Here are six things to watch – three for each of Sunday's 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 Sunday's divisional playoff matchups – as four teams battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl:
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST
1. White and Jones vs. Sherman and Browner
Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones (11) gets a hug from teammate Roddy White (84) following Jones' touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011. (AP File Photo/Bob Leverone)
The one-on-one battles between the Falcons' dynamic wide receivers and the Seahawks' physical cornerbacks are going to be incredibly fun to watch and may play a big part in deciding which team advances to the NFC Championship Game.
This is a classic strength vs. strength matchup. Roddy White (92 receptions for 1,351 yards) and Julio Jones (79 for 1,198) are the top receiving duo in the NFL, headlining a Falcons passing attack that ranked sixth in the league this season. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner have combined for 11 interceptions this year, playing a very physical style that fuels the Seahawks' sixth-ranked pass defense.
White and Jones have scored 17 receiving touchdowns between them, while Seattle surrendered only 15 scores through the air all season.
Something's got to give.
2. Big-play Asante
For all their regular-season success in the last five seasons, the Falcons have yet to figure out how to win in the postseason. Atlanta has come up short in three consecutive playoff appearances with Matt Ryan at quarterback, including blowout losses in each of the last two years.
When they traded for cornerback Asante Samuel in the offseason, they added a player who knows how to win in the playoffs and does his best work when the Super Bowl hunt is on. Of his 50 career interceptions, Samuel has returned six for touchdowns. But he's on another level in the playoffs, picking off opposing quarterbacks seven times and taking four of those interceptions to the house.
The Falcons have lacked swagger in their recent playoff appearances - something Samuel has in spades. The only thing he likes more than running his mouth is jumping routes. He's among the best in the NFL at baiting quarterbacks, especially young quarterbacks like Seattle's Russell Wilson, and could provide the game-changing turnover that will break Atlanta's playoff hex.
3. Beware "Beast Mode"
While Samuel may be one of the premier ball hawks in the NFL, he's certainly among the most horrendous tacklers. That's not an asset for a team going up against Seattle's punishing running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch runs like a 215-pound wrecking ball, typically leaving a trail of battered bodies and bruised egos in his wake.
Lynch averaged 5.0 yards per carry and piled up 1,590 yards rushing this season. He's topped the 100-yard mark in five consecutive games, including a 132-yard performance in last week's 24-14 Wild Card victory over the Redskins. If Lynch goes full-on "beast mode" early in Saturday's game, it could be a very long day for a Falcons defense that finished the year ranked 21st in the NFL against the run.
• Watch statistician Nate Silver explain why he's picking Seattle to make it to the Super Bowl:
Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 4:30 p.m. EST
1. Full strength in Foxboro
When these teams met in Foxboro back on December 10, it turned into a 42-14 blowout victory for the Patriots. Several Houston defenders, including cornerback Johnathan Joseph, were nicked-up for that game, and the Texans expect to be better equipped to combat the high-octane New England offense this time around.
But the Texans aren't the only team that's healthy again. The Patriots are also back at full strength, and they're coming off a bye week to boot. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, two of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets, are close to 100 percent after a season in which both were hit hard by the injury bug. Gronkowski, who sat out with a broken forearm when these teams met in December, returned to the field two weeks ago and caught a touchdown pass in the Patriots' season finale. Hernandez, who lost six games to an ankle injury this season, caught eight passes and scored a pair of touchdowns against the Texans in the regular season.
Wide receiver Wes Welker was also absent from New England's injury report this week – a rarity this season. With his full complement of receivers available, Brady could make even a healthy Texans defense look hobbled.
2. Faith in Foster
Houston Texans' Arian Foster runs for a 13-yard touchdown run against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP File Photo/Michael Conroy)
The Patriots ranked 25th in total defense this season. So, how did the Houston offense – which scores an average of 26 points per game – manage only two touchdowns in that December loss to New England? Simple. The Texans fell behind 21-0 early in the second quarter and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way, all but abandoning their potent running game.
Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster caught eight passes for 95 yards as the Texans took to the air, but was held to 46 rushing yards on just 15 carries. The Houston offense is most effective when Foster is carrying the load, setting up play-action opportunities for quarterback Matt Schaub to take shots down the field.
Houston is 8-0 this season when Foster runs for more than 100 yards, including last week's Wild Card victory over the Bengals in which Foster finished with 140 yards on the ground. If the Texans can avoid falling into another early hole and stay committed to running the ball with Foster, it will allow Schaub to go to work with play action against the Pats' highly suspect secondary.
3. Watt's the difference
The NFL's No. 1 offense starts with Tom Brady, and that's where the Texans defense needs to focus its efforts. When Brady gets comfortable in the pocket, few NFL quarterbacks can carve up a secondary as effectively. Luckily for the Texans, no defensive lineman in the league is more adept at making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable than J.J. Watt.
Watt has been a one-man demolition crew for Houston all season, often single-handedly imploding enemy offensive lines. After threatening to break the single-season sack record, Watt settled for an NFL-best 20.5 and has turned batting down passes at the line of scrimmage into an art form.
Watt was credited with three hits on Brady in their earlier meeting but failed to record a sack as Brady exploded for 296 yards passing and four touchdowns. Houston needs much more from Watt in the rematch if the Texans hope to knock Brady off his game.
• Watch Fox Sports analyst Curtis Conway break down the Texans-Patriots matchup: