The ‘ , ‘ , ‘ , ‘ and ‘ each had the strength to come through during a key moment and contribute to wins during .Thanks to those strong performances, each player is up for honors. This is a deeper look at the significance of those conquests.Julio Jones, Atlanta FalconsStrong stats to consider: Since 1933, seven teams reached their last two games of the season undefeated. The are only the second team to lose their second-to-last game. The other team was the in 2009. Those 2009 had already clinched the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, and replaced starting quarterback with backup Curtis Painter in the third quarter of to the . In Week 14, . Since 1970, the are only Jonathan Schoop Jersey the 13th team to win a game against an opponent that had defeated them by at least 38 points earlier in the season. Power of the moment: 43 years and counting. The 1972 ‘ historic 17-0 season still stands as the only unbeaten campaign in the era (of course, the at 8-0-3, at 10-0-2, at 11-0-1 and at 12-0-1 each finished seasons undefeated in an era long before the NFL took root as a major sporting option in America). The fell five games short of history, thanks to the performance of Jones. Jones’ spectacular 70-yard touchdown play in the third quarter against Carolina provided the pivotal points in . This high-octane victory might help ease the pain of a lost season in Atlanta. The started the season 5-0, then lost seven of eight games before a two-game winning streak salvaged the year and gave Atlanta — which currently stands at 8-7 — a shot at still finishing above .500. Kirk Cousins, Washington RedskinsStrong stats to consider: In the last eight seasons, the have won the NFC East twice (2012 and 2015) and finished in last place in the other six seasons (2008-11, Rio Ruiz Jersey 2013-14). The last two times that the made the playoffs, they lost to the . Power of the moment: The ‘ worst-to-first turnaround really took root in over the in Week 7. Entering the game at 2-4 and their season at a potential turning point, Cousins directed a come-from-behind win. Down 24-0 in the first half, the rallied to win in the largest comeback in team history. Since then, the have been 5-3, seized control of the division and ultimately won it with over the on Saturday. Cousins was clutch in the triumph, throwing for four touchdowns. Cousins now has 26 touchdown pa ses on the season, the most for a quarterback since Mark Rypien in the ‘ XXVI-winning season of 1991 and five short of ‘s team-record 31. Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York JetsStrong stats to consider: Fitzpatrick threw for three touchdowns in over the . That tied Fitzpatrick with another journeyman quarterback — Vinny Testaverde — for the most touchdown pa ses in a single season in history (29). The and are the only teams with 50 or more years of history to never have a quarterback throw for 30 or more touchdowns. Fitzpatrick needs 276 pa sing yards in Week 17 for his first career 4,000-yard pa sing season. The following players reached the 4,000-yard mark for the first time at age 33 or older: Lynn Dickey (1983), Warren Moon (1990), John Elway (1993), Vinny Testaverde (1996), Steve Beuerlein (1999), Rich Gannon (2002), Trent Green (2003) and Jon Kitna (2006). Power of the moment: Fitzpatrick Jose Iglesias Jersey helped the end a three-game losing streak against the , and in doing so put his team into to earn an AFC wild-card playoff berth. A win on the road in Week 17 against the — who are coached by former frontman Rex Ryan — would put the into the playoffs. Fitzpatrick’s game-winning drive in overtime against the was his third of the season — he also had one . During that drive, Fitzpatrick completed a 48-yard pa s to and a 20-yard pa s to to move the into position to score. A 6-yard touchdown to s to sealed the crucial win for the , who are vying for their first playoff appearance since 2010. Todd Gurley, St. Louis RamsStrong stats to consider: Gurley is the first rookie to rush for more than 1,000 yards Hanser Alberto Jersey and 10 or more touchdowns since in 1983. Gurley has scored 10 touchdowns and receiver has scored nine touchdowns. The two combined to have scored 19 of the ‘ 26 offensive touchdowns this season, accounting for 73.1 percent of such scores, the highest percentage by any duo in the NFL this season. Power of the moment: Gurley helped the end a decade-long run of losing games in the Pacific Northwest. Gurley’s 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter provided the winning points in over the . It was the ‘ first win in Seattle since prevailing in It should be noted that season was also the last time that the made the postseason. St. Louis won’t be making the playoff party this season, either, but the team — which currently sports a 7-8 record — still has a shot at finishing at .500 for the first time since 2006. DeMarcus Ware, Denver BroncosStrong stats to consider: coach Gary Kubiak is 6-0 in his coaching career against the . With 11 wins this season, Kubiak has the second-most wins by a coach in his first season with the (Red Miller has the most with 12 wins in 1977). The defense leads the NFL in (280.9), (1991.) and (49). Power of the moment: Ware and the defense sparked a come-from-behind win that pushed the from the brink of po sibly not making the playoffs to having a chance at the AFC’s top Jeremy Hellickson Jersey playoff seed. Down 14-0 in the first half, the allowed just three more points to the in over the . This allowed and company to even up the tally on the scoreboard, force overtime and get kicker in position — again — for the game-winning field goal. The now have three 14-plus comeback wins this season. That is tied for the most 14-plus point comeback wins by a team in a single season in NFL history. All three of those comeback victories came against AFC playoff teams: , and on . It’s that come-from-behind win over the that has the in a position to earn home-field advantage due to that head-to-head tiebreaker. Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter .