5 Impact Players for the NFL Conference Games

There are four teams who still have a chance to make their mark in the 2010 NFL Conference championship games. But in order to advance to the Super Bowl, each team will need a player or players to step up to help put them over the top.

These are the five players who will be a determining factor whether their team is able to advance to the big game.

Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts

Manning has received countless accolades for his performance during the regular season, including four MVP awards. Things become different when the NFL playoffs roll around. He has appeared mortal with an unimpressive 8-8 record, including being 1-2 since winning the Super Bowl.

Manning looked like himself last week when he completed 68.2% of his passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The good news is Manning looked less than ordinary at times when the Colts won the Super Bowl.

If the Colts are going to win this week against the Jets, it will be because of Manning's performance on the field.

Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings

Though Brett Favre may be getting all of the attention this week, Peterson is going to play a bigger role in determining if the Vikings can reach the Super Bowl.

During their win over the Cowboys, Peterson carried the ball 26 times for 63 yards. Peterson averaged 2.4 yards per carry with a longest run of 11 yards.

Peterson will need to change this when they take on a Saints run defense ranked 22nd in the NFL. If he is able to break into the secondary, Peterson will have a good chance to break off a few long runs.

Mark Sanchez - New York Jets

Up until now the Jets only asked Sanchez to manage the game and not make any mistakes. Things will be different during the AFC Conference game.

The Colts will repeat their game plan from last week by shutting down the running game and forcing Sanchez to win the game with his arm. If Sanchez is going to find success, he will need big plays out of Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller.

It could turn ugly for Sanchez, who threw at least one interception in nine games this season. He will be going up against a Colts defense that has recorded 34 sacks and 16 interceptions this season.

Reggie Bush - New Orleans Saints

Last week Bush reminded us of his USC days when he racked up 217 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns. While Bush recorded a season high 84 yards on the ground, he will have a harder time against the front seven of the Vikings.

Bush can make an impact in specials teams if he is able to build upon the success he had against the Cardinals. The Vikings' punting team only allowed 7.8 yards and gave up one return touchdown during the season.

The last time these two teams faced, Bush ran back two punts for touchdowns though he coughed one fumble. Bush has the chance to play a big part when it comes to filed position and give the Saints a better starting position.

Kickers

Since the start of the season, we have seen our fair share of games decided by the foot of a kicker. Just last week San Diego Chargers' kicker Nate Kaeding missed 3 field goals in a game where the Jets won 17-14.

The kicker to keep an eye on this week is the Colts Matt Stover. The Jets defense has a solid chance of keeping the game close and it could be up to Stover if the Colts win. Since Stover was picked up to replace the injured Adam Vinatieri, he has connected on 9 of 11 field goals and 33 of 33 for extra points.