Five players who could dramatically shape NFL playoff race

The 2025 NFL season has entered its second half, and playoff races are starting to get intense. So let’s take a look at five key players around the league who are going to play a significant role in dramatically shaping how those playoff races are going to go. It is not necessarily the best players in the NFL, but players who are going to be major X-factors for their teams and playoff positioning.  There might not be a bigger wild-card player for the NFL playoff race the rest of the season than McCarthy. The Vikings have invested heavily in the roster and put together a talented team that should have serious Super Bowl expectations.  But they have entrusted a second-year quarterback who, to this point, has only played three NFL games in his career due to injury, and nobody really knows what he is capable of or what he will do when the lights are on.  The Vikings go into Sunday’s game against the Ravens with a 4-4 record and need to start stacking wins to get themselves back into the NFC playoff picture.  McCRead More