Few and far between are the NFL playoff teams that don't have their stars. But often, it's the supporting cast that makes the difference once the postseason arrives.
Or at least they're the players who seemingly come out of nowhere to do so, whether it's a relative unknown like Malcolm Butler making a play at the goal line for the Patriots a few years ago to beat the Seahawks, David Tyree making a catch against his helmet to help the Giants beat the Patriots, or Mike Jones -- who would eventually play with the Steelers -- tackling Kevin Dyson a half-yard short of the end zone to secure a Rams' win over Tennessee.
There are obviously more examples -- many of which haven't happened in Super Bowls -- but rest assured, the Steelers are well aware things get magnified in the postseason.
I asked Darrius Heyward-Bey about just that this week.
"It’s funny you say that because Martavis (Bryant) was just saying, ‘Always in the Super Bowl, there’s a big-time catch or something.’ I said, ‘Because every play is big.’ You don’t know who is going to make that play," Heyward-Bey told me. "It can be the fifth receiver. It can be (Antonio Brown). It can be anybody. You’ve just got to make sure you’re ready for those moments. In your mind, you’re running through your mind that, ‘It could be me.’ So when that time comes, you can react."
The Steelers (13-3) won't get a chance to make any of those game-changing plays this weekend. They've earned a well-deserved bye week in the opening round of the playoffs. But that doesn't mean some of the role players on this team aren't ready to relish the hero role.
The Steelers are a star-studded team, one with four All-Pros and eight Pro Bowl players, but any of the other 45 guys could be the reason the Steelers advance to the AFC Championship one week from now, win that game, or win the Super Bowl.
Everyone wants to be the star. But there are only so many of those. But just because you're not the centerpiece of the offense or defense doesn't mean you can't make a big play that will be remembered.
I asked Todd Haley how the Steelers convince guys they can be that player.
"I think it’s a great question. Going back to early in my time here six years ago, we had guys that came in, guys like Darrius Heyward-Bey offensively, who came in and really just relished the role they were given. When you have an example like that to use, we can point those things out in the offseason and training camp – guys doing just that – buying into their role," Haley said. "We’ve got an unselfish group, and again, when you have examples like Hey-Bey [Heyward-Bey] – a former No. 1 pick who’s going out and playing whatever role he’s given, whether it’s a big role one week, a not-so-big role the next week, if it’s just special teams – that’s an easy selling point. When you’ve got unselfish guys like we do, it kind of builds upon itself."
It's somewhat ironic that Bryant would be the player who mentioned the big postseason plays to Heyward-Bey. Part of the reason for his unhappiness earlier in the season was because he wasn't getting the ball thrown his way as much as he might like.
But he seems to have bought into his role on this roster and has made some big plays for the Steelers down the stretch, especially in the past two games with Brown sidelined with a calf injury.
Le'Veon Bell, one of the Steelers' stars, appreciates the role players.
"Yeah, the guys who have kind of accepted their role and kind of take off in their role," Bell told me. "Guys on special teams don’t really get many plays on offense. Rosie (Nix), his name kind of goes under the radar a lot, but he’s out there making plays on special teams, doing all of the dirty work on offense. We allowed him to get a couple of touchdowns. Other than that, he’s a guy who does all the grinding, dirty work that’s kind of not seen or noticed, other than people in other locker rooms who are watching film. His name is not getting called on the TV. It’s guys like that.
"JuJu (Smith-Schuster) is a guy who is kind of emerging into a star, but he’s a role player, a young guy who accepted his role and kind of blew up with it. You need guys like that on your team. Everybody can’t be Antonio Brown or Ben (Roethlisberger). Everybody can’t be the star. The guys who are making plays, like JuJu, we need that. A lot of teams don’t have guys like JuJu or Rosie. I’m glad we have guys like that."
PLAYOFF PREVIEWS
Tennessee at Kansas City, 4:35 p.m., Saturday: The Titans haven't played a postseason game against Kansas City since 1994 when they were still the Oilers. And they're 0-2 at Arrowhead in the postseason. This will be a game worth watching for Steelers fans, since in the unlikely event that Buffalo upsets Jacksonville, the Steelers would face the winner of this game. Against common opponents this season, Tennessee is 1-4 and Kansas City is 3-2. This is Tennessee's first playoff game since 2008. Kansas City, 24-13
Atlanta at L.A. Rams, 8:15 p.m. Saturday: This is probably the game of the weekend. The defending NFC champion Falcons have plenty of playoff experience. The upstart Rams, not so much. And they were both 3-2 against common opponents. If there's going to be an upset this weekend, this game will be it. But to do so, the Falcons will have to control NFC rushing leader Todd Gurley. The key could be the placekickers. The Rams were forced to sign former Penn State kicker Sam Ficken late in the season because of an injury to Greg Zuerlein. Atlanta, 27-24
Buffalo at Jacksonville, 1:05 p.m., Sunday: This game will determine who will come to Pittsburgh next weekend. If the Jaguars win, as expected, the Steelers get a rematch of their 30-9 loss to Jacksonville from Oct. 8. If Buffalo wins, the winner of the Tennessee-Kansas City game comes to Heinz Field. Buffalo is in the postseason for the first time since 1999, which also happens to be the last time the Jaguars won their division -- which at the time was the AFC Central. Buffalo went 2-5 against teams with winning records this season and 2-3 against common opponents. Jacksonville was 4-1 against common opponents. The league's top pass defense should be too much for the visiting Bills, who averaged just 18.9 points per game, especially if LeSean McCoy can't play or is hobbled. Jacksonville stumbled down the stretch, but this is the one team that it can beat in this postseason. Jacksonville 26-10
Carolina at New Orleans, 4:40 p.m., Sunday: The Saints won both games against the Panthers this season convincingly and are 7-1 at home this year. The one-two punch of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara makes the Saints a tough matchup, considering they also have Drew Brees. Those two are the first two running backs to each have 1,500 yards from scrimmage on the same team in league history. Surprisingly, Brees is just 6-5 in playoff games. Cam Newton is 3-3. Against common opponents, Carolina went a sparkling 10-2. New Orleans was 8-4. But this matchup favors the home team. New Orleans 27-21
QUOTES
"We don’t want to have an off-and-on switch. We want to go out there like McDonald’s. When you go to McDonald’s and you order the No. 1, you get a Big Mac. We want to be a Big Mac every time. What are you going to get, the No. 1? OK, you know what it is. That’s what type of team we want to be." -- Le'Veon Bell on the Steelers' offense
"I came here wanting to win games and chase that Super Bowl. I have the opportunity now. I feel truly blessed to be here. I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity while I’m here." -- Tyson Alualu
"We'd hate to lose him but we're happy for him. He deserves that opportunity." -- David DeCastro on offensive line coach Mike Munchak's interview for the head coaching job with Arizona that will take place Saturday in Pittsburgh