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As the regular season winds down, teams around the league are looking for players other than their usual stars to step up and contribute.  That was evident this week as several dependable leaders faltered, clearing the way for someone else to be the hero of the game.  Let's take a look at some of the games where this happened.

Cincinnati Bengals over Cleveland Browns
The Bengals beat the Browns by a score of 23-20 to post their tenth win of the season. This is the first time since 1988 that the Bengals have won at least 10 games.  The undisputed leader of the team this year has been third-year quarterback Carson Palmer.  But he had a horrible game by his standards, completing just 13 of 27 passes for a mere 93 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.  But Palmer's lack of performance opened the door for running back Rudi Johnson to strut his stuff.  Johnson rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries to lead the Bengals.  That's was an outstanding feat for Johnson, especially when you consider that the entire offense accumulated just 278 net yards on the day.  If the Bengals can keep Johnson going (he has seven touchdowns in his last four games), they'll be in good shape for the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers over Chicago Bears
The Steelers had no trouble handing the Bears just their third loss of the season on Sunday.  In the 21-9 win, the Steelers had a big game from Jerome Bettis.  Up to this point, Bettis had been taking a back seat to starting running back Willie Parker and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  But with the snow coming down at Heinz Field, making long passes next to impossible to complete, Bettis got a chance to shine.  He made the most of it by rushing for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Steelers.  It was the first time this season that Bettis gained more than 100 yards in a game.

Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions
For the last 15 years, Brett Favre has been the driving force of the Packers' offense.  But as his career winds down, it's clear that he has not been playing at the same high level that has been the hallmark of his tenure in the NFL.  Favre has passed for over 3,000 yards this season, which is what you'd expect of him, but he has also thrown 22 interceptions and has a QB rating of just 75.4.  With the Packers' offense devastated by injuries, it was time for head coach Mike Sherman to give some unknowns a chance to make their mark.  Enter running back Samkon Gado.  Gado rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown in just his seventh NFL appearance, as he led the Packers to a 16-13 victory.  That number is particularly amazing when you consider that Favre had only 170 passing yards.  Gado now has 537 yards and 6 touchdowns on the year, and has been a much-needed bright spot in the Packers' otherwise dismal season.  You can bet that he'll be around next year even after Ahman Green returns from injury.