NFL Playoff Predictions: 10 Match-Ups to Watch During Wild Card Weekend
After more than four months of jostling, jousting and jockeying, the 2011 NFL Playoffs are finally set to begin.
This year's edition of Wild Card weekend is replete with exciting games, each of which will feature of plenty battles to be fought within the greater "war" on the gridiron.
The likes of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Michael Vick will have to contend with a number of foes, and not always in the form of players on the opposing team.
That being the case, let's have a look at the 10 most intriguing match-ups to keep an eye on come Saturday and Sunday.
Drew Brees Vs. Seattle Seahawks Pass Defense
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Wild Card Weekend will kick off with the New Orleans Saints paying a visit to Qwest Field to give their warmest New Year's greetings to the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite being the road team, the Saints will undoubtedly be the favorites in this one, as the 2010 Super Bowl winners will begin their title defense against a team that is in the post-season despite a 7-9 mark in the regular season.
With regard to the actual on-field proceedings, look for Drew Brees to have himself a field day against Seattle's pass defense, which was the sixth-worst in the NFL in 2010.
Oh, and because Brees is still one of the best quarterbacks in the game, having thrown for 4,620 yards (third-most) and 33 touchdowns (second-most) during the regular season.
Edge: Drew Brees...by a long shot
Charlies Whitehurst Vs. The World
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Charlie Whitehurst, Brees' Seahawks counterpart, will likely find the going to be just a bit tougher for him.
Assuming Whitehurst gets the call, with Matt Hasselbeck still ailing, he'll have a number of opponents to deal with.
First and foremost is the Saints' "Who Dat?" defense, which matured from last year's turnover-dependent bunch into this year's solid group, which was the fourth- and eighth-stingiest in terms of yards and points allowed, respectively.
Secondly, Whitehurst has to contend with the fact that New Orleans is still America's sentimental favorite, even/especially after delivering the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the millions who have suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
And then there's Whitehurst himself, whose experience consists of 99 pass attempts, 507 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, despite this being his fifth year in the NFL.
Edge: The World, because it's just too darn big!
Michael Vick Vs. His Injured Quad
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Come Sunday afternoon, the world will turn its attention to Philadelphia to watch the Eagles' Michael Vick put his world-renowned fancy footwork on display.
That is, if he's healthy enough to do so.
All signals seem to be go from the Eagles, with Vick insisting that he'll be 100-percent ready once game time rolls around against Green Bay.
Considering Vick's drop-off in performance over the last two weeks, including a DNP against Dallas to close out the season, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to perform to the level that had him in the thick of the NFL MVP race earlier this season.
That being said, expect Vick to do anything and everything he can to keep the dream season alive on Sunday against the Packers, bum quad or no.
Edge: Vick, if only slightly
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Aaron Rodgers Vs. His Head
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Then again, Michael Vick won't be the only quarterback at Lincoln Financial Field who will have to be wary of the threat of injury on Sunday.
One need look no further for the other than Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers finished the season brilliantly, throwing for a combined 633 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception in the Packers' playoff-clinching victories against the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears to finish the season.
Those performances came on the heels of Rodgers missing Green Bay's Week 15 loss at New England due to a concussion suffered the previous week against Detroit–the second concussion of the season for Rodgers.
As such, the Packers have an excellent shot to come away with a huge road in on Sunday if Rodgers can keep himself on his feet and his head on his shoulders.
Otherwise, Green Bay will be "packing" up and heading home for another long, cold winter in Wisconsin.
Edge: Aaron Rodgers
Packers Offensive Line Vs. Eagles Pass Rush
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Unfortunately for Rodgers, staying on his feet may be easier said than done.
Even without the late Jim Johnson coordinating the defense, the Eagles have maintained their philosophy of blitz, blitz and more blitz this season, tying for 10th in the NFL with 39.0 sacks on the season.
The Packers' offensive line, on the other hand, has had its fair share of struggles this season. Between injuries and the trials and tribulations of rookie lineman Bryan Bulaga, Green Bay has given up 38.0 sacks, tied for 13th-most in the league.
As such, if Philadelphia is to win this one at home, it'll need to keep the heat on Rodgers and the Packers' offensive line.
Otherwise, Green Bay offense will have fans singing "Go, Pack, Go!" all day long.
