NFL Playoff Predictions: 5 Veterans Who Should Have Phenomenal Postseasons

Week 15 of the 2011 NFL season is winding down, which means that there's only two weeks remaining in the regular season, and before you know it, 12 teams will playoff bound and on a path that they hope will lead them to Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI.

Every season, the playoffs feature a glimpse into the future of the NFL, as future stars burst into our collective consciousness, such as Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson did a year ago. But for some veterans, such as the following five players, the postseason is just another opportunity to showcase that they're among the best in the world at what they do.

1. Aaron Rodgers: QB, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the prohibitive favorite to be named the NFL's most valuable player after an incredible season in which he's already thrown for over 4,300 yards and 40 touchdowns, and given how the seventh-year pro played in the playoffs while leading the Packers to a championship last year, there's little reason to think those gaudy numbers won't continue into the postseason.

2. Wes Welker: WR, New England Patriots

Eighth-year veteran Wes Welker is having the finest season of his career in 2011, setting career highs in yardage and touchdowns while catching 100 passes for the fourth time and five years, and as quarterback Tom Brady's favorite wide receiver in the prolific New England passing attack, Welker should be in for plenty of targets in the playoffs.

3. Drew Brees: QB, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is having yet another sterling statistical season, topping 4,000 passing yards for the sixth straight season and closing in on his second 5,000-yard campaign. The 11th-year veteran has shown more than capable of carrying those numbers over to the playoffs in the past.

4. Roddy White: WR, Atlanta Falcons

The big rookie season of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones may have grabbed more headlines this year, but fellow wideout Roddy White has posted another solid season in his seventh year in the NFL, topping 80 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth straight season and helping the 9-5 Falcons make another run at the postseason.

5. Terrell Suggs: DE, Baltimore Ravens

Defensive end Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens has put together a season worth of defensive player of the year honors in 2011, racking up 58 total tackles entering tonight, adding a career-high 13 sacks and shoring up one of the NFL's best defenses for a Ravens team that is arguably the best in the AFC.