NFL's most intriguing players down final stretch
— -- As the playoffs take shape and the regular season winds to a close, I'm taking a look at?players with captivating storylines.
From players who could affect the playoff picture to veterans who have questions about their futures to rookies making impacts, here are the most intriguing players down the stretch:
Players who could affect the playoff race
Khalil Mack, OLB | Oakland Raiders
Mack, who has had nine sacks and a pick-six in his past seven games, is making a case to be the Defensive Player of the Year. His closing ability?down the stretch could push the Raiders to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Imagine the Raiders' defense if? Mario Edwards Jr.?(hip injury) and Aldon Smith?(suspension) return soon to help Mack rush passers.
Thomas Rawls, RB | Seattle Seahawks
Rawls' running style fits perfectly in an offense that has missed power running while?Rawls has been out. But that's the problem: His battering style leads to injuries, so the week-to-week question is whether he can consistently stay healthy and give the Seahawks the running game they will need to get to?Super Bowl LI.
Justin Houston, LB | Kansas City Chiefs
In three games since his return from a knee injury, Houston has four sacks. Now the Chiefs can rotate Houston with? Tamba Hali and Dee Ford, creating a devastating pass-rushing trio off the edge.?Kansas City has a great chance to win the AFC West -- it finishes the season at home against the Raiders, Titans and Broncos, then plays at the Chargers -- and get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE |? New York Giants
There are short- and long-term ramifications with JPP. First, the Giants need him to work on the other side of Olivier Vernon to give them a pass rush to close out games, something they lacked desperately last season. That's already in question, as Pierre-Paul injured his groin in Sunday's loss to the Steelers and could miss time. Second, the Giants need to figure out how to keep Pierre-Paul, a free agent after the season, in New York. It could be the franchise tag or a long-term deal that works under their salary cap.
Ladarius Green, TE | Pittsburgh Steelers
Green's 110-yard day against the Giants in Week 13 offers some great intrigue for the Steelers. With Martavis Bryant suspended and Markus Wheaton on injured reserve, the Steelers needed a new weapon to emerge. Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown is money, but if Big Ben can cash in on Green down the stretch, it could get the Steelers' offense close to the 30-points-per-game range. It's averaging 24.2 points per game so far this season.
Devonta Freeman & Tevin Coleman, RBs | Atlanta Falcons
Freeman and Coleman are the most unique one-two running back punch in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan uses them both in the passing game to create mismatches, and the Falcons' offense is soaring, averaging a league-best?32.2 points per game. Atlanta needs them both healthy as it tries to win the NFC South.
George Fant?& Bradley Sowell, OTs | Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are trying to make a Super Bowl run with a former college basketball player (Fant) with limited football experience protecting Russell Wilson's blind side and a $1 million-a-year journeyman at right tackle (Sowell). How those two play could determine if the Seahawks make their third trip to the Super Bowl in four years.
Ezekiel Ansah, DE | Detroit Lions
After 14.5 sacks last season, Ansah was considered the next superstar pass-rusher. But he doesn't have a sack in 2016, and last week he revealed he is playing despite a high-ankle sprain that will nag him through the rest of the season. The Lions, who are tied for 26th in the league with 21 sacks this season, need Ansah to return to his 2015 form -- quickly.
Veterans?who have questions about their future
Kirk Cousins, QB | Washington Redskins
Cousins gambled on himself by signing the one-year franchise tag, and now it's a matter of seeing if he can get the Redskins back into the playoffs. How he finishes should determine if the Redskins franchise him again or sign him to a long-term deal worth at least?$24 million per season.
Le'Veon Bell, RB | Pittsburgh Steelers
Scouts and coaches believe he's one of the top three running backs in the league, and the Steelers concur. But he's a free agent after the season, has had a couple major injuries and has a history of suspensions for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Will the Steelers franchise him or sign him to a long-term extension? That depends on how he finishes.
Blake Bortles, QB |? Jacksonville Jaguars
Bortles on Sunday called his season " the biggest nightmare possible." His regression from last year's 35-touchdown campaign cost offensive coordinator? Greg Olsen?his job. Coach Gus Bradley could follow. The Jaguars have to figure out whether Bortles, who has thrown 11 pick-sixes in three seasons, is good enough to keep. Jacksonville will have a high pick in April's draft.
Brock Osweiler, QB?|? Houston Texans
Getting a $72 million contract after seven starts was a gamble for the Texans, but they liked Osweiler's potential, and they were hopeful that he would improve. What they didn't envision is a quarterback averaging 5.8 yards per attempt running an offense scoring only 17.3 points per game, which is 3.7 points below? Brian Hoyer?and last season's offense. The intrigue is if Osweiler's struggles will allow Tennessee and Indianapolis to pass the Texans in the AFC South and if Houston will stick by Osweiler for the future.
Martellus Bennett, TE | New England Patriots
With tight end? Rob Gronkowski out for the season following back surgery, Bennett?is one of the most important Patriots players?down the stretch. Coach Bill Belichick loves running a two-tight end offense, and Bennett allows the team to have a pass-catching threat in one of those spots. New England might not be able to afford Bennett, who's a free agent after the season, and he's auditioning for a bigger contract, possibly from another team.
Tyrod Taylor, QB | Buffalo Bills
In a close loss in Seattle, Taylor was a stud, and it looked like the incentive-laden, long-term deal he signed before the season was justified. But his poor play in the second half of the Bills' meltdown against the Raiders has people in Buffalo wondering if they should keep him. Buffalo could decline the team option in 2017 and pay him only the $9.5 million he would have made in 2016. The next four games?are important to his -- and the Bills' -- future.
Rookies making an impact
Ezekiel Elliott, RB | Dallas Cowboys
Elliott is having one of the great rookie running back seasons in NFL history. Might the Cowboys limit his carries the last four games of the season in order to save him for the playoffs? It's possible, especially if they clinch home-field advantage in the next two weeks. That would mean Dallas would have a rested rookie star to open the playoffs -- at home. That's a huge advantage.
RBs Devontae Booker, Denver Broncos?|? Rob Kelly, Washington Redskins?| Paul Perkins, New York Giants
We all know the Cowboys are trying to ride Elliott to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, some of the other playoff contenders are leaning on rookie runners who weren't expected to be ready for prime time. How they do will affect the finishes of their teams' seasons.
Deion Jones &? De'Vondre Campbell, LBs & Keanu Neal, S | Atlanta Falcons
Coach Dan Quinn finally got through early-season injuries and got his three prize rookie defenders on the field against Seattle around midseason. If the Falcons want to make the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl title, the play of these rookies will define their season.
Javon Hargrave, NT,? Artie Burns, CB & Sean Davis, S | Pittsburgh Steelers
Coach Mike Tomlin used three rookie starters on defense in his team's win over the Giants. The Steelers haven't gone that young since the 1970s. Tomlin has also been phasing out former first-round pick Jarvis Jones and using second-year linebacker Anthony Chickillo. There are several moving parts here, but Pittsburgh has a bright future.
Elandon Roberts, LB | New England Patriots
Roberts has been an under-the-radar, solid player for Belichick, who traded linebacker Jamie Collins to Cleveland. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard's stock has dropped, and pass-rusher? Chandler Jones was traded during the offseason. Can the defense be as good with Roberts and second-year defensive end Trey Flowers?
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