Seven unheralded NFL players set to make impacts Championship Sunday

While all the focus surrounding the four teams remaining in the playoffs seems to be on the quarterbacks and other top-end stars, little-known players will make huge impacts come this weekend.

There's a reason these four teams are left standing. They do boast star power and great coaching staffs. That can't be denied.

However, they are among the deepest teams in the NFL. When a starter goes down to injury, a reserve steps up. This has been magnified for the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

As we have done all season, here is a look at unheralded players set to make major impacts this upcoming weekend.

1. Kurt Coleman, safety, Carolina Panthers

After being jettisoned from Philadelphia quicker than Chip Kelly, Coleman has found a way to perform at an extremely high clip in his second chance as an NFL player in Carolina.

The former Ohio State standout, playing out of position at free safety, led all NFL players at his position with seven interceptions during the regular season. He also yielded a low 78.3 quarterback rating when targeted.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Coleman was exposed big time by Seattle last week. He gave up six receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.

The interesting dynamic here is that Carolina will take on a Cardinals offense that's very similar to what Seattle does, mainly when it comes to the use of three-wide sets without a tight end.

Arizona's top pass-catching tight end during the regular season was Darren Fells (more on him below). He caught just 21 passes while playing an average of about 45 snaps per game. This means Fells was used more as a blocker than a receiver.

We want to see how the Cardinals attack a surprisingly good Panthers secondary on Sunday. If it's with the use of multiple three- to four-wide sets, that could expose Coleman, who was tasked primarily with going up against tight ends during the regular season.

This should be Coleman's most difficult test of the season. If he's able to pass with flying colors, it will go a long way in securing the second Super Bowl appearance in Panthers history.

2. Jabaal Sheard, defensive end, New England Patriots

While Chandler Jones has received most of the press in New England (good and bad), Sheard has had a solid first season with the team after signing a free-agent contract last spring.

Playing primarily as a pass-rush specialist, Sheard recorded 45 quarterback hurries and eight sacks during the regular year. He followed that up by putting pressure on Alex Smith five times in the Divisional Round.

Sheard has been known to move around the line of scrimmage this season, but he's going to line up primarily along the left side of the line. This will put him in a prime position to take advantage of a right tackle in Michael Schofield who allowed nine sacks in 13 starts during the regular season.

With an immobile Peyton Manning under center, Sheard should find himself in the future Hall of Famer's face all day. This could go a long way in the Patriots forcing some mistakes.

3. Rashad Johnson, safety, Arizona Cardinals

Johnson's task is going to be relatively clear come Sunday. With Patrick Peterson set to lock down Ted Ginn on the outside, this underrated safety will be asked with taking Greg Olsen out of the game.

This is much easier said than done. Olsen recorded a career-high 1,104 receiving yards while catching 67 percent of the passes thrown in his direction during the regular season. He also added six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown on six targets against Seattle in the Divisional Round.

While Arizona will likely throw underneath coverage Olsen's way with linebackers Kevin Minter and Deone Bucannon, Johnson's going to need to make sure everything is kept in front of him from a center-field position.

The Cardinals' defense is too good to allow multiple time-consuming scoring drives. Instead, Carolina is likely going to rely on the big play here.

If Johnson can make sure that doesn't happen between the hashes, Arizona will be in a good position when all is said and done. Johnson allowed a 61.0 quarterback rating with zero touchdowns and five picks when targeted during the regular season.

4. Josh Kline, guard, New England Patriots

Kline, a surprise starter for New England this season, has been extremely effective from a run-blocking perspective all year. He has, however, struggled in pass protection. The third-year guard from Kent State has given up a surprisingly high 17 quarterback hurries in 14 total starts, 12 of them coming in six games at left guard.

Now taking on a defensive lineman in Malik Jackson who has put up seven sacks and 45 hurries this year, it's going to be vital for Kline to perform at a higher level from a pass-protection standpoint.

If New England decides that it actually wants to attempt a rushing attack in this one, Kline also becomes pretty important. He was the Patriots' best run-blocking interior linemen during the season. He's also taking on a player in Jackson who wasn't anywhere near as good stopping the run as he was rushing the passer.

5. Bradley Roby, cornerback, Denver Broncos

Now that Chris Harris Jr. is officially considered a game-time decision for Sunday, Roby's importance to the Broncos takes on a whole new meaning. Even if Harris (shoulder) is able to go (suggestions seem to point to that), Roby will take on a much larger role.

The former first-round pick played 52 of 64 snaps last week, allowing just two receptions for 24 yards. Overall this year, the second-year player has allowed an 84.2 quarterback rating when targeted — the highest among Denver's top three corners.

Likely to play exclusively on the outside with Aqib Talib slated to go up against Julian Edelman, it's going to be interesting to see whom the Broncos scheme Roby against. He could line up against Danny Amendola in three-wide sets. Heck, he could play on the outside against Brandon LaFell.

Either way, it's going to be important for Roby to continue playing at an above-average level here. New England has the weapons to make his day rather difficult. And in reality, there's a reason Denver exhausted a first-round pick on Roby. It needs him to step up with Harris potentially limited in the AFC Championship game.

6. Corey "Philly" Brown, wide receiver, Carolina Panthers

There's a strong likelihood that Ted Ginn will find himself completely shut down against Patrick Peterson. That's simply a mismatch in Arizona's favor. After all, Ginn has caught less than 50 percent of the passes thrown his way this year. Meanwhile, Peterson is allowing an alarmingly low 47.7 completion percentage when targeted.

In this, the Panthers are going to need someone to step up outside of Ginn for Cam Newton. Based solely on opportunities, Brown needs to be that guy. He played more snaps than any other Panthers receiver against Seattle last week.

The unfortunate thing here is that Brown hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire recently. Last week included, the veteran has caught just eight of the 18 passes thrown his way over the past three weeks. He's going to need this to change in order to help his quarterback out.

7. Darren Fells, tight end, Arizona Cardinals

We mentioned the potential matchup of Fells going up against Panthers safety Kurt Coleman. And while Fells has not necessarily been an important aspect of Arizona's passing game this year, he did catch two passes on two targets in the Cardinals' win over Green Bay last week.

Arizona head coach Bruce Arians is a mastermind when it comes to scheming against opposing defenses. He also knows very well that Larry Fitzgerald will have a tough go at it against Josh Norman come Sunday.

In this, Arizona may very well decide to see how much success it could have between the hashes against a Carolina safety group that isn't necessarily world beaters. With a 77 percent catch rate this season, Fells could be the guy to take advantage.

Check out Vincent’s other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter. His work can also be seen on MSN, Fox Sports and Forbes.