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 AFC's top teams will be relying heavily on someone other than its quarterback to carry the load when the playoffs begin this weekend.
Each of the AFC's six teams that are playing this weekend will need complete team efforts in order to advance to the divisional round. That probably applies the most to the Steelers, who backed into the playoffs after becoming the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs despite losing their last 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 its much-needed upgrade.
Wilson and fellow quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Bo Nix and Justin Herbert will undoubtedly play big roles in what happens over the next three weeks. But what about the non-quarterbacks playing in these games? Let's take a look at the top-five non-quarterbacks who will have a big say in what happens during the AFC playoffs.
1. Derrick Henry
It's safe to say that Henry exceeded all of Baltimore's expectations when they signed him last offseason. This year, Henry ran 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 ever for a player over the age of 30.
Henry, who celebrated his 31st birthday during Baltimore's division-clinching win over Cleveland, appears to be the same player who enjoyed a historic postseason run with the Titans in 2019 that fell just short of the Super Bowl. Henry ran for a whopping 446 yards in three postseason games, and there's nothing that would suggest that he isn't capable of mimicking that type of success over the next month.
During the season, the Ravens monitored Henry's workload in an effort to keep him fresh for the stretch run. Following Baltimore's Week 14 bye, Henry ran for 514 yards while helping the Ravens close out the regular season with four straight wins. Included in that stretch was a 162-yard outing against the Steelers, the team the Ravens will play host to on Saturday night in the wild-card round.
2. Travis Kelce
He might be easy to overlook, given his relatively quiet regular season. But as long as he is still playing 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 plodded through the regular season before turning it on for the playoffs, going 15-1 en route to successfully defending their title. No Laker turned it on more during that postseason run 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 dip in production could stem from being 35 now, the bigger culprit is likely the fact that the future Hall of Famer is the skill player opposing defenses focus primarily on stopping.
That will continue to be the case in the playoffs, just as it has been for years. But despite the Texas-sized bullseye on his back, Kelce seems to seemingly always come through in the playoffs. Last year, he led all postseason players in receptions, yards and touchdowns, doing so for the second straight year and for the third time since 2020.
Like Shaq in his prime, I expect Kelce to continue to deliver when it matters most.
3. James Cook
Similarly to Henry and Jackson, Cook has been a perfect complement to Allen. Cook led the NFL with 16 touchdown runs in addition to being a solid contributor in the passing game.
Cook's impact was on full display during Buffalo's big Week 16 showdown against the Lions in Detroit. Against arguably the NFC's top team, Cook ran roughshod for 105 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. He also caught a key 28-yard pass in Buffalo's 48-42 win.
The Bills will need more of that from Cook in the coming weeks, starting with their wild-card showdown against the Broncos. While Denver's defense has been stingy this year, it has allowed three of the NFL's best backs (Henry, Kenneth Walker III and Jonathan Taylor) to rush for over 100 yards (no other players have run for over 100 yards vs. Denver this year). Let's see if Cook can join that list.
4. Ladd McConkey
McConkey is part of what has been a productive rookie class of wideouts, a group that also includes the Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr., the Giants' Malik Nabers, the Chiefs' Xavier Worthy and the Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. The ninth wideout selected in last year's draft, McConkey has a chance to add to his impressive rookie season during the playoffs.
After a slow start, McConkey ultimately became a key cog in the Chargers offense, starting with his two-touchdown performance in Los Angeles' Week 8 win over the Saints. McConkey finished the regular season with a bang; he caught 45 passes for 647 yards and three touchdowns in his last even games. He caught five passes for 95 yards in the Chargers' playoff-clinching win over the Raiders in Week 18.
Consistency has been one of McConkey's greatest strengths. He recorded 87, 94 and 95 receiving yards during the Chargers' final three games of the regular season. The Chargers will need him to produce at that same level (if not higher) if they are going to advance beyond the wild-card round. McConkey is hoping to help Herbert win his first-ever playoff game.
5. George Pickens
Pittsburgh is capable of upsetting Baltimore in Saturday night's wild-card round showdown, but it'll require Pickens to play like a No. 1 receiver. That wasn't the case in the Steelers' last two outings, though, as Pickens caught just four passes in those games that included a dreadful one-catch, zero-yard output 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. Prior to getting injured, Pickens was enjoying his best season to date. He was largely consistent and was providing Pittsburgh with 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 like Pickens can't have success against Baltimore's secondary.
This is a critical postseason for Pickens, whose immense potential has still largely been untapped. Pickens often gets in his own way, as he has occasionally struggled to maintain his composure on the field despite this being his third season as a professional. It's conceivable that the Steelers may be willing to trade him this offseason, given his lack of production so far as well as his ongoing behavior issues. Pickens can help change that narrative and others if he can help Pittsburgh snap its eight-year drought without a playoff win.