S Earl Thomas

Thomas has had another really good year — his first in Baltimore. He’s grabbed two interceptions, forced a fumble and even picked up the first sacks of his 10-year career. But the Ravens will really be counting on Thomas to be the veteran leadership in the postseason, both on and off the field.

Much like Weddle before him, Thomas has been around the league quite a while and knows how to win in the playoffs. With a defense full of young players who might not have as much postseason experience, they’ll be looking towards Thomas as their player-coach.

In addition to that, Thomas will be counted on to be the last line of the defense. Baltimore runs a lot of Cover 0 and 1-High coverages, meaning Thomas is roaming the back end of the defense to keep deep passes from happening. Against the big arms of guys like Ryan Tannehill, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, Thomas is going to see some deep balls thrown to take advantage of that.