RADIO
10. Terry McLaurin, WR - Commanders
We begin with Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who finally got to play with an elite quarterback in 2024 and responded with the first double-digit-touchdown season of his NFL career. McLaurin finished the 2024 season with 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns. It was the fifth 1,000-yard season in a row for McLaurin, who proved that he’s one of the NFL’s elite receivers.
In NFL Network’s NFL 100 before this season, McLaurin ranked at No. 97. It’s safe to say that he’s going to go up that list next year after making the first All-Pro team of his career.
9. A.J. Brown, WR - Eagles
Injuries led to A.J. Brown posting numbers that didn’t quite live up to his usual expectations, but he was still an elite wide receiver on a game-by-game basis. Sure, finishing with 1,079 yards after back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons is a little disappointing, but he only averaged 2.6 fewer yards per game this season and his seven touchdowns equaled his 2023 number despite playing four fewer games.
Brown has been quiet in the playoffs, catching three passes for 24 yards between the team’s first two games, but he’s capable of dominant performances. He ended the regular season with a touchdown in three consecutive games.
8. Jalen Hurts, QB - Eagles
Jalen Hurts ranks as the worst quarterback on this list, but that speaks to how good the quarterback talent is this weekend. Hurts opened the season with four interceptions in the first three games but has been picked off just once since as the former Oklahoma Sooner has steadied things.
In 15 games, Hurts threw 18 touchdown passes. Taken by itself, that might not seem worthy of a top 10 spot, but what makes Hurts so good is how unstoppable he is on the ground. His ability to win at the line of scrimmage and in the red zone makes him a huge threat. Hurts scored 14 rushing touchdowns this season and now has 52 rushing scores over the past four seasons. The Tush Push play is so hard to defend, and Hurts is the perfect quarterback for it.
7. Creed Humphrey, C - Chiefs
There are a lot of great offensive linemen set to play this weekend, with the Chiefs alone having two of the five first-team All-Pro selections on the offensive line. Creed Humphrey might be the most important of them all, though.
In his fourth season out of Oklahoma, Humphrey continued to show why he’s the best center in the NFL, making first-team All-Pro for the first time and earning his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. On the field, Humphrey committed just one holding penalty all year and anchored an offensive line that ranked as one of the NFL’s best.
6. Travis Kelce, TE - Chiefs
These next six players were obvious selections, but ordering them felt impossible. For example: in theory, it sounds absurd to call Travis Kelce only the sixth-best player playing this weekend. But that’s no insult to Kelce, even if he’s coming off the worst season of his NFL career — aside from his 2013 rookie campaign, where he played in just one game.
2013 notwithstanding, Kelce posted his fewest receiving yards and touchdowns in 2024, but he’s shown up big-time in the postseason, reminding everyone why he’s still an elite player. Last week against Houston, Kelce delivered a vintage Kelce performance, catching seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown to power the Chiefs to an AFC title game appearance.
5. Jayden Daniels, QB - Commanders
Is this high for a rookie quarterback? Maybe, but the presumptive Rookie of the Year showed this season that he might already be the best quarterback in the entire NFC. In the regular season, Jayden Daniels completed 69.0 percent of his pass attempts for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 891 rushing yards and six touchdowns, showcasing that he’s a threat with his arm and his legs.
He’s thrown four touchdowns and zero interceptions through two playoff games and is coming off a big game against the Lions, where he dominated the NFC’s No. 1 seed, throwing for 299 yards and two scores while adding 51 rushing yards.
4. Chris Jones, DT - Chiefs
If defense still wins championships, the Chiefs have to feel good about having the best defender left in the playoffs. The Eagles have the best defense of the four remaining teams, but for Philly, it’s a team effort. For Kansas City, Jones stands out because of everything he’s capable of doing.
While Jones had his fewest sacks since 2016 this season with just five, he still had 20 quarterback hits and was all over C.J. Stroud last week, sacking the second-year quarterback while showing few signs of rust after not playing since Dec. 21.
3. Saquon Barkley, RB - Eagles
The former No. 2 overall pick finally delivered a performance worthy of that draft selection. It just happened to come with his second team. 2024 was Saquon Barkley’s year. After six seasons with the Giants, Barkley moved to the Eagles in free agency and promptly had his best season, rushing for a league-high 2,005 yards and coming up just shy of the all-time single-season yardage record.
Barkley is coming off a dominant game in the Divisional Round, rushing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Elite running backs haven’t translated to Super Bowl championships in a long time, but Barkley can change that this season.
2. Josh Allen, QB - Bills
Josh Allen might win the MVP Award this year, but he comes in second on the list of the best players playing this weekend. Allen took a bit of a step back as far as passing yards went this season, with his 3,731 yards being his fewest since 2019. His 28 passing touchdowns were his fewest since that same season. However, Allen cut down the biggest concern about his game, throwing a career-low six interceptions.
Turnovers have always been an issue for Allen, who tossed the ball to the opposition 18 times during the 2023 season. He continued to be a major threat on the ground, rushing for 12 touchdowns. Rushing has always been part of Allen’s game, but the last two seasons have seen the Bills take advantage of his size near the goal line. He has 27 rushing scores in the past two campaigns.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB - Chiefs
To be the best, you have to beat the best, so who else could be No. 1 on this list besides Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes? He is looking to lead his team to the first three-peat since the 1929-31 Packers, a team that played before the NFL even had a postseason. Mahomes, a two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP, tied his lowest touchdown total in a full season with 26 this season and failed to hit 4,000 yards for the first time as a starter, but he also led the Chiefs to a 15-1 record in the 16 games he started.
This is a quarterback capable of doing everything on the field. He can work the ball around in the short passing game. He can deliver a bomb down the field. He can scramble for plus yardage when he needs to, even if it’s not the biggest part of his game. All Patrick Mahomes does is win, win, win. That’s why he’s the best player left in the playoffs.
