NFL Playoff Picks: 10 Players Who Need to Step Up from Wild Card Performance

Andre Johnson, Darren Sproles, Tim Tebow and Jason Pierre Paul are just a few players who must take their game up a few notches for this weekend's NFL Playoffs. If they can't meet the challenge, their teams will be sitting at home for the conference championships.

T.J. Yates needs his go-to wide receiver to spray a little extra adhesive to his gloves this week when the Houston Texans face the Baltimore Ravens.

Darren Sproles must rekindle his west coast groove against the league's best run defense.

Tim Tebow not only has to match his season's best performance from a week ago but surpass it by a mile to out gun Tom Brady.

Jason Pierre-Paul will be called upon to turn into the freakish athlete he is and create havoc for the Green Bay Packers offense.

All the aforementioned players and others have to rise to the occasion in order to continue their run through the playoffs and book their ticket to Indianapolis.

Willis McGahee

During their Week 15 matchup with the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos gave Willis McGahee the rock seven times. McGahee ran for 70 yards on those seven carries before leaving the game with an injury.

Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McGahee ran the ball 19 times for 61 yards. He cannot have a repeat performance of a week ago.

The Steelers loaded up the box and forced—much to their dismay—Tim Tebow to beat them with his arm. That wasn't a problem when Tebow easily had his best game of the season.

However, Pittsburgh was equipped with a Ben Roethlisberger who is used to playing injured but clearly looked out of character. They also did not have their first-string running back Rashard Mendenhall due to a knee injury suffered in Week 17.

This time around they face a rested, prepared and fully equipped Patriots offense led by the other 5,000-yard passing club new comer, Tom Brady.

McGahee has to get things rolling early and often like he did in Week 15 prior to his injury so Denver can a) set up their play action/option and b) keep Brady off the field. If they can do that, like it or not, Denver could be going to the AFC Championship.

Brandon Jacobs

Similar to Willis McGahee, Brandon Jacobs has a lot riding on his shoulders that could dictate the outcome of this weekend's Divisional Round matchup.

The one-two punch of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw has kicked into full gear in the last couple weeks. In particular, the New York Giants ground attack hit their stride against the Atlanta Falcons.

New York will need the same type of performance and then some to stave off the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

Jacobs had 14 rushed for 92 yards, which included a 34-yard rumble through the Falcons defense.

In their Week 13 matchup with the Packers at the New Meadowlands, Jacobs only touched the ball eight times. That cannot happen again.

New York must control the clock and dominate time of possession versus Aaron Rodgers and the ultra talented Packers offense. Jacobs must build on last week's performance and resurrect his once physically imposing persona.

T.J. Yates

This should be a no-brainer. T.J. Yates must rise to the occasion this weekend as he leads the Houston Texans into Baltimore against a stifling Baltimore Ravens defense.

Baltimore's defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano will look to make the Texans one dimensional by canceling out their run game. Thus, requiring Yates to beat them with his arm in a hostile environment.

Yates has been great nor awful during his role as fill in quarterback after the team's first and second string guys went down with season ending injuries. He'll be baptized by fire this weekend when he faces the heat from a veteran defense.

Houston will likely have to throw more than 20 passes and gain more than 159 yards through the air if they plan on hanging around for the entire game.

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow. America's favorite athlete, according to ESPN, must face one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

Whether you are for or against Tebow, you cannot deny his performance during the Wild Card weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He hit his receivers on the numbers and made all the right decisions.

This week will be a different story. Tebow faces a quarterback who's team averages 32.1 points per game and blew past them in Week 15 41-23.

Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards last week versus Pittsburgh. His previous season highs were 236 and 202, which were the only two time prior to last week he threw for over 200 yards.

Tom Brady on the other hand has thrown for over 200 yards every game but one, and that game he threw for 198 yards. Brady threw for over 300 yards 11 out of 16 weeks during the regular season, including the 320-yard performance in Denver.

That's who Tebow has to keep pace with in Foxboro this weekend.

Tim Tebow will once again have a chance to flex his quarterbacking muscle against the wretched Patriots secondary. If he can hit his throws and make the right reads, the Denver Broncos could shock America by beating the 13.5-point favorites.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles has enjoyed his time in New Orleans. He has been the combination the New Orleans Saints have been looking for to unlock their offensive potential.

Sproles makes a return trip back to California and will need to produce in a big way.

The San Francisco 49ers defense swallowed up running backs all season long. They didn't allow a rushing touchdown till the fourth quarter of Week 16.

