Each of the four NFL teams still remaining in the playoff race have an abundance of star players. Denver has Pat Surtain and Nik Bonitto, New England has Drake Maye, Seattle has Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Los Angeles has Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. But you can’t make a run at the Super Bowl unless everyone on your team is playing good football.

Today, we’re going to talk about the little guys. The players who don’t get their fair share of the spotlight and take a backseat to the superstars, because without them, you can’t be the last team standing in February.

Denver Broncos

When talking about unsung heroes, my mind immediately goes to Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss. Everyone talks about Pat Surtain, but Moss has been incredible next to him. Opponents have targeted him a league-high 115 times in the regular season, and he’s allowed just a 57.4 completion percentage with a pick and 15 pass breakups. He’s also spent seven minutes and one second in tight coverage, which is one minute and 23 seconds more than any other cornerback in the league, per Next Gen Stats.

Zach Allen and Jonathan Franklin-Meyers are two guys who also don’t get the respect they deserve, at least from the national media. They’ve totaled 112 pressures, 50 hurries and 14.5 sacks. These two allow Bonitto and Cooper to feast off the edge, because teams can’t afford to double-team them when they have to worry about the two studs in the middle.

I also want to shoutout J.K. Dobbins. I know he hasn’t played in a long time because of injury, but he was running really well early in the season with 772 yards and a 5.0 average through 10 games. They’re really missing Dobbins right now, but he does have a chance to play in the AFC Championship after recording his first practice in multiple months this week. If they can get him back, that would be huge.

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New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league, but outside of Christian Gonzalez, they don’t really have a ton of household names. Robert Spillane is one that flys a bit under the radar. He led the team in tackles with 97, but also broke up five passes and picked off two while forcing a fumble. His counterpart, Christian Elliss, is another guy whose a bit of an unsung hero. He’s right behind Spillane with 94 tackles, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.

Khyiris Tonga has also played really well on the defensive line for New England, racking up 24 tackles, 14 pressures, 12 hurries and 13 run stops in just over 300 snaps.

Jaylinn Hawkins is a name a lot of Patriots fans know, but probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves from the national media. Hawkins has 71 tackles, 12 run stops, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and has allowed 234 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions in coverage.

These four guys have been difference makers for the Patriots this season, but unless you’re a fan of the team or an expert ball knower, you probably didn’t know how well they’ve been playing.

Seattle Seahawks

Nick Emmanwori is an up-and-coming name, but he’s only a rookie, so he’s definitely flying a bit under the radar. This kid has been exceptional for Seattle, logging 81 tackles, 30 run stops, 18 pressures, 11 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He does a bit of everything for this defense, and was the key piece Mike Macdonald needed.

Drake Thomas has also been playing his butt off for Macdonald’s defense. He came into this year never recording more than 13 tackles in a season, but has 96 on the year to go along with 24 run stops, 17 pressures, eight pass breakups, 3.5 sacks and an interception. Nobody really knew who he was before this season, but now he’s one of the best rising linebackers in the league.

Offensively, Rashid Shaheed is a bit of an unsung hero. He’s more known than most of the guys on this list, but since he got to Seattle, he hasn’t done much offensively, catching 15 passes for 188 yards with no touchdowns. However, he’s transformed Seattle’s return game, averaging 29.9 yards per kickoff return and 16.2 yards per punt return. He’s been a difference maker on special teams.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams probably have the most superstars of any team remaining, but they have their fair share of unsung heroes as well. Nate Landman is one who immediately comes to mind. He leads the team and is third in the entire NFL with 132 tackles, but he’s also added 51 run stops, eight tackles for loss, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles and an interception. He’s one of the most well-known players on this list, but he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and others on his team.

Poona Ford is another guy who has played very well for LA, but flies under the radar. The Rams DT has 47 tackles, 30 pressures, 28 run stops, 25 hurries and two sacks on the season. His counterpart, Kobie Turner, is another overshadowed player on this defense. In 2025, he racked up 55 pressures, 40 hurries, 27 run stops and seven sacks. If it weren’t for Jared Verse and Byron Young, these two would be talked about a lot more.

Offensively, they don’t have a lot of under-the-radar players, but Blake Corum has been exceptional when his number is called. He’s turned 145 carries into 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Kyren Williams still gets all of the shine, but Corum has arguably been the better runner this year.