There isn't a more important position to a potential Super Bowl run than quarterback. It's why guys like Brock Purdy and Lamar Jackson are not only MVP favorites but figureheads for the oddsmakers' current favorites to go the distance in the 2023 playoffs.
And yet, what is a title-contending QB without title-contending help? As we look ahead to Super Wild Card Weekend in the NFL, here are 10 of the most important players at other positions across the playoff landscape:
10. Rams DT Aaron Donald
Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua get the headlines for driving L.A. back to the playoffs, but Donald is the anchor of a defense that lost so many other key veterans due to an offseason purge. Without his push on the interior, there'd be even more pressure on Stafford and Co. to light up the scoreboard. Running back Kyren Williams, a quiet workhorse, is another fair candidate.
9. Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Detroit gets a lot of credit for the way it balances the run and pass, with coordinator Ben Johnson utilizing both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in the backfield. But St. Brown is a machine out wide, serving as an endless safety valve and playmaker for Jared Goff. Take him out of the lineup, and you're working with an entirely different offense.
8. Ravens S Kyle Hamilton
Roquan Smith is another pillar of Baltimore's stingy defense, but Hamilton has been even more rangy as a do-it-all playmaker. With 10 tackles for loss, 13 pass deflections, three sacks and four picks, there's literally no area of the defense he doesn't affect. Coordinator Mike Macdonald wouldn't have nearly as much flexibility without him.
7. Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
Dallas has moved the ball -- and taken it away -- in many different ways. But Lamb has proven to be one of the game's best pure pass targets this year, finishing second only to Tyreek Hill in receiving yards (1,749). He's just always open. Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup aren't nobodies down the depth chart, but no one has more of Dak Prescott's trust.
6. Eagles WR A.J. Brown
You wanna know why the Eagles have stunk it up over the last month? In truth, there are too many reasons to count. But one is an underutilization of Brown, who still managed to top 1,400 receiving yards this year. DeVonta Smith may give Jalen Hurts another formidable target, but no one gets as effortlessly open on their offense. They need to lean on him even more.
5. Texans OT Laremy Tunsil
While C.J. Stroud has been downright phenomenal as Houston's rookie signal-caller, he probably wouldn't be nearly as effective without the sturdy, athletic blocking of Tunsil off the blind side. There's a reason the Texans keep paying him top dollar to headline the trenches, and if they want to further their surprise run, he'll be pivotal to their offensive strategy.
4. Browns DE Myles Garrett
Joe Flacco is the big talking point in Cleveland, and for good reason. But do you think he'd be able to keep chucking the ball -- and getting away with it -- if he didn't also have Jim Schwartz's feisty defense on his side? Garrett is the catalyst of that group, making 14 sacks and 30 QB hits look casual this year. They've got other difference-makers, but none bigger.
3. Chiefs DT Chris Jones
Typically, the pairing of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes has been more than enough to propel Kansas City atop the AFC playoff picture. But without a reliable rotation of receivers this year, the offense has been more frustrating than usual, leaving Steve Spagnuolo's "D" to pick up the slack. Jones has once again been vital in the trenches, registering 10.5 sacks.
2. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
No one has aided Tua Tagovailoa's stock over the last two years than Hill, whose speed at age 29 is still unmatched. Yes, Miami also has De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle in the lineup. But there's something different about Mike McDaniel's offense when the "Cheetah" is at top speed, opening things up downfield. If the Dolphins are going to advance, he'll be heavily involved.
1. 49ers OT Trent Williams
Anyone who identifies either QB Brock Purdy and RB Christian McCaffrey as MVP candidates should be commended. But Williams is the rock that holds the 49ers' sturdy O-line together, enabling Purdy, McCaffrey and all of Kyle Shanahan's other weapons to flow freely. Purdy is nimble enough to avoid pressure, but his protection is paramount to San Francisco going deep.
