NFL Playoff Predictions: Key Match-Ups to Watch For in The Divisional Round
Outside of the Baltimore Ravens' 30-7 trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs, the 2011 edition of NFL Wild Card weekend was certainly among the most exciting in recent playoff memory.
Last weekend's slate of games literally had it all: breakout performances, exciting finishes and thrilling upsets, among so many other things worth noting.
Those games were only a step up to those coming up this weekend, as the four teams fortunate enough to earn playoff bye weeks shake off their rust and ready themselves to host the squads that proved victorious in the Wild Card round.
And talk about some fantastic match-ups! Each of the four games this weekend—Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore, Atlanta vs. Green Bay, Chicago vs. Seattle and New England vs. New York—features teams that met at least once during the regular season.
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, which could play a significant role in each of the aforementioned tussles.
Setting the teams as a whole aside, let's have a look at some key match-ups within each game and how they could affect the various outcomes.
Troy Polamalu Vs. Every Ravens Skill Position Player
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The first game of the Divisional round will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers playing host to the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.
Not a bad way to kick off the weekend, to say the least.
These teams know each other all too well, as each meeting tends to degenerate into a low-scoring, hard-hitting, trash-talking affair.
The third meeting of the year for these two should be no different.
When it comes to hard hits, few strike more fear into the hearts of offensive playmakers than Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu had another incredible regular season for Pittsburgh in 2010, racking up 63 tackles and seven interceptions—the second most in the NFL—while still missing two games.
The former USC Trojan, known for his signature Samoan curls, is the epitome of a defensive playmaker, with the ability to take over a game at any given moment, though he has been limited in practice this week by a sore Achilles.
If that injury proves to be a particularly debilitating one for Polamalu, expect to hear a huge collective sigh of relief from the likes of Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin from the Ravens' sideline.
This game could very well hinge on how much havoc Polamalu is able to wreak on Baltimore's offense.
Edge: Polamalu
Ben Roethlisberger Vs. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata
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On the flip side, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will have plenty of his own issues to worry about.
For those who don't remember, the Ravens' defense is pretty good too, and has its own plethora of playmakers.
Last time Pittsburgh and Baltimore met, veteran linebacker Ray Lewis piled up 12 tackles and a forced fumble while defensive linemen Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata combined for two sacks on the Steelers' fleet-footed quarterback.
As is seemingly always the case with these two squads, look for defense to win out here.
Edge: Ravens' playmakers
Matt Ryan Vs. Clay Matthews and The Packers' Pass Rush
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Once the Ravens and Steelers have finished their fight, all eyes will turn toward Atlanta, where the Falcons will play host to the Green Bay Packers.
As good as the Falcons have been this year, Matt Ryan, football's latest "Golden Boy", will have his hands full with the Packers' pass rush.
Led by monster linebacker Clay Matthews and his 13.5 sacks–fourth-most in the NFL–Green Bay's front seven managed to take down opposing quarterbacks 47 times during the regular season, coming in second behind only Pittsburgh in that department.
If Mike Smith's squad is to be successful on Saturday, they will need Ryan to be upright and throwing accurately rather than on his hindquarters and under duress.
Edge: Ryan
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Aaron Rodgers Vs. The Ghost of Brett Favre
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Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers will have his own demons to deal with, and not just the ones dressed in Red and Black for the Falcons.
While Atlanta's defense is decent, if not great, Rodgers will spend just as much time dodging the legacy of Brett Favre.
As different a quarterback as Rodgers may be, he will always be compared to Favre so long as he is the quarterback in Green Bay, even though Favre's terrific tenure in Wisconsin seems now to be a distant memory.
That's not to say that Rodgers will necessarily be paralyzed by Favre's ghost. After all, Rodgers has done extremely well for himself, having twice beaten Favre's Minnesota Vikings just this season.
If the former Cal Golden Bear can take out the Falcons on Saturday, he might have some "Cheeseheads" thinking, "Brett who?"
Edge: Rodgers
Jay Cutler Vs. His Own Inconsistency
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Aaron Rodgers isn't the only quarterback in the NFC who will dancing with demons this weekend.
In fact, one need look no further than the Chicago Bears, Green Bay's biggest rival, for such a signal-caller.
