It may be a passing league now, but several non-quarterbacks will play pivotal roles in what happens during the 2024 AFC playoffs. Specifically, one of the best teams in the AFC will rely heavily on someone other than its quarterback to carry the load when the playoffs begin this weekend.
Each of the six AFC teams playing this weekend will need all-out efforts to advance to the divisional round. That probably applies most to the Steelers, who returned to the playoffs after becoming the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs despite losing their final four games. Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson struggled during the team’s late-season slide, but he didn’t get much help from a receiving corps that never got much-needed improvement.
Wilson and his fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Bo Nix and Justin Herbert will undoubtedly play a big role in what happens over the next three weeks. But what about the non-quarterbacks who play in these games? Let’s take a look at the five best non-quarterbacks who will have a big influence on what happens during the AFC playoffs.
It’s safe to say Henry exceeded all of Baltimore’s expectations when they signed him last offseason. This year, Henry rushed for the most yards in NFL history for a player who did not win the rushing title. Henry’s 1,921 yards this year are the 11th-highest total in NFL history and are also the most by a player over the age of 30.
Henry, who celebrated his 31st birthday during Baltimore’s division-clinching victory over Cleveland, appears to be the same player who enjoyed a historic postseason run with the Titans in 2019 that nearly reached the Super Bowl. Henry rushed for 446 yards in three postseason games, and there’s nothing to suggest he won’t be able to replicate that kind of success over the next month.
Throughout the season, the Ravens monitored Henry’s workload in an effort to keep him fresh for the stretch run. After Baltimore’s bye in Week 14, Henry rushed for 514 yards while helping the Ravens close the regular season with four straight wins. Included in that stretch was a 162-yard outing against the Steelers, the team the Ravens will host Saturday night in the wild-card round.
It could be easy to overlook him, given his relatively quiet regular season. But as long as he continues to play for the Chiefs, Kelce will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
The Chiefs’ season so far has been somewhat reminiscent of the 2001 Lakers, who trudged through the regular season before entering the playoffs, going 15-1 en route to successfully defending their title. No Laker turned it on more during that postseason than Shaquille O’Neal, whose dominance back then is similar to what Kelce has been doing throughout his career, especially in the playoffs.
While it was his least productive season in a decade, Kelce still led the Chiefs in receptions and receiving yards. While his drop in production could be due to him now being 35 years old, the biggest culprit is likely the fact that the future Hall of Famer is the skill player that opposing defenses primarily focus on stopping.
That will continue to be the case in the playoffs, just as it has been for years. But despite the Texas-sized target on his back, Kelce always seems to come out ahead in the playoffs. Last year, he led all postseason players in receptions, yards and touchdowns, doing so for the second year in a row and for the third time since 2020.
Like Shaq in his prime, I hope Kelce continues to deliver when it matters most.
Like Henry and Jackson, Cook has been a perfect complement to Allen. Cook led the NFL with 16 touchdown runs while also being a solid contributor in the passing game.
Cook’s impact was on display during Buffalo’s big Week 16 matchup against the Lions in Detroit. Against arguably the best team in the NFC, Cook rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. He also caught a key 28-yard pass in Buffalo’s 48-42 victory.
The Bills will need more of that from Cook in the coming weeks, starting with their wild card matchup against the Broncos. While Denver’s defense has been stingy this year, it has allowed three of the NFL’s best running backs (Henry, Kenneth Walker III and Jonathan Taylor) to rush for over 100 yards (no other player has rushed for over 100 yards against Denver this year). . Let’s see if Cook can join that list.
McConkey is part of what has been a productive generation of rookie wide receivers, a group that also includes the Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr., the Giants’ Malik Nabers, the Chiefs’ Xavier Worthy and the Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr.. In last year’s draft, McConkey has a chance to build on his impressive rookie season during the playoffs.
After a slow start, McConkey finally became a key piece in the Chargers’ offense, starting with his two-touchdown performance in Los Angeles’ Week 8 victory over the Saints. McConkey finished the regular season with a bang; He caught 45 passes for 647 yards and three touchdowns in his final even games. He caught five passes for 95 yards in the Chargers’ win over the Raiders in Week 18.
Consistency has been one of McConkey’s greatest strengths. He had 87, 94 and 95 receiving yards during the Chargers’ final three regular-season games. The Chargers will need him to produce at the same level (if not more) if they want to advance beyond the wild card round. McConkey hopes to help Herbert win his first playoff game.
Pittsburgh is capable of surprising Baltimore in Saturday night’s wild-card round matchup, but it will require Pickens to play as the No. 1 receiver. However, that wasn’t the case in the Steelers’ last two outings, as Pickens caught just four passes in those games which included a terrible one-catch, zero-yard outing in Pittsburgh’s Week 18 loss to the Bengals. .
The Steelers need Pickens to return to his pre-injury form after missing three games late in the regular season. Before his injury, Pickens was enjoying his best season to date. He was largely consistent and was giving Pittsburgh much-needed big plays that seemed to unlock the offense. He had a season-high eight catches for 89 yards in the Steelers’ Week 11 win over the Ravens, so it’s not that Pickens can’t have success against Baltimore’s secondary.
This is a critical postseason for Pickens, whose immense potential remains largely unrealized. Pickens often gets in his way, as he has occasionally had trouble maintaining his composure on the field despite it being his third season as a professional. The Steelers may be willing to trade him this offseason, given his lack of production thus far, as well as his ongoing behavioral issues. Pickens can help change that narrative and others if he can help Pittsburgh break its eight-year playoff drought.
