Top five NFL players in the divisional playoff weekend

Lamar Jackson (Darron Cummings, Google Images)

The second round of the National Football League playoffs (also known as the divisional playoff) gets under way this weekend with two intriguing AFC and NFC matchups. In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens host the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks play the Green Bay Packers. Here are the top five players who will be on the field this weekend. It is just a coincidence that all five players are quarterbacks.

5) Aaron Rodgers–Green Bay Packers–Rodgers completed 353 of 569 passes for 4002 yards and 26 touchdown passes for the Packers in 2019. He also led the NFL for the second straight season in interception percentage at 0.7%. Of his 569 pass attempts, Rodgers only had four interceptions. It will be interesting to see if he will be able to continue his pinpoint accuracy Sunday against the Seahawks. Rodgers also had 46 carries for 183 rushing yards and one touchdown.

4) Patrick Mahomes–Kansas City Chiefs–Despite being injured for part of the regular season with a dislocated kneecap, Mahomes led the Chiefs to an AFC West Division title. In 2019, he completed 319 passes in 484 attempts for 4031 yards and 26 touchdown passes for the Chiefs. After leading the NFL with 50 touchdown passes in 2018, expect Mahomes to connect with tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill regularly in the next couple of weeks. On the ground, Mahomes also had 43 carries for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

3) Deshaun Watson–Houston Texans–In the regular season, this former Clemson star completed 333 passes in 495 attempts for 3852 yards and 26 touchdown passes. He also had 82 rushes for 413 yards and seven touchdowns. What makes Watson special is his production late in games. He led the NFL this season with five game winning drives. Even last week in the AFC Wildcard Game against the Buffalo Bills, Watson was much better in the second half than the first half. With the Texans down 16-0 to the Bills, Watson led an impressive comeback and a 22-19 Texans victory to keep their season alive.

2) Russell Wilson–Seattle Seahawks–Considered by many as a NFL MVP candidate, Wilson completed 341 passes in 516 attempts for 4110 yards and 31 touchdown passes in 2019. He also had 75 carries for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Like Watson, Wilson had five game winning drives in the regular season, and four times helped Seattle come from behind in the final quarter to get a victory.

1) Lamar Jackson–Baltimore Ravens–If you haven’t seen Lamar Jackson yet, it is time you saw him this weekend. Despite battling the flu, Jackson has the potential to come up big against the Tennessee Titans. In the regular season he completed 265 passes in 401 attempts, 3127 yards, and 36 touchdowns. Jackson’s quarterback rating was 81.1 which led the NFL. An excellent rusher, Jackson had 176 carries for 1206 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.