Bleacher Report's NFL Awards Week 17: Which Players Delivered in the Clutch?

Big time players play their best when the game or the season is on the line.

It does not always happen this way, but we would like to think the best teams show up and play like the best when they need to. And on the final day of the NFL season, we were not disappointed with the amount of great plays, games and accomplishments of stars across the league.

For what ever reason; clawing for playoff seeding, trying to sneak into the post season or just proving that despite being a team that will be home watching the road to the Super Bowl, they can still light up a score board and prove they are the best.

These players stepped up their game and left a lasting impression on us as the 2011 NFL regular season came to an end.

Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

Colston is just as important to the passing attack as Drew Brees is to making the throws to the right receivers.

Colston caught seven passes for 145 yards and two scores in the 45-17 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Colston's field day was aided by Brees, who picked up where he left off last week. Brees threw for 389 yards and five touchdowns.

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Rice had a banner day running the ball for the Baltimore Ravens in the 24-16 win over Cincinnati.

The win left Baltimore with the second seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye.

Rice had touchdown runs of 70 and 51 yards on the day and finished with 191 yards total rushing.

Tarell Brown, San Francisco 49ers

Brown led the defensive charge for the 49ers, who secured the second seed in the NFC playoffs. The 34-27 win gave San Francisco a first-round bye.

Brown had two interceptions on the day. Both of them led to scores by the San Francisco offense.

Michael Crabtree had nine catches for 92 yards and two scores.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

Maybe the Eagles were anointed the "Dream Team" a year early.

Michael Vick threw for three touchdowns, including a 62-yarder to DeSean Jackson, as the Eagles won 34-10. The win was the fourth straight for Philadelphia.

Vick threw for 335 yards on the afternoon.

If Vick is healthy next season, this team will be a force in the NFL.

Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

Turner got in on the scoring barrage early and often. The Falcons running back scored twice in the first half, part of a 42 point outburst in the Falcons 45-42 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Turner ran for 172 yards on the day.

Atlanta is a wild card team in the NFC playoffs. They will play the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

Richard Goodman, San Diego Chargers

Goodman returned a kick-off return 105 yards for a score as San Diego beat Oakland 38-26.

And in doing so, the Chargers ended the Raiders' hopes of making the playoffs.

Philip Rivers threw for 310 yards and three scores in the contest.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

He is the only one on this list who gets props for losing.

Stafford threw for 520 yards and five scores in the 45-41 loss to Green Bay in Lambeau Field.

How you can throw for over 500 yards and lose is beyond me.

Stafford and the Lions (10-6) are headed to the playoffs where they will face New Orleans.

Victor Cruz, New York Giants

On a team loaded with historically good receivers, it took an undrafted receiver from Massachusetts to surpass them all.

Victor Cruz caught 6 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown. In doing so, he set a team record for receiving yards.

Cruz and the Giants also claimed the NFC East Division and will play the Atlanta Falcons.

Dallas finished the season 8-8.

Kyle Orton, Kansas City Chiefs

Did Kyle Orton win the battle and lose the war in the same day?

It is quite possible Orton and the Kansas City Chiefs did something to prove critics wrong, and yet still lost the battle in the first place.

Orton was 15 of 29 for 180 yards in a 7-3 over Denver by his Kansas City Chiefs. In doing so, Orton won the battle over Tim Tebow, the man who replaced him in the Broncos lineup and ultimately led to his release.

Also, the win could have led to interim coach Romeo Crennel earning the right to keep the head coaching job in Kansas City full time next year.

While Orton won, which may have put an end to the question of which quarterback is better, Denver still made the playoffs by virtue of the Raiders losing to San Diego.

Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers

The Packers have this habit of having one of the better reserve passers in the game behind their star starter.

Matt Hasselbeck and Mark Brunell come to mind. Now, add Matt Flynn to that list.

Flynn threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns in the 45-41 win over the Lions today.

If Flynn is as good as he looked in this game, don't you think teams will be making offers for him in the offseason?

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

The Patriots knew they needed to win today to have home field advantage in the AFC throughout the playoffs.

Playing in Gillette Stadium in January is no easy task.

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez proved they may be the two best tight ends in the NFL—and they play for the same team.

Gronkowski caught 8 passes for 108 yards and two scores, while Hernandez caught sevens balls for 138 yards and a score in the Patriots' 49-21 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

He plays on a team that finished the season at 5-11, but Maurice Jones-Drew saved his best game of the season for the last game of the year.

Jones-Drew rushed for 169 yards on 25 carries and claimed the NFL rushing title.

Jones-Drew finished the season with 1,606 yards on the year, averaged over 100 yards per contest and accounted for over 46 percent of the Jaguars' offense this year.

In a season where the team was as criticized as it was, the league's best runner did it all even when teams knew he was going to run, catch and score against them, and there was nothing opposing defenses could do about it.