DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (11-5-1) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (11-5)
TV: Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver, Peter Schrager) Line: Falcons by 5
Injury report: Seahawks RB C.J. Prosise (shoulder) probably won’t play. Falcons CB Robert Alford (knee) is expected to play.
Key to the game: Air attacks. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson benefit greatly from a handful of bigplay receivers, beginning with Atlanta WR Julio Jones and Seattle TE Jimmy Graham. The Falcons also feature WRs Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel and Justin Hardy. WRs Doug Baldwin (11 catches, 104 yards, one touchdown last weekend vs. the Detroit Lions), Jermaine Kearse and Paul Richardson combine to move the chains and serve as deep threats for Seattle. The Seahawks secondary will be without FS Earl Thomas but will have SS Kam Chancellor, who missed the teams’ October meeting. Matchup to watch: Seahawks CB Richard Sherman vs. Jones. The last time they met, Sherman benefited from a controversial, game-clinching non-call in pass coverage against Jones, who caught seven passes for a game-high 139 passes and one TD. Sherman led the Seahawks this season with four interceptions.
HOUSTON TEXANS (10-7) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-2)
TV: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson, Jay Feely) Line: Patriots by 15
Weather report: Partly cloudy, high of 29 degrees, low of 24, 0% chance of precipitation, winds from the west at 9 mph.
Injury report: Texans OLB John Simon (chest) and S Quintin Demps (hamstring) are day-today. Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell (knee) is day-to-day. RB LeGarrette Blount has missed two practices because of illness.
Key to the game: Start hot. The Texans can ill afford to fall behind early because their formula is based on taking an early lead and letting their defense and ground game maintain it. QB Brock Osweiler was 12-for-18 for 146 yards, a TD and a 110 passer rating in the first half vs. the Oakland Raiders last weekend. The Texans relied heavily on RB Lamar Miller (31 carries, 73 yards) once they went ahead.
Matchup to watch: Texans pass rush vs. QB Tom Brady and Patriots offensive line: Houston DE Jadeveon Clowney, LB Whitney Mercilus and Co. had their way against the injury-riddled Raiders line and a befuddled rookie quarterback. Their task will be much more difficult against quick-throwing Brady and a stout offensive line that has been intact for 11 consecutive games. Brady has been sacked 15 times in 447 dropbacks. The Texans will need to find a way to bat down passes and get hits on Brady to throw him off his rhythm.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-5) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-4) TV: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya, Heather Cox) Line: Chiefs by 1
Weather report: 50% chance of freezing rain or rain, high of 37 degrees, winds ENE at 6 mph.
Injury report: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (foot) expects to play; TE Ladarius Green is in concussion protocol. Chiefs LB Justin Houston (knee) is expected to go. Key to the game: Takeaways. The Chiefs excelled at that this season, tying for the NFL lead with a +16 turnover ratio, compiling a league-high 33 takeaways and scoring four defensive TDs. They might need some of that to find a way to beat Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
Matchup to watch: Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell vs. Chiefs run defense. The Chiefs ranked 26th against the run during the season, allowing 121.1 yards per game and 4.4 per attempt. Without ILB Derrick Johnson (Achilles-injured reserve), Kansas City will be challenged to contain patient Bell, who picks his spots as well as any other runner in the league.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-6) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (13-3)
TV: Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET, Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, Chris Myers) Line: Cowboys by 5
Injury report: Packers WR Jordy Nelson (ribs) is unlikely to play. Cowboys LT Tyron Smith (knee, back) has practiced and should be ready. Key to the game: Protection. When Dallas beat Green Bay in Week 6, Cowboys DE David Irving destroyed the Packers offense, forcing three fumbles (recovering one), getting one sack and breaking up a pass. Irving isn’t so unknown anymore after finishing the season with a similar flurry — in the last five games, he has three sacks, 12 quarterback hits, two tackles for losses, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Secondteam all-pro LT David Bakhtiari and the Green Bay line will have to account for him and keep him away from Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Matchup to watch: Packers CB LaDarius Gunter vs. Cowboys WR Dez Bryant. The Packers lined up Gunter against the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. everywhere he went last weekend and limited him to four catches for 28 yards — though, in fairness, Beckham did drop what should have been a TD pass and Gunter got plenty of safety help. Gunter’s physical style of coverage creates an intriguing matchup with ultraathletic Bryant, who had a down season by his standards — 50 receptions for 796 yards and eight TDs — but has shown up with acrobatic catches at big moments and seems to have developed a nice rapport with QB Dak Prescott.