Once playoff action picks back up on Sunday, Jay Cutler will be back on the field, staring down the Seahawks' defense as well as his own plague of inconsistency.
Cutler has long been an up-and-down performer, even in his Denver days. After a touchy first year in Chicago, in which he threw 26 interceptions, Cutler has been noticeably better for the Bears this season, cutting his picks down to 16.
That being said, Cutler's positive end-of-season run was rudely interrupted by a poor showing against the Packers in the Bears' finale, as he threw for a mere 168 yards with no touchdowns and two picks.
Luckily for Lovie Smith, his team has won in the playoffs with a less-than-stellar quarterback under center (see also: Rex Grossman).
However, if the Bears want to guarantee victory over a lesser Seattle squad, they will need Cutler to come on strong at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Edge: Cutler (the good one)
Matt Hasselbeck Vs. Brian Urlacher
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Of course, Jay Cutler is far from the face of the Bears' franchise.
That distinction belongs to potential future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had an outstanding season in 2010, racking up 125 tackles after recovering from an injury-riddled 2009 season.
Despite being an 11-year veteran of the NFL, Urlacher won't be the most experienced player on the field when Chicago is on defense.
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been in the league for 12 years, during which he's seen Super Bowls, stinker seasons and everything in between.
Word on the street is Hasselbeck is strongly considering retirement once Seattle's season is done, though head coach Pete Carroll has made it clear he wants Matt (Hassel)back next season.
Regardless, Sunday's early game could be a fun one to watch, as these two wily vets will likely have plenty to do with the outcome of this contest.
Edge: Urlacher
Devin Hester Vs. Jon Ryan
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It's not often that special teams sneaks its way into these kinds of predictions, but the Bears-Seahawks game presents a particularly interesting chess match of sorts.
In one corner is Chicago's Devin Hester, the return man extraordinaire who is the NFL's all-time leader in special teams touchdowns.
In the other is Seattle's Jon Ryan, a punter whose 41.7 yard average is solid, but not spectacular.
Bears and 'Hawks fans alike may recall the teams' regular season meeting, in which Ryan had the audacity to punt the ball to Hester, at which point Hester was equally audacious in his 89-yard housing of said punt.
While it's true that the Bears should win this game even without a Hester score, their cause would be greatly aided by some special teams fireworks.
Edge: Hester
Rex Ryan Vs. Bill Belichick
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This weekend's action will conclude, quite fittingly, with the New York Jets traveling to Foxborough to take on the rival New England Patriots.
Though the teams split their regular season meetings, the Pats will have a considerable edge in this one, due both to home field advantage and the gap in performance between the two teams going down the stretch of the regular season.
Jets coach and master motivator Rex Ryan mouthed off to the media this week, as he always does, claiming that Sunday's game would be all about himself versus Patriots guru and Jedi-in-disguise Bill Belichick, not about the players on the field.
A brilliant way for Ryan to take the pressure off his players, to be sure, but not exactly a fight anyone would want to pick.
After all, Belichick does have three Super Bowl rings and may be one of the greatest coaches in the history of football with the way he has been able to retool New England's roster year after year while continuing to win.
Edge: Belichick
Tom Brady Vs. The Jets' Secondary
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Perhaps no in-game matchup this weekend will be more interesting to watch than Tom Brady against Jets corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
New York's secondary got the best of Brady in the teams' first meeting this season, picking him twice, one by Cromartie.
The script flipped rather dramatically the second time around, with Brady torching the Jets' defensive backfield for 326 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-3 blowout.
As good as New York's 'backs may be, Brady is simply playing on another level this season. With that said, don't be surprised if Mr. Gisele Bundchen has another field day at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Edge: Brady
Mark Sanchez Vs. 45-3
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Speaking of that 45-3 game, Mark Sanchez was about as bad as Brady was good on that Monday night.
The second-year quarterback threw for a paltry 164 yards and three picks without a single touchdown.
A dramatic shift, to say the least, after throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the first contest between these two division rivals in 2010.
The question remains, which Sanchez will show up on Sunday—the one who looked like he had come of age or the one who played like a young gunslinger?
Edge: 45-3
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