NFL Playoff Predictions: Momentum Watch for League's Hottest Players

There are a good number of the NFL's best players in the postseason this year after helping their respective teams to get there.

But it's one thing to play well in the regular season; it's another thing altogether to translate that success in the much-more-difficult playoffs.

However, the following five players should have little trouble carrying over their momentum into their teams' divisional-round playoff matchups this week.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees built up a great deal of momentum for himself and his team as the regular season closed, and he's been able to carry that into the playoffs without a hitch.

Brees, who ended the year in sole possession of the single-season passing yardage record, threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns in his team's wild-card victory over the Detroit Lions and will be looking for another 400-plus-yardage day this week against the San Francisco 49ers.

Though Brees might hit a bit of a road bump in San Francisco, with their NFC-leading defense generating the most turnovers in the regular season, there's little reason to believe that he will stumble of his own accord.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't appear to miss a beat this season from where he left off last year. Though his team has yet to appear in the playoffs, having earned the NFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, he shouldn't miss a beat when his team takes on the New York Giants this Sunday.

In the regular season, Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and a mere six interceptions. Considering how big of a role Rodgers has played in his team's efforts to reach the postseason, he should play just as well now that the playoffs have begun.

RB Arian Foster, Houston Texans

For the Houston Texans to advance in the playoffs, they need running back Arian Foster firing on all cylinders. If last week's performance against the Cincinnati Bengals is any indication, he most certainly is.

Foster, who had the third-most yards from scrimmage of any player in the regular season, carried the ball 24 times for 153 yards and two scores against the Bengals in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, and also caught three passes for 29 yards.

This week, he will have to face the Baltimore Ravens' bruising defense that held him to just 101 combined yards in Week 6. However, with the AFC championship game at stake, Foster isn't likely to relent in the face of such an imposing opponent.

TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots' most dominant tight end and game-changing receiver, has the most single-season yards for a tight end in NFL history, and considering how much he's factored into the Patriots' AFC-best regular season, he will likely be heavily involved in this week's contest against the Denver Broncos.

Gronkowski caught 90 passes in 2011, for 1,327 yards and 18 touchdowns. If the Patriots want to prove just why they're the team to beat in the AFC, he will have to come up big this Saturday night and potentially all the way to the Super Bowl.

Considering that it hasn't seemed so hard for him to succeed in the regular season, he should perform just as well against the Broncos on Saturday.

WR Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants

Despite the emergence of Victor Cruz in 2011, New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is still the team's heavy hitter.

In 2011, Nicks caught 76 passes for 1,192 yards and seven scores. He followed that up with six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns in his team's Wild Card Weekend win over the Atlanta Falcons and was targeted a team-high nine times.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning will have to continue throwing to Nicks this week against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers field a porous secondary and Manning and Nicks will need to take advantage of that weakness if they hope to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions and make their way to the NFC title game.

Nicks is the Giants' most productive and reliable receiver; his performance against the Falcons should only increase his confidence, and with it, propel him onto an even bigger day this week.