Even more impressive is the fact that San Francisco has not allowed a running back to gain 100 yards or more on the ground since 2009.

Go ahead, let that sink in.

New Orleans quietly has had an effective, top-10 running game throughout the season thanks to Sproles. Their offense is built on play action and freeing up the pocket to allow Drew Brees to work his magic.

Darren Sproles has to provide the Saints with some kind of ground game, or they'll be bounced out in two consecutive years to NFC West opponents.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Outside of Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre-Paul has been the New York Giants biggest newcomer. His athleticism and relentless motor has made him a household name and one helluva nightmare for offenses.

He's quicker off the line, more agile and faster than your typical defensive linemen. However, Aaron Rodgers is also one of the more athletic players in the league and certainly at his position.

Rodgers was able to elude pressure pretty effectively during their regular season matchup, but Pierre-Paul and his fellow linemen need to change that this time around.

Jason Pierre-Paul needs to have an earth shattering, monstrous like day for the New York Giants. Even if he can't get to Rodgers before the ball is released, he has to put hits on the Green Bay Packers quarterback.

There's really nothing else that needs to be laid out here. Pierre-Paul must put Rodgers on his back all game long. Period.

Andre Johnson

Andre Johnson has waited nine years to get into the NFL Playoffs. He had five receptions for 90 yards last week for the Cincinnati Bengals, which seem like a good start to his postseason career.

However, Johnson dropped—on more than one occasion—a catchable ball that could have resulted in a first down or a touchdown. 

If it were not for the double move that left Adam "Pacman" Jones searching for his jock strap, Johnson would have turned in a less than spectacular outing against Cincinnati.

He cannot have a repeat performance against a veteran Baltimore Ravens defense. T.J. Yates needs his go-to guy to be reliable and catch balls in traffic.

Ed Reed will be lurking over the top for the Ravens and Johnson will need to continuously get open to provide Yates with a target.

The man waited nine years for his chance to shine on the postseason stage. He can't suffer from stage fright with a chance to go to the AFC Championship on the line.

Jake Ballard

The New York Giants have a secret weapon readied for the Green Bay Packers this weekend and his name is Jake Ballard. The tight end has been a quiet and stable cog in the Giants offense, but his subtle effectiveness could be the key to knocking off the Packers.

Green Bay has struggled all season to stop opposing offenses. A large part of that is because offenses are always playing catch up thanks to the prolific Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers will be focused on the Giants ground attack as well as Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

Where Ballard comes into play is in the red zone. With all eyes on the Giants backfield and Charles Woodson canceling out either Cruz or Nicks, Ballard should be New York's red-zone weapon.

He caught two passes for 16 yards last week and one pass for three yards during New York's regular season matchup with the Packers.

Ballard wasn't needed much last week, but if he's called upon against the Packers he better be ready. It could be the game changing play.

Saints O-Line

The New Orleans Saints offensive line has had quite the historic season in 2011. They were the protection for Drew Brees as he joined the 5,000-yard club and surpassed Dan Marino's single-season passing record.

In order to keep their smiles upright, the Saints O-line will have to play their best game of the season. The San Francisco 49ers have the best front seven in football and plan on making New Orleans' day miserable on offense.

San Fran will bring all kinds of pressure and will most likely make the Saints rushing attack nonexistent.

With no rushing attack coupled with blitz pressure, keeping Drew Brees upright might be easier said than done.

New Orleans' offensive line must step up to the challenge when they travel to San Francisco. Candlestick Park will be ear-piercing loud when the 49ers host their first playoff game in a decade. 

If they can help establish either a running attack or a clean pocket to allow their offense to score early, they will silence the home crowd, which makes their job that much easier.

Broncos Defense

The New England Patriots are basically favored to beat the Denver Broncos by two touchdowns this weekend. Vegas has the line set with New England being 13.5-point favorites.

Denver's defense limited the Pittsburgh Steelers to 23 points last weekend at Sports Authority Field. That has to happen again in Foxboro for the Broncos to stand a chance.

Denver let up 41 points at home to Tom Brady and the Patriots in Week 15.

Veteran safety and defensive leader Brian Dawkins is not expected to suit up against the Patriots. That could be a crucial blow for the Denver defense who will need to pick up the slack in his absence once again.

The front four for the Broncos has to get after Brady and force him to move around the pocket. Brady does not cope well outside of the pocket, and this could be where the Broncos rattle the Patriots offense.

Bottom line, the Broncos don't necessarily need to stop the Patriots offense, but they do need to slow them down. Denver cannot get into a shootout on the road against New England.

There's no debating that.