ClutchPoints
In years past, familiar faces dominated the NFL playoffs. Players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Lamar Jackson have found consistent success in the postseason. There is a lot of new blood in the 2026 NFL playoffs, though, which makes this the most unpredictable run to the Super Bowl in a long time. With so much uncertainty, rather than looking at the best players in the postseason, a better question to ask is who are the most important players in the playoffs?
This list won’t comprise of the most talented players, or else players such as Patrick Surtain II, T.J. Watt, Danielle Hunter, Puka Nacua, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba would be included. None of those players are in this top 15, though. The order also isn’t ranked by talent. For example, Christian McCaffrey ranks relatively low here despite being arguably the best player in the NFL at his position simply because the running back position isn’t as important as the quarterback position.
QBs will dominate this list because of their unquestionable impact on the game, but there can be non-quarterbacks, too, if they are likely to have a massive impact on their respective team’s Super Bowl chances. So, who are the most important players in the NFL playoffs?
Justin Herbert burst onto the NFL scene, breaking numerous records in his first few years in the league. He has the most passing yards ever through one, two, three, four, and five seasons. He also owns nearly every rookie quarterbacking record in the books. His three straight seasons with 4,000 yards are also a record.
However, playoff success has eluded Herbert and his Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert even had four interceptions in his last postseason appearance. Herbert has talent, but he needs to perform in order to buck the loser label.
Aaron Rodgers finished the year ranked just 15th in passing yards (3,322). At first glance, that doesn’t look too bad, especially when considering Rodgers is 42 years old. However, a bunch of the players below Rodgers in yardage missed a bunch of time or were among the worst signal-callers in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense was far too mediocre this year, as it has been for quite some time, even before Rodgers joined the team. However, Pittsburgh did enough to get into the playoffs, even if they needed a missed Tyler Loop field goal to get there. Now, Pittsburgh has to hope Rodgers was saving his best for last.
If Rodgers can drink from the fountain of youth and play like his prime self, the Steelers could make a surprising run. That seems unlikely, but the four-time MVP has a Super Bowl to his name and a knack for making big plays in big moments.
The Seattle Seahawks are the number one seed in the NFC. The team has incredible depth and a player in Smith-Njigba who has established himself as one...
