Five Players To Watch During The Divisional Playoffs

Added on Jan 13, 2011 by Scott in

NFL

It’ll be hard to top last weekend’s Wild-Card round of NFL games, but the Divisional Playoffs still hold a lot of intrigue, if for no other reason than the top four seeds will finally be suiting up. Road teams pulled out wins in three of four contests in the opening round, so the big boys best beware. We have a pair of rubber match meetings with the Ravens-Steelers and Jets-Patriots squaring off, and a pair of rematches from the regular season with the Seahawks-Bears and Packers-Falcons colliding. Here are five players to watch this weekend.

Ed Reed (Ravens) – It’s been a rough week off the field for Reed, so it will be interesting to see how much of an impact he will have versus Pittsburgh. In addition to his personal issues, he’s also nursing banged up ribs. Reed is one of the NFL’s greatest defensive playmakers, but he’s missed two of the last three meetings against the Steelers and hasn’t recorded an interception versus them since 2007. In what promises to be a tight affair, a timely pick, sack or forced fumble could turn the tide quickly. Reed is overdue for a monster game.

James Starks (Packers) – The Pack finally found a rush attack against Philly. Was James Starks’ 123 yards a sign of things to come, or just a product of facing a wounded and ineffective Eagles defense? The Falcons ranked tenth versus the run during the regular season and stymied the likes of Frank Gore, Ray Rice and Packers’ runners at home. Starks ran hard and looked fresh last Sunday. If he can help balance the offense and open up play-action for Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay could find themselves marching on to the NFC Championship.

Jay Cutler (Bears) – Cutler must keep his composure in his first career postseason start. He threw for 290 yards in the Week 6 loss to Seattle, but was only 17/39 with no touchdowns. He has a resurgent Matt Forte in the backfield, a solid defense and a deadly special teams backing him, so there’s no room for excuses. As long as he avoids stupid turnovers, the Bears should win comfortably against a team ripe for a letdown after last week’s stunning upset of the defending champions.

Antonio Cromartie (Jets) – Cromartie expressed his dislike for Tom Brady yesterday. Why anyone would push Brady’s buttons is a mystery, but Cromartie isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He was burned badly by Pierre Garcon in the victory over the Colts, but managed to redeem himself with a late game kickoff return that help set up the game-winning field goal. He has the skills to be a great cover cornerback as long as he stays disciplined on his backpedal. Brady will attempt to bait him into mistakes. If he bites, it’ll be lights out for the guys in green.

Danny Woodhead (Patriots) – The ex-Jet was inactive for the Pats 28-14 loss to New York during Week 2. In the rematch, Woodhead tallied 115 yards on six touches and seemed extremely motivated to face his former employers. He has become a key contributor down the stretch due to his versatility and quickness. Brady, Green-Ellis, Branch and Gronkowski will receive most of the attention. However, if the Jets fail to account for Woodhead, he will make them pay.