Edge: Packers' O-line
Peyton Manning Vs. New York Jets Secondary
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We now turn to the AFC, where the Colts and Jets will once again do battle, post-season style.
Fans in New York and Indianapolis will recall the respective heartbreak and jubilation that resulted from Indy's 30-17 win at Lucas Oil Stadium to propel Jim Caldwell's club into the Super Bowl against the New Orleans Saints.
With his fourth MVP in his left hand and a homing-missile football in his right, Manning shredded the Jets' vaunted defense for 377 yards and three touchdowns, thereby shutting up Rex Ryan, if only for a day or two.
Manning may find repeating that feat a bit trickier this time around, due in large part to the addition of Antonio Cromartie to New York's defensive backfield.
With Cromartie smothering receivers opposite Darrell Revis, the Jets allowed just over 200 yards per game passing–good for sixth-best in the NFL.
However, as good as the Jets secondary may be and as shaky as Manning has been at times this season, expect nothing less than the best from one of the all-time great quarterbacks in this particular match-up.
Edge: Peyton Manning, though it won't be easy
Mark Sanchez Vs. Indianapolis Colts Pass Rush
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On the other side of the coin, Mark Sanchez has something of an "easier" task in withstanding the Colts' pass rush.
As frightening as Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis may have been, they weren't quite scary enough this season, as Indy finished toward the bottom of the league in sacks and interceptions, thereby indicating a lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Granted, Sanchez isn't exactly a gunslinger, especially with a bum shoulder that led Rex Ryan to withhold him from playing in the Jets' season finale against Buffalo.
This one is particularly tough to call, but look for the Colts' pass rush to be just good enough to keep Sanchez and the Jets a bit off-kilter.
Edge: Colts pass rush, though they'll only be marginally better
Matt Cassel Vs. Ray Lewis
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Before we finish up, let's not forget about the early game on Sunday, pitting the Baltimore Ravens against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Ray Lewis and the Ravens will likely give Matt Cassel and the young Chiefs a rude welcome to the post-season, with those two facing off in a game-within-the-game of cat and mouse throughout the afternoon.
In one corner is Cassel, KC's young quarterback who had a magnificent season in 2010, leading the Chiefs to the AFC West title after sitting out 2009 with a bum knee.
Opposite him is Ray Lewis, the fierce face of the Ravens defense who knows the playoff drill all too well, having spent 15 years in the NFL with a Super Bowl ring in his personal collection.
Lewis may not be the strapping young lad he once was, but he still has plenty of savvy and tenacity, along with open lanes created by Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata up front, to have Cassel running scared in the QB's first-ever playoff appearance.
Edge: Ray Lewis (and his Old Spice campaign)
Jamaal Charles Vs. Ed Reed
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Matt Cassel isn't the only Chief who'll have his hands full with a veteran Ravens defender.
Like his backfield buddy, running back Jamaal Charles had a sensational season in 2010, scampering for 1,467 yards–second-best in the NFL this year–with an average of 6.4 yards per carry–second-best ALL TIME, just fractions of an inch per carry behind the legendary Jim Brown's single season record.
As good as Charles has been in his three years as a running back in the NFL, Ed Reed has been even better at safety throughout his nine-year professional career.
Case in point: Reed led the NFL in interceptions this season with eight, despite missing the first six weeks due to injury.
Now, that wouldn't matter much to Charles, except Reed is also excellent at delivering hard hits when helping out with the running game.
However, Reed's role overall may be limited by sore neck, which kept him out of practice from time to time this week.
As such, look for Charles to have a relatively easier time dealing with Reed than Cassel will have with Lewis.
Edge: Jamaal Charles
Ray Rice Vs. Chiefs Rushing Defense
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Jamaal Charles may get most of the running back love in the Chiefs-Ravens match-up, but let's not forget about Ray Rice here.
The little guy from Rutgers had himself a terrific year for Baltimore, rushing for 1,220 yards and catching another 63 balls for 556 yards.
Rice's speed and ability to break tackles despite his 5'8" stature make him a serious threat to score on just about any occasion.
Expect Rice to make some hay against KC's run D, which surrendered more than 110 yards per game on the ground in 2010.
Edge: the little guy...err...I mean, Ray Rice
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