By now you know basically everything about the on-field play of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels and the other quality quarterbacks in this divisional round.
Let’s dig deeper.
Here, I highlight the young players who will play important roles in the second round of these NFL playoffs, but who are not necessarily regularly headlining.
Aligning myself with the remaining eight teams, I chose eight players here, one from each team. And to be selected, the player had to either be a rookie or be in his second season.
Nnamdi Madubuike leads the Ravens with 59 pressures. He is their enforcer within. And he’ll see a lot of Torrence, Buffalo’s second-year right guard.
So far this season – including the win against the Broncos – Torrence has given up 38 pressures on 625 pass-blocking snaps, a respectable number for a young blocker protecting an ultra-mobile quarterback like Allen. Torrence, who weighs nearly 350 pounds, hasn’t allowed a sack all season, although part of that was due to Allen running away, and since Week 2, Torrence has only been called for four penalties on more than 1,000 snaps.
Torrence’s steady play is essential and understated for the Bills offense. If he has a good game against a strong Ravens front, it would be a boon for Buffalo.
It’s not just about Kyle Hamiltion’s move to free safety: Wiggins’ presence outside of Baltimore’s secondary has been a vital part of the club’s defensive turnaround midway through this season.
Teams have targeted Wiggins’ cornerback, Brandon Stephens, as the weak link in the Ravens’ defense to the tune of 71 receptions for 892 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Baltimore knows these targets are moving toward Stephens, which means they’ll likely get him help with Hamilton up top more often than most veteran cornerbacks. That will leave Wiggins in one-on-one situations with Amari Cooper, Keon Coleman and Mack Hollins, Buffalo’s primary outside receivers. The quality of the Clemson rookie’s coverage and catch point will be key in this matchup. Including the first-round playoff victory, Allen averaged 9.3 yards per attempt (second in the NFL behind Jackson) with 16 touchdowns and three interceptions on outside throws this season.
Campbell is one of the few Lions defensive starters who has avoided injury this season, and he has emerged as the defense’s quarterback. In nearly 1,000 snaps, he only missed 10 tackles, had five TD passes and allowed no touchdowns in his zone coverage.
We know that Daniels will want to continue to finish the game easily, over and over again, keeping the commanders in mind. These controls and marked routes to Austin Ekeler are a critical high-percentage element of Washington’s air attack.
Oh yeah and Daniels can really run. Campbell may not present himself as the prototypical modern-day quarterback spy at linebacker. Still, he tested at an elite level for the linebacker position in 2023 and is a remarkable change of direction for a 6-foot-5, 250-pound second-level defender.
Watch out for Campbell when the Commanders have the ball. How well does he communicate? Is he getting through blockers to get to those outside runs. Does it complete checks instantly? Can he fly those swing passes and limit gains on the perimeter?
Coleman tested through the roof during the pre-draft process and had film littered with nasty, punishing blocks at TCU. That combination led Washington to select him in the third round last April, and he now finds himself as the team’s starter protecting Daniels’ left side in a divisional road game.
It wasn’t pretty against the Buccaneers — Coleman gave up six pressures on 44 pass-blocking snaps. It was a different story in the regular season, where he played 12 games with two or fewer pressures given up.
Without Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions aren’t fearsome as a passing unit, but Za’Darius Smith can still get it to the corner with veteran strength and passing schemes. Since joining the Lions, he has recorded a high pressure rate of 16.5% as an edge rusher.
Will Coleman play beyond his age and give Daniels a chance to scout the field? If he keeps that pressure total close to two or three, Washington should be in business offensively.
Jared Verse is going to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Monster. Kobie Turner was a finalist for this award a season ago. Braden Fiske, the Rams’ 2024 second-round pick, has also been a threat on the interior, alongside Turner, this season.
Because of the infusion of young, exuberant talent in the post-Aaron Donald world for the Rams, it’s easy to lose sight of those not named Verse, Turner or Fiske right off the bat.
I urge you to pay attention to the Rams’ #8 in this game. Young, a 2023 third-round pick out of Tennessee, pieced together consecutive seasons to start his NFL career with more than 50 pressures. This is not an easy task. All he did against veterans Cam Robinson and Brian O’Neill around Minnesota’s offensive line in the wild-card round was eight Sam Darnold pressures. Young has plenty of explosiveness himself and he can wrap the corner tightly.
How poetic is that? Trotter Jr. will play a key role for the Eagles in a divisional round playoff game, just like his father did for years in Philadelphia.
After linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a torn knee ligament, Trotter Jr. will likely be the next man up next to Zack Baun in Philadelphia’s plucky but talented defense. He only played 104 snaps during the regular season, but thrived in his short stint with 25 tackles, a half-sack and a pass breakup.
Kyren Williams is essential to what the Rams want to do offensively. He had 14 touchdowns during the regular season, and 63.2 percent of Matthew Stafford’s attempts this season have come up the middle. A lot will be asked of Trotter Jr. in this matchup. How quickly can he read his keys against Los Angeles’ mostly extended running games? How effectively does it filter traffic on its way to Williams? And can he make a play or two in coverage? The rookie linebacker’s play will be vital for Philadelphia.
The Chiefs are very healthy heading into the divisional round. This doesn’t mean Hicks will be removed from the field completely. He proved too valuable for the defense. On his 330 snaps thus far in his rookie season, the former Washington State stud has recorded three picks, five assists, 29 tackles and three tackles for loss. He is omnipresent.
Hicks has split his time between a free safety and a defender in the box, and stopping Joe Mixon on first downs will be key for the Chiefs in this rematch against Houston. Prior to this game, the Texans had converted just 37.5 percent of their third-down opportunities, the 21st-best rate in the league. Bringing in CJ Stroud at third will allow Steve Spagnuolo to expand his blitz range on a sensitive offensive line.
While Justin Reid and Bryan Cook will handle most of the safety duties in this game, don’t be surprised if Hicks is deployed as an extra defensive back on the field due to his intimidating 6-3, 212-pound presence.
Three of the Texans’ five offensive linemen are first- or second-year NFL players, including Patterson, their steady center. While rookie Blake Fisher could have been included here, or right guard Juice Scruggs, I’m focusing on Patterson because of the communication responsibility he will have at center facing not only Chris Jones but Spagnulo’s happy defense .
During the regular season, Kansas City outscored the opposition with a 35.6% losing rate, the fifth highest rate in football. And they are complex looks. Patterson — along with Stroud — need to be in their “A” game to understand where the pressure may be coming from and decide who needs to block a Chiefs rusher to give Houston a real chance to effectively move the football down the field all game.
The second-year pro from Notre Dame undoubtedly needs to get stronger to move people in the running game. He is more advanced as a pass protector due to his lower center of gravity and consistently precise positioning. To date, he has given up just 15 pressures on 399 pass-blocking snaps.
