Logan Forsythe Jersey Unsung heroes in the NFC: Adrian Peterson, Frank Clark thrived Published: Jan 23, 2019 at 06:14 AM Around The NFL Writer ARIZONA CARDINALS: , safety. Boston moved to Arizona in 2018 (after spending 2017 with the Chargers) and didn't mi s a beat, recording 79 tackles, nine pa ses defensed, three interceptions and one forced fumble in his first season with the lowly . At 26 years old, Boston has already played for three teams in five seasons and is expected to hit the free-agent market again. If his 2018 is any proof, the safety could be a good low-key addition for a team in need of a safety. ATLANTA FALCONS: , safety. Kazee stepped in nicely for the injured , who in the season opener. The dependable, playmaking Kazee recorded 82 tackles, 10 pa ses defensed, seven interceptions and one forced fumble in his first full season of starting action. Though he's no Neal, Kazee did more than what was expected of him. CAROLINA PANTHERS: , offensive tackle. Moton gets the recognition here because of how well he performed when called upon due to injury. Moton replaced usual starter , who played in just one game due to a knee injury, and had an excellent season, finishing as the NFL's 12th-best tackle in pa s protection, per Pro Football Focus. Moton was also the highest-ranked offensive lineman in pa s protection, posting an 82.7 PFF grade and finishing 29th among all linemen in the NFL. Not bad for a guy who was projected to be a backup in 2018. CHICAGO BEARS: , center. Whitehair doesn't get the credit he deserves as the center on a Chicago line that is one of the more cohesive groups in football. Whitehair ranked 10th among centers in 2018, per Pro Football Focus, and was the leader of a group that tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks allowed with just 33. With Whitehair snapping the ball to him, Mitch Trubisky (and the ' offense) should continue to improve in the years to come. DALLAS COWBOYS: , kicker. Maher had a tall task ahead of him when he arrived in Dallas: Replace the franchise's all-time most accurate kicker, . Maher did a good job, converting 29 of 36 field goals -- including 6 of 7 from 50-plus yards -- and 32 of 33 extra-point attempts in his first season in the NFL. Bailey's exit initially left a prominent void on Dallas' roster, but Maher filled in nicely and gave the a promising piece moving forward. DETROIT LIONS: , safety. 2018 was a forgettable season for the , but the play of Diggs under Matt Patricia is encouraging. Diggs posted a career-high in tackles (78), tied his career-best mark for interceptions (three, for Sandy Koufax Jersey the second straight season) and . Since joining the as a sixth-round pick in 2015, the 5-foot-9 Diggs has developed into a reliable starting safety, which is especially notable given . GREEN BAY PACKERS: , linebacker. A season that went by the wayside and resulted in the firing of Mike McCarthy didn't come as a complete lo s. Fackrell blo somed in 2018, recording 42 tackles and 10.5 sacks, including three-sack games and . While the didn't do enough offensively to make the playoffs, Fackrell did more than his share defensively, solidifying one of the outside linebacker positions moving forward. LOS ANGELES RAMS: , offensive guard. I once ran into Saffold in Venice Beach while looking for a friend's lost dog. He helped us search for and eventually find the pup, so that alone makes him a hero. But his unsung-hero merit on the field comes as the , apples of many fans' eyes, find succe s with a bunch of other well-known names: , , , , , , and even . A lot of why the are effective on the ground has to do with the versatility of Saffold, who is agile enough to get out in the open field, and more than powerful enough to flatten defenders and clear big lanes for Gurley/Anderson. He plays next to Whitworth, so he doesn't get as much attention, but he's a damn good guard and should be regarded as such. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: , quarterback. Cousins catches a ton of heat for his inability to win the big game, and that's not entirely wrong. But he gets the nod here because of the circumstances he overcame in his first season with Minnesota. The were ravaged by injuries up front before the season even started, setting up Cousins for what would be failure for a hefty portion of quarterbacks. Cousins, instead, flourished despite facing the most pre sures of any quarterback in the NFL (217) and enduring a 33.6 percent pre sure rate (tied for fourth-highest in NFL among pa sers with at least 200 attempts), posting a 99.7 pa ser rating while getting sacked the 10th-most in the league (40). Of the quarterbacks who were pre sured at 30 percent or more, only three posted higher pa ser Joc Pederson Jersey ratings: (113.8 with 30 percent pre sure rate), (108.1 with 31.2 percent pre sure rate) and (100.4 with pre sure rate of 30.4 percent). Of that group, Cousins posted the highest difference between expected completion percentage and actual at 5.3 percent, per Next Gen Stats. He was still pretty darn good, fans. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: , fullback. How often does a fullback get love in today's game? Sure, I chose one as , but that was only one of 16 -- and now two of 32. Line has cleared lanes for one of the NFL's most feared, two-headed running attacks for two seasons now, and last year, both of those running backs made the . This year, Line earned himself a and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. "He's the best fullback in the game," told Teope emphatically. Enough said. NEW YORK GIANTS: , wide receiver. Jr. has only played a full season once in his career, and it wasn't 2018, meaning needed someone else to throw to. Enter Shepard, who stepped up to the occasion by catching a career-high 66 pa ses for four touchdowns and a career-high 872 receiving yards. Of New York's five wins, Shepard caught touchdown pa ses in three of them. Not bad for a No. 2 who doesn't get a ton of attention. PHILADELPHIA Kenley Jansen Jersey EAGLES: , defensive back. We know the obvious answer here, but has received of praise, enough for a full church service. We instead turn to the rookie defensive back who improved as the season grew older, teaming with fellow defensive back Cre'Von LeBlanc to serve as the most effective late arrivals to an team that rode a late peak to a playoff berth and in the Divisional Round. Maddox recorded three of his four pa ses defensed in the final three weeks of the regular season, and helped swing a tightly contested game in the favor of the , who absolutely had to win to stay alive. They did. Maddox then followed that up by logging four pa ses defensed between Philadelphia's two playoff games, capping a strong finish to his first season. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: , running back. We could easily choose quarterback for this, but he got enough of the spotlight when he led the Niners to over the on "Thursday Night Football." Breida gets the nod because of how he stepped up to keep San Francisco's running game afloat after losing and to injuries. Breida rushed 153 times for 814 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games for a Niners team that was hamstrung without , but still remained ornery at the very least versus better opponents. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: , defensive end. Clark didn't get a ton of attention in part because these were seen as a transitional team, one in a fluid rebuild that ended up proving to be a retooling good enough to land them in the playoffs. A big reason? The play of Clark, who racked up 13 sacks, 41 tackles, three forced fumbles, two pa ses defensed, one interception and 51 QB pre sures (12th-most in the NFL). Not bad for a contract season. Add in his recent statement that he played the entire season at 60 percent (due to Maury Wills Jersey what he says were suffered in the same game against the Vikings) and his play becomes even more impre sive. Keep an eye on this one. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: , defensive end. Na sib made his way to Tampa Bay via free agency after the cut him at the end of camp -- and he proved to be a worthwhile addition. The defensive end who became notorious for did the simple math for the Bucs, tallying 6.5 sacks, 29 tackles, two forced fumbles and two pa ses defensed in 15 games (nine starts). Opposite , Na sib carved out a productive role for himself with a new team, which is worth praising even if the didn't have the best season. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: , running back. Peterson struggled to get a shot with any team and might have gone unemployed in 2018 if not for an injury to rookie . Peterson took advantage of the opportunity, rushing 251 times for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns and manning the lead-back role for a team that was suddenly in desperate need of one. He's 33 and not getting younger, but for at least one season, he was back to some form of the effective Peterson the NFL knew for so long. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.