Key Players to Watch in Each Wild Card Matchup

It's win or go home for every team in the NFL from here on out. For the 12 teams that will be competing on Wild Card Weekend, they'll need to string together four-straight wins if they want to be crowned champions of Super Bowl 56.

Each of those teams has players who will need to shine this week and the weeks to come for them to have any chance at achieving their goals. In this article, I'm going to be break down who those players are for each team.

WynBET has yet to post player props for this weekend's action, but once they do, you may want to consider backing these players with your money.

Key Players for NFL Wild Card Weekend

Kansas City Chiefs - Tyreek Hill

The new look Chiefs are playing a more sustainable brand of football. Game management, solid defense, methodically move the ball down the field. It's all well and dandy. With that being said, it's hard to win four straight playoff games without some level of explosiveness, and that's where Tyreek Hill needs to step in.

He's been quiet as of late, and he needs to fix that for the postseason. If he can get back to taking the top off opposing defenses, the Chiefs will be hard to beat.

Pittsburgh Steelers - T.J. Watt

This is an obvious one, but if the Steelers want to have any hope of upsetting the Chiefs as 13-point underdogs, they need their best player to have a big game.

He tied the NFL record for sacks in a season despite only playing in 15 games, and he needs to play at that level again in the postseason. If he can get to Patrick Mahomes early and often, and the Steelers offense can get some points on the board, the upset all of a sudden becomes within reach.

Buffalo Bills - Devin Singletary

The running backs aren't often discussed when talking about the Buffalo Bills, but they'll be key in the postseason, especially in the wild card round. Ironically, the Bills aren't built to play in Buffalo weather, but the forecast is calling for exactly that on Saturday night against the Patriots.

That means Devin Singletary and the rest of the Bills backfield is going to have to step up in a big way. His final two regular season games are encouraging. He averaged 4.71 yards per carry in those games and he found the end zone three times.

New England Patriots - Mac Jones

Saying that the quarterback is a key player in a playoff race is painfully obvious, but it's true for the Patriots. As much as the Bills need strong play from their running backs to compliment their passing game, the Patriots need solid play from Mac Jones to compliment their running game.

You can't win a Super Bowl by running the ball and playing defense alone, not in today's day and age. If Mac Jones plays like a rookie quarterback, the Patriots postseason is going to be short and sweet.

Cincinnati Bengals - Logan Wilson

The Bengals offense has been amongst the best in the NFL this season, but their defense could be their downfall. To prevent that from happening, Logan Wilson is going to have to continue his stellar play into the playoffs.

He led the team with 100 tackles, had one sack, and four interceptions all while only playing in 13 games. He needs to be flying around the field for the Bengals to string together some wins.

Las Vegas Raiders - Darren Waller

Darren Waller made his return to the lineup in Week 18, and the Raiders need him healthy and productive in the playoffs, especially in the Wild Card round against the Bengals. Earlier in the season, Waller was the Raiders' best weapon against the Bengals, recording seven catches for 116 yards. A repeat performance would go a long way in Las Vegas pulling off the upset win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mike Evans

With Chris Godwin out for the season and Antonio Brown doing who knows what, Mike Evans needs to step up in a big way if the Bucs hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Tom Brady needs a security blanket at wide out, a guy he can trust to go to when he needs to. He already has Gronkowski in the middle of the field, but Evans needs to be his guy out wide. Tampa Bay will be in trouble if Evans has an even average performance in any game.

Philadelphia Eagles - Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts did enough to lead what most people thought of as an average team to the playoffs, but he'll need to do more than that if they want to make a run at the NFC championship. He needs to do whatever it takes to move the ball down field, whether that's making aggressive throws or taking off with his legs. What he can't do, is turn the ball over. The Eagles playoff hopes rest on his shoulders.

Dallas Cowboys - Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons is the run away favorite for defensive rookie of the year, but he'll need to be at his best in every playoff game moving forward. He's been a fantastic pass rusher and solid in coverage, but the Cowboys need him to step up in stopping the run, especially against the 49ers. The Cowboys currently rank 23rd in opponent yards per carry entering the postseason.

San Francisco 49ers - Elijah Mitchell

In the same breath that the Cowboys need Micah Parsons to step up in stopping the run, the 49ers need Elijah Mitchell to step up in carrying the rock. The 49ers path to victory in the Wild Card round and beyond, is running the ball and not asking Jimmy G to do too much.

Mitchell can achieve that by being productive and taking some of the load off Deebo Samuel's shoulders.

Los Angeles Rams - Matthew Stafford

Once again, this one is obvious, but the Rams need Matthew Stafford to be at his best. When Stafford is on, the Rams are near unbeatable. The problem is, he's become addicted to throwing interceptions at the worst possible time.

This probably doesn't come as a surprise, but in the Rams five losses this season, Stafford has thrown at least one interception. In three of those losses, he threw two interceptions. Cut those out, and the Rams can return to the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons.

Arizona Cardinals - Christian Kirk

DeAndre Hopkins getting hurt was a massive blow to the Arizona Cardinals. Now, if they want to find any level of success with their offense, having a go-to target for Kyler Murray is absolutely imperative.

Christian Kirk was that guy for a handful of weeks this season, but his inconsistent play has cost them at times. He needs to bring his "A" game each and every week moving forward, starting with Wild Card Weekend.