2008 NFL AFC and NFC Divisional Playoff Preview

By Scott Burgess

Seattle Seahawks(11-6) at Green Bay Packers (13-3)

Kickoff: Sat, Jan 12, 2008 4:30 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers play host to the Seattle Seahawks, at Lambeau Field, to see who plays in the NFC Championship final. The last time these two teams met up, at Lambeau Field, the Packers were 48-13 winners.

The Seattle Seahawks advanced further into the playoffs with a, 35-14 home win, over the Washington Redskins. The Seahawks had virtually NO running game and had to instead go with the arm of QB Matt Hasselbeck. The best thing going for the Seahawks was their defense which didn’t allow the Redskins any points until the 4th quarter. They’ll have to be on their toes trying to stop the Packers pass game, which is 2nd best in the league. The Hawks give up an average 219 PASS YDS, but last week they allowed the Skins 266 PASS YDS. The Packers QB Bret Favre is much better and more accurate than the Skins QB and he’ll be throwing bombs rather than running the ball. Their offense averages 370 TOT YDS, 2nd best, and they average 27 PPG. On defense the Packers will have to utilize the PASS RUSH and put a lot of pressure on QB Matt Hasselbeck. They allow a low 18 PPG. The Packers are 7-1 at home while the Seahawks are 3-5 on the road.

Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5) at New England Patriots (16-0)

Kickoff: Sat, Jan 12, 2008 8:00 PM ET

The New England Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars, at Gillette Stadium, to see who heads into the AFC Champion game. The last time these two teams met up in 2006 the Patriots won 24-21 in Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the only road team last week as a favorite to win, and guess what, they won 31-29 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jaguars might be the only team capable of beating the Patriots. The Jags are the 2nd best team on the rush and they’ll be looking to exploit the Pats 9th ranked rush defense. They have been average at preventing the pass and they’ll need to watch out for WR Randy Moss if they want any chance of winning. In fact they’ll have to watch every player on offense that has two hands and is capable of catching a ball. The Jags had 2 INT and they had six sacks on the day. The Jags QB David Garrad had only 3 INT all year and he threw up 2 INT last week, he can’t do this against the Pats. The N.E. Patriots are ranked 1st in PASS YDS, TOT YDS and TOT PTS. The Brady Bunch can’t go wrong, but they did show weakness against the Baltimore Ravens and the N.Y. Giants. They can be beaten if the Jags put points on the board early and take the crowd out. Just watch out for the Pats in the fourth quarter where they are DEADLY.  The Jags are 5-3 on the road while the Pats are a perfect 8-0.

San Diego Chargers (12-5) at Indianapolis Colts (13-3)

Kickoff: Sun, Jan 13, 2008 1:00 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts play host to the San Diego Chargers, at the RCA Dome, to get a chance to play in the AFC Championship game. The last time these two teams met up this year the Chargers won 23-21 at home. The San Diego Chargers played a snoozer of a game against the Tennessee Titians, but they managed to get the 17-6 home win which is what really counts. The Chargers virtually had NO rushing game on the day as RB Ladianian Tomlinson had only 42 RUSH YDS.  QB Phillip Rivers had to opt for the pass game which proved to be more efficient than the run, as he had 282 PASS YDS on the day. The Chargers will want to take advantage of the Colts weak rush defense, which is ranked 15th in the league. The Colts are the 2nd best team at preventing the PASS, which will be useful if they can shut down the Chargers running game. The Colts and QB Peyton Manning average 358 TOT YDS with 252 YDS of those in the air and they put up the 3rd most PPG averaging 28 PPG. Their defense doesn’t give up a lot of yards per game and they allow a low 16 PPG, the least in the league.  The Colts will be throwing while the Chargers will be running. The Chargers are 4-4 on the road while the Colts are 6-2 at home.

N.Y. Giants (11-6) at Dallas Cowboys (13-3)

Kickoff: Sun, Jan 13, 2008 4:30 PM ET

he Dallas Cowboys play host to the N.Y. Giants, at Texas Stadium, for a chance to advance into the NFC Championship game. The last time these two teams met up, the Cowboys were 31-20 road winners. The Giants defense showed up in full force last week to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-14 on the road. QB Eli Manning proved he’s capable of winning and it’ll be up to him to exploit the Cowboys 14th ranked pass defense. The Giants are great at the RUSH but the Cowboys are good at stopping the rush. It’s in the Giants best interest to try the PASS. The Dallas Cowboys have the 4th best pass game that averages 256 PASS YDS and they put up an average of 28 PPG. But they haven’t been playing like themselves lately and WR Terrell Owens has a tweaked ankle, which might play a key factor in the game. QB Tony Romo loves to use his TE Jason Witten and the Giants need to keep a close watch on this guy. The Cowboys defense allows 20 PPG while the Giants give up an average 21 PPG. The Giants are 8-1 on the road while the Cowboys are 6-2 at home. It’s going to be a defensive battle with two QB battling it out in the air.

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