NFL Playoff Predictions: 5 Players Under Pressure to Perform Down the Stretch

It's one thing to perform without any pressure. However, it's those critical moments during a game that really show us a player's true ability.

That being said, crunch time intensifies even more as we get down the stretch without playoff implications on the line. Here are five players under the most pressure as we near the postseason.

Mark Sanchez: QB, Jets

The New York Jets are currently riding a three-game win streak and are the AFC's No. 6 seed through 14 weeks of play.

Sitting at 8-5, the Jets are just one game up on the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders, all of whom sit at 7-6. To that end, QB Mark Sanchez is under a lot of pressure to perform.

With every regular season, Sanchez has improved. He's definitely having his best season this year. However, being in The Big Apple with a stout pass defense, the pressure increases on the Jets offense—perhaps even more so on Sanchez, as the Giants now lead the NFC East and have won a Super Bowl with Eli Manning.

Nonetheless, with three winnable games left—against the Eagles (away), the Giants and Dolphins (away)—Gang Green has another shot at the postseason. However, whenever Sanchez has played a bad game this season the Jets did lose.

The expectations remain high for New York's AFC franchise, and although Sanchez has thrown 21 TDs to just 11 INTs and is closing in on a 3,000-yard season, all will be for naught if the Jets slip and miss the playoffs.

With nothing locked in yet, the Eagles and Dolphins are playing the spoiler role while the Giants look to ruin their season. Mark Sanchez is under even more pressure to lead, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep his consistency rolling.

Chris Johnson: RB, Titans

Before a dismal performance against the Saints (66 total yards), Titans RB Chris Johnson had accounted for 486 rush yards in the past four games—three of which were wins for Tennessee.

However, Johnson went back to his early season self and significantly underachieved on the ground. Tennessee lost the time of possession battle by 15 minutes and still only lost 22-17 to one of the NFC's best teams.

Had CJ played well, the game would have definitely gone the other way, and the Titans would be in better position for the postseason. Now they need help: The Titans need to get wins over three straight divisional opponents.

The game at Indianapolis this week should be a cakewalk, and the Jaguars at home next week is a must-win. But with Johnson's inability to remain consistent, don't be surprised if the Titans drop one or both of those games.

He is the main focus of the Titans offense and their success is much-contributed to him doing work on the ground. If CJ can't get going sooner than later, Tennessee won't just miss out on the playoffs but a winning record altogether.

Dallas Cowboys Secondary

Okay, so it's not one particular player. However, the Cowboys' pass defense—namely the secondary—needs to improve, and quickly.

Last night against New York, Dallas squandered off a late 34-22 lead and lost 37-34. Giants QB Eli Manning threw for 400 yards, two TDs and had a 90.7 QB rating.

Now, although New York also had some good success on the ground (110 collectively), much of that is because of Manning shredding Big D's secondary.

He only completed 27-of-47 passes, but he compiled 400 yards—that's an average of almost 15 yards per completion. So even with solid pass-rushers in Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware, Manning bought time and dominated.

If Dallas wants any hope of making the playoffs, winning the NFC East must happen. That said, the offense is paying great and Tony Romo is slicing defenses.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys can't stop anyone, especially during crunch time.

If that keeps up, the Cowboys will be lucky to be 8-7 when they play at New York in Week 17. The pass defense needs to improve (currently ranked No. 24, allowing over 240 per game), so the secondary better begin to lock it down.

Otherwise, no postseason once again in Dallas.

Tim Tebow: QB, Broncos

Every week Tim Tebow is under the spotlight, and every week he performs when it matters most—crunch time.

However, for what Tebow has already done, it must continue, especially if Denver wants to make the playoffs. Currently the Broncos are one game up on Oakland at 8-5 in the AFC West, and are slated to be the No. 4 seed.

However, Tebow's numbers through the game's first three quarters are just plain awful, and yet, he comes to life just as the odds increase against him. To that end, the New England Patriots come into The Mile High City with arguably the NFL's most explosive offense.

Denver has had trouble scoring a lot—as evidenced by the Lions game—and matching explosive offenses has been difficult. During their six-game win streak, the Broncos have faced just two offenses currently ranked inside the Top 15 for total offense (Raiders and Chargers).

So, much credit must also be given to the Denver defense who's been shutting down offenses as good as anyone. Week 15 will be very telling as to whether the Broncos are just good or great, because they haven't faced a great team since Green Bay in Week 4.

Ndamukong Suh: DT, Lions

According to Eric Lacy of The Detroit News, Lions DT Ndamukong Suh has been reinstated:

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"As expected, the NFL on Monday reinstated Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh after he served a two-game suspension for his actions in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers."

"The reinstatement was confirmed by Brian McCarthy, a NFL spokesman, in an email to The Detroit News."

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So with this happening and the Lions currently the NFC's No. 6 seed, how will Ndamukong Suh perform?

Well, put his attitude aside and we see that in comparison to last season, Suh's clearly drawing double-teams on a consistent basis. He has just three sacks and 31 tackles in 11 games played, so Detroit does need him to step it up.

Yes, it's hard because he draws so much attention in the trenches, however, any time he is one-on-one, Suh needs to beat his man. Detroit's defense was exploited to a great extent in Week 14 by the Vikings, and despite being in good playoff position, nothing is set yet.

Detroit's rush defense still ranks No. 27 and allows almost 140 rush yards per game. With games remaining against Oakland, San Diego and Green Bay, they will be tested on the ground and through the air.

And if Suh doesn't step up and keep his head on straight, the Lions defense could potentially cost them a playoff berth.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27