Here are six things to watch – three for each of Saturday's NFL divisional playoff matchups – as four teams battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl.
Here are six things to watch – three for each of Saturday's NFL divisional playoff matchups – as four teams battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl:
Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m. EST
1. Flacco vs. the rush
Denver's pass rush hounded Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco into a pair of turnovers in the Broncos' 34-17 victory in Baltimore on December 16. Flacco was sacked three times in that meeting, lost a fumble and tossed an interception that was returned 98 yards for a touchdown by Denver cornerback Chris Harris.
Will the Broncos' pass rush shake him again? Flacco is coming off a strong outing in last week's Wild Card win over the Colts, showing what he can do when afforded the luxury of stellar pass protection. With the Ravens offensive line limiting Indianapolis to just a single sack, Flacco threw for 282 yards and two scores while posting a 125.6 passer rating.
Keeping Flacco upright again this week in Denver will be key, but that's easier said than done against a Broncos defense that tied for the league lead in sacks this season with 52 and boasts vicious sack artists Von Miller (18.5 sacks) and Elvis Dumervil (11).
2. Super Manning
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012, in Denver. (AP File Photo/Joe Mahoney)
Though the Broncos dominated the Ravens in their December meeting, Peyton Manning put up only pedestrian numbers: 204 yards passing and one touchdown. But don't make the mistake of thinking that Baltimore contained him. With the defense and running game staking him to a 17-0 halftime lead, Manning hardly need to break a sweat and threw just 28 passes – his lowest total since Week 1.
Even with All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis bringing some swagger back to Baltimore after his return from injury last week, Manning is more than the injury-depleted Ravens defense can handle. In his first season in Denver, Manning has thrown for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns, and he brings the Broncos into the playoffs riding an 11-game winning streak.
A Ravens defense that ranked 17th against the pass this season and finished 19th in the NFL with only 13 interceptions isn't equipped to stop Manning … if the Broncos even need him to exert himself.
3. Emergence of Bernard Pierce
After the first 14 games of the season, Baltimore running back Bernard Pierce had rushed for only 320 yards as the primary backup to perennial Pro Bowler Ray Rice and had never carried the ball more than 10 times in a game. Since then, the rookie from Temple has 49 carries for 315 yards. Pierce has recorded two 100-yard performances in that three-game span, including 103 yards in the playoff win over the Colts, while averaging 6.4 yards per tote.
Pierce's rise, which coincided with the team's decision to jettison offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, gives the Ravens a legitimate two-back attack. Baltimore looked like the smashmouth Ravens of old against the Colts, eating up yardage on the ground with Rice and Pierce basically splitting carries.
A dominant running game has long been recognized as one of the few ways to neutralize a Peyton Manning-led offense. Even Manning can't do any damage from the sideline. If Pierce and Rice can find success on the ground, allowing the Ravens to control the ball and the clock, then Baltimore will have a real shot in this game.
• Watch Huffington Post sports columnist Jordan Schultz explain why he expects Manning and the Broncos to get the better of Lewis and the Ravens:
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Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers, 8 p.m. EST
1. The Kaepernick Factor
A strong running game and stout defense carried the 49ers to within an overtime period of the Super Bowl last season with much-maligned quarterback Alex Smith at the controls. When head coach Jim Harbaugh made the decision to replace Smith with Colin Kaepernick midway through the season, it was with the hope that Kaepernick's athleticism and big-play ability would help San Francisco get over the hump come playoff time. This is the game where we find out of Harbaugh's move pays off.
While Kaepernick's passing numbers this season are remarkably similar to those posted by Smith before he was benched, his five touchdowns and 415 yards rushing have given the 49ers offense the added dimension that Harbaugh envisioned. If Kaepernick can use his legs to escape Clay Matthews and the Green Bay pass rush long enough to make some big plays downfield, the 49ers may have found the final ingredient for their Super Bowl recipe.
2. Putting it all on Rodgers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) rolls out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP File Photo/Jim Mone)
When these teams met way back in Week 1, Green Bay scratched out just 45 yards rushing in a 30-22 49ers victory at Lambeau Field. And that was with starting running back Cedric Benson, long since lost for the season due to injury, in the lineup.
While much has changed since the season opener, the Packers' meager rushing totals have persisted. The Green Bay offense begins and ends with Aaron Rodgers and the passing game. Lucky for Green Bay, Rodgers comes into this game as hot as any quarterback in the NFL, having thrown 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last four games. But can the Packers afford to pin all their hopes on Rodgers against a 49ers defense that ranked fourth in the NFL against the pass in the regular season?
That approach certainly didn't work in Week 1, when the Pack lost to San Francisco despite Rodgers' 303-yard, two-touchdown day.
3. Shaky Akers
David Akers will remain the kicker for the 49ers this week despite his struggles this season, coach Jim Harbaugh announced Thursday. San Francisco brought in former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff to compete with Akers during the bye week, but the decision was made to stick with the incumbent. Cundiff will remain on the roster, but is not expected to be active for Saturday's game.
Akers, elected to the Pro Bowl last season after one of the finest seasons of his career, started this season with a bang, making all three of his field goal attempts and tying the NFL record with a 63-yard kick in San Francisco's season-opening win over Green Bay. But things got bumpy from there, and Akers has connected on just 26 of 39 attempts since.
Two years ago, Akers missed field goals attempts of 34 and 41 yards that proved to be the deciding points in the Eagles' 21-16 playoff loss to the Packers. Those misfires ended his 11-year career in Philadelphia. If Akers turns in a repeat performance Saturday and costs the 49ers a shot at a championship, he can expect to get the boot again.
• Watch as Peter Schrager of Fox Sports makes his picks for the Packers-49ers tilt and the rest of this weekend's playoff pairings: