NFL playoff X-factors: Who will spark his team to the Super Bowl?

The NFL playoffs kick off this weekend, and every year it seems new players emerge to help lead their team to a championship.

If you want to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, someone unknown needs to step into the spotlight and perform.

Below is a list of X-factors looking to play big roles in their team's charge to the Super Bowl. 

AFC

New England Patriots (No. 1 seed) — Dion Lewis, RB

A matchup nightmare last season, Lewis started off 2016 injured, only returning for the final seven games of the year. But with Rob Gronkowski not playing, the playoffs could be Lewis' coming out party.

The Patriots, for how amazing Tom Brady is, don't have much game-breaking talent at the skill positions. But Lewis was exactly that last season, and could be the mismatch they need to reach the Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs (2)  — Tyreek Hill, WR

The Chiefs are most likely going to need to go through Pittsburgh and/or New England to reach the Super Bowl, and in order to beat those teams you need to keep pace with their high-octane offences.

Hill — the self-proclaimed half man, half cheetah — emerged as one of the best big-play threats in the NFL over the second half. Whether it's catching screens, going deep or returning kicks, Hill needs to make an impact if the Chiefs want to get over the hump.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3)  — Bud Dupree, OLB

Everyone knows how many points Pittsburgh can score. The question is whether they can slow down top-tier offences, and that's where Dupree comes in.

The outside linebacker opened the year on injured reserve, but came on late, recording 4.5 sacks in seven games after being activated.

The Steelers showed signs of becoming a feared defence again late in the season, and Dupree will need to keep producing if they want to carry that momentum into the playoffs.

Houston Texans (4)  — Brock Osweiler, QB

The $72-million starter-turned-back-up-turned-starter needs to show up in a big way to give Houston any chance at all.

Their top-ranked defence, which led the league in yards allowed, could be enough to get them by a banged-up Oakland team, but New England or Kansas City will be astronomically tougher.

He flat out needs to play his best ball of the season, or Houston is done.

Oakland Raiders (5)  — Connor Cook, QB

Oakland's situation is very much like Houston's, in that an unproven quarterback is being tasked with leading a team into the playoffs.

The rookie Cook was the Raider's third-string QB up until three weeks ago. Then Derek Carr and Matt McGloin went down, forcing Cook into action.

Saturday's game against Houston will be Cook's first-ever start. Welp.

Miami Dolphins (6)  — Jay Ajayi, RB

With Matt Moore playing QB, the Dolphins are going to need to lean on their running game more than ever.

Ajayi put up 204 yards in a win against Pittsburgh earlier in the season and will need to produce a similarly dominant performance again. In this case, the best defence could be a running game that keeps Pittsburgh's scary offence off the field.

NFC

Dallas Cowboys (1)  — Demarcus Lawrence, OLB

The margin for error in the playoffs is much smaller than it is during the regular season, and Dallas is going to need to create more pressure on opposing quarterbacks to get through the NFC, which features Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson.

Lawrence hasn't played since Week 14 due to a back injury but is reportedly feeling "10 times better."

An effective Lawrence would give the Cowboys another weapon on an already dominant team.

Atlanta Falcons (2)  — Mohammed Sanu, WR

Teams are going to sell out to stop Julio Jones, and that's where Sanu comes in.

Sanu signed a big contract in the off-season as a free agent, and while he hasn't been bad, much more was expected.

If he can provide Ryan a solid second option, the best offence in the league will be even harder to stop.

Seattle Seahawks (3)  — Steven Terrell, FS

When free safety Earl Thomas broke his leg, a gaping hole opened up in the once-vaunted Seattle secondary.

Steven Terrell was tasked with replacing the all-world safety, and the transition hasn't been the smoothest.

If Seattle wants any hope to take down the big offences in the NFC, Terrell needs to do a better job manning centre field. Otherwise, stopping a strong passing game will be tough for Seattle.

Green Bay Packers (4)  — Ty Montgomery, RB

Aaron Rodgers has seemingly been able to do it all the last few weeks, but come playoff time, that's not always enough.

Ty Montgomery has had some issues with pass protection, but since his position switch from wide receiver to running back he's been making electric plays on a weekly basis.

If he can keep growing in that role, the Packers offence will be tough to stop.

New York Giants (5)  — Paul Perkins, RB

Besides Odell Beckham, the Giants have had almost nothing go right on offence — until Perkins started getting more touches.

Rashad Jennings had been the de facto starter all year but was completely ineffective. Perkins' playing time increased as the season wore on, and he averaged 15.5 carries per game over the final four weeks.

If the Giants keep feeding him, they may finally be more than a one-trick pony.

Detroit Lions (6)  — Darius Slay, CB

Every other team in the NFC has an elite wide receiver — Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, Doug Baldwin, Jordy Nelson, Odell Beckham.

Slay, who's been banged up recently, is one of the best corners in the business. Detroit is going to need him to shut down elite receivers the entire way, because not much else is going right on the defensive side of the ball for the Lions.