30th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had 7.5 sacks and 39 quarterback pressures through his first two NFL regular seasons. The 24-year-old has ascended into becoming a game-changing pass rusher this postseason. His three sacks are tied for the second-most in the playoffs along with Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis, and his 11 quarterback pressures are the third-most this postseason. He’ll be crucial in slowing down Jayden Daniels on Sunday and perhaps Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen in the Super Bowl.
Only four players in the 2024 regular season totaled at least 1,000 yards rushing and Bills running back James Cook was one of them. Cook’s production of 1,009 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, tied for the most in the NFL with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs. His 18 touchdowns from scrimmage were tied for the second-most in the regular season with Henry and trailing only Gibbs’ 20. Cook’s 120-yard rushing game in the team’s wild-card round win over the Denver Broncos made him the first Bills player with a 100-yard rushing game in the playoffs since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas did so in 1995. Buffalo is 14-1 when Cook gets over 10 touches (catches or rushing attempts) this season, including the playoffs and 0-3 when he gets 10 or fewer touches. Cook is a big deal as Josh Allen’s top playmaker.
5. George Karlaftis, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis, the team’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft, is fresh off of one of the best playoff pass-rushing performances in franchise history. His three sacks of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in an AFC divisional round victory are tied for the Chiefs’ single-game playoff record along with Frank Clark’s three of then-Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson in the 2019 AFC divisional round. In NFL playoff history, Karlaftis’ three-sack performance is tied for the ninth-most in a single game in NFL postseason history. He led the Chiefs with eight regular-season sacks in 2024, and he’s totaled seven sacks in eight career playoff games. When the lights shine brightest, Karlaftis shows up for the Chiefs defense.
4. Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
No one has been better at flustering opposing quarterbacks this postseason than Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter. His 12 quarterback pressures are tied with Los Angeles edge rusher Jared Verse for the most in these playoffs, and his two sacks are tied for the eighth-most, just one-and-a-half behind playoff leader Will Anderson Jr.’s 3.5.
Carter’s play on the Rams’ final drive of the divisional round literally won Philadelphia the game. The Eagles were on the rope up by just six, 28-22 with just over minute left to play, and Los Angeles had reached as far as the Philadelphia 13. On a third-and-2 from that spot, Carter took over. He sacked Stafford on that short third down, and on the ensuing fourth down, he pressured him into an errant throw that had no chance for wide receiver Puka Nacua, his intended target to corral the football. Stafford’s throw sailed way high and out of bounds. Game over. Carter is one of the top game wreckers this postseason.
Yes, the 35-year-old version of Travis Kelce is not playing at the Pro Bowl and All-Pro level we’re used to seeing. His 823 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns are career lows in regular seasons in which he’s played multiple games. However, Kelce, in tandem with Patrick Mahomes, remain the league’s bogeymen for the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs offense — their 18 postseason touchdowns together are the most by a QB-pass catcher duo in playoff history. That was evident in Kansas City’s divisional round win vs. the Texans in which Kelce went off for 117 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven catches. His 172 playoff catches are the most in NFL postseason history.
It might not always be pretty, but when it’s third down or late in a game, there aren’t many other people more dependable when it comes to moving the chains or getting into the end zone, especially in the playoffs. Only the GOAT wide receiver Jerry Rice (2,245 playoff receiving yards) has more receiving yards in the postseason than Kelce’s 2,020.
2. Chris Jones, DT, Kansas City Chiefs
For years, the Chiefs were powered by the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes’ aerial assault, but that’s no longer the case. In 2024, Kansas City has the 15th-ranked scoring offense (22.6 points per game) and the fourth-ranked scoring defense (19.2). The biggest driver of that top-five unit is All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones. He hasn’t been as effective getting to the quarterback this season with only five sacks, but his pressure numbers remain consistent: His 74 regular-season quarterback pressures were the sixth most in the entire NFL and the most by a defensive tackle in 2024.
Jones is PFF’s highest-graded pass-rushing defensive tackle (91.0), and the third-highest graded defensive tackle (89.7 PFF defensive grade) in the entire league. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is built around the havoc Jones consistently creates, which opens up opportunity for others like Karlaftis.
Close your eyes. What comes to mind when you think of the 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles? For many, it’s the NFL’s leading rusher in Saquon Barkley and Philadelphia’s star-studded offensive line. Barkley is obviously having a special year: He is only the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards (2,005) in a single season. He’s also been just as dominant in the playoffs.
A big factor in Barkley’s rise this season is his stacked offensive line. His eye-popping 2.64 yards before contact per rush led the NFL in 2024, and that average was a major increase from his 1.35 yards before contact per rush average with the New York Giants from 2018-2023. His Giants average in this metric was the 12th best in the NFL among the 26 running backs with at least 700 carries from 2018 to 2023.
Barkley also makes a big difference. D’Andre Swift, the Eagles’ featured running back last season, also led the NFL in yards before contact per rush with a 2.16 average in 2023, but that’s just under half a yard fewer with what was an even greater Eagles offensive line with future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce still playing. The difference Barkley makes for his offense and his defense — the Eagles led the NFL in time of possession per game (32 minutes and 22 seconds on average) — is why he is the postseason’s most valuable non-quarterback.
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