Rodgers leads way with hot hand in playoffs

Winning a Lombardi Trophy is so often a result of who captures lightning in a bottle as opposed to displaying sustained, season- long excellence.

Individuals also can catch fire at just the right time, sometimes able to seemingly carry their teams single- handedly. Several players are in the midst of impressive stretches that just might vault their teams all the way to Houston.

Here’s a ranking of the 10 hottest players heading into Championship Sunday — our Super Bowl heat index: 1. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green

Bay Packers: What is perhaps an unprecedented combination of accuracy, arm strength and mobility — all apparent on his final throw against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, a 35- yard heat seeker to tight end Jared Cook that set up the clinching field goal — again has longtime observers wondering if anybody has thrown an NFL football better than Rodgers. Maybe it’s never been more obvious than his recent foray into “the zone,” as he seemingly extends plays infinitely ( in or out of the pocket) before making some hapless defender — you deserve better, Sean Lee — look foolish while futilely trying to bat away another indefensible strike.

Rodgers hasn’t even needed injured wide receiver Jordy Nelson to put up 72 points over the last

six- plus playoff quarters. And the numbers? Over the last nine games, which includes Green Bay’s eight- game winning streak, Rodgers has passed for 2,735 yards and 24 touchdowns with one interception, completing 68.2% of his passes with a 117.5 passer rating. He has 268 more yards and two more TD throws than anyone else in the postseason. “He’s been hot since 2008,” vanquished Cowboys coach Jason Garrett quipped of Rodgers. 2. RB Le’Veon Bell, Pitts

burgh Steelers: He’s the biggest reason Pittsburgh is still alive. Bell has rushed for 167 and 170 yards the last two weeks, twice breaking the playoff rushing record of a franchise known for legendary backs the likes of Hall of Famers Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. Bell’s 337 yards on the ground are 52 more than anyone else in NFL history has totaled in his first two postseason appearances.

And like Rodgers, Bell has been on fire for two months. He has had more than 131 yards from scrimmage in each of his last nine games, averaging 173.9, while finding the end zone 11 times. Bell managed 149 combined yards in the Week 7 game against the New England Patriots, even though quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t available to help him. 3. QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: It seems a fait accompli that he will be the 2016 NFL MVP — and should be. Ryan spent a historic season guiding the eighth- most prolific scoring team ( 540 points) in NFL history. His 117.1 passer rating paced the

league ( and was the fifth highest ever), while his 9.3 yards per throw established a record. Ryan also became the first player to throw TDs to 13 receivers in one season, and his mark of consecutive games with at least 200 passing yards now stands at 55.

Yet like Rodgers and Bell, his recent body of work is even more impressive. Ryan has upped his passer rating to a playoff- best 125.7. During a five- game run that has carried the Falcons to a division crown, a first- round bye and now an NFC title game berth, he has thrown for 1,469 yards, 14 TDs and zero interceptions for a sublime 131.8 rating — numbers that seem likely to elevate against Green Bay’s depleted secondary. 4. QB Tom Brady, New Eng

land Patriots: Want to argue that the four- time Super Bowl winner isn’t the greatest quarterback of all time? Have fun with that one. Brady’s four- game Deflategate suspension to start the season probably will cost him a third MVP award, but his record TD- to- INT ratio ( 28- 2) this season is a testament to how the position should be played.

Although his supporters will cringe seeing him ranked fourth on any list, it’s hard to justify moving him up based on recent performance. Brady was not sharp in last weekend’s defeat of the Houston Texans, his two picks matching his regular- season total and his 68.6 passer rating the fourth lowest of his 23 playoff victories. After a scalding four- week showing after returning to the team in October, Brady’s play leveled off from histori-

cally good to all- pro caliber — which, amazingly, leaves him a tick behind Rodgers and Ryan at the moment. 5. LB Ryan Shazier, Steel

ers: Yes, they also play defense in the postseason, during which Pittsburgh has allowed 28 points. Its gifted inside linebacker has an interception in each of his last four games and owns a pass breakup in the last seven. Shazier’s ability to hamper the short and intermediate aerial game could be particularly vexing for Brady, who has had to rely heavily on his backs and slot receiver Julian Edelman during the absence of injured tight end Rob Gronkowski. 6. WR Antonio Brown, Steelers: No, he didn’t get docked for his social media fumble. Brown continues to be a force between the lines, his 232 receiving yards tops in the playoffs. He opened the postseason with two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins, setting the kind of tone that must send a shiver through New England — especially if the Patriots sell out to stop Bell and leave themselves exposed to Brown’s game- breaking gifts. 7. LB James Harrison, Steelers: And you thought he was washed up. Harrison’s 21⁄ 2 playoff sacks pace the league, and his 16 tackles lead all players remaining in the field. And the old man ( he’s 38) still knows how to sell a call, evidenced by his ability to draw that disputed holding flag in the Kansas City Chiefs’ failed two- point attempt last Sunday. 8. RB Devonta Freeman, Falcons: Atlanta’s underrated

ground game is a significant reason Ryan has been able to morph into superstardom. There are probably no two better complementary backs in the league than Freeman and Tevin Coleman; however, the former has gone Le’Veon Bell- lite over the last month ( 545 total yards and five TDs). Freeman has been sneaky good with one 100- yard rushing performance in his last four outings, but he has exceeded 80 receiving yards twice, including a team- high 80 on four receptions in the playoff win against the Seattle Seahawks. 9. CB Micah Hyde, Packers: Don’t blame him for any issues Green Bay’s defense is having. Hyde’s interception of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott last Sunday was an example of pristine film study applied to game day. Hyde also has broken up four passes and registered a sack among his 11 tackles in the two playoff wins. 10. K Mason Crosby, Pack

ers: Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant is a Pro Bowler. Chris Boswell drilled a postseason- record six field goals, accounting for all of Pittsburgh’s points in Kansas City. But neither is on a tear like Crosby’s. He has connected on his last 23 playoff field goal attempts, a postseason record. And what about his performance against the Cowboys? Besides making all four extra points, Crosby nailed a go- ahead, 56- yard field goal with 93 seconds to go before connecting on the winner from 51 yards — twice actually since the Cowboys tried to ice him as the first kick sailed through.