Plenty of star power left in NFL playoffs
Brady, Manning, Lewis and Gonzalez among big names on field this weekend
The records are gaudy. The star power is high. Here come the NFL’s big boys.
Denver, Atlanta, New England and San Francisco host divisional playoff games this weekend. They’re a combined 49-14-1, and their rosters are filled with such headline grabbers as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Tony Gonzalez and Patrick Willis.
Baltimore at Denver opens the action, followed by Green Bay at San Francisco on Saturday night. Sunday, Seattle is at Atlanta, then Houston goes to New England.
Ravens (11-6) at Broncos (13-3)
For all those impressive numbers, here’s a baffling one: Four-time league Manning is a mere 9-10 in postseason games.
Those wins and losses were compiled with the Colts, with whom he never had a defence like the one the Broncos possess.
That defence made a big difference when Denver won 34-17 at Baltimore in Week 15. A 98-yard interception return by Chris Harris at the end of the first half turned it into a rout.
“I really haven’t made a whole lot of comparisons, but our defence has been outstanding all year,” Manning said.
“Our offence has fed off of our defence.”
The Manning-Ray Lewis matchups through the years have been intriguing and this will be the final one.
Baltimore’s emotional leader announced his retirement days before he had 13 tackles in his last home game, a 24-9 wild-card victory over Indianapolis.
Packers (12-5) at 49ers (11-4-1)
Another rematch, but from so long ago: San Francisco won 30-22 in the opener, at Lambeau Field.
The Packers have the edge in this post-season series, 4-1. They would seem to have the edge on offence with top-rated passer Aaron Rodgers and a deep crew of receivers.
And the Niners would have the advantage on defence, having yielded 63 fewer points in the regular season.
A key will be whether Green Bay, which beat Minnesota 24-10 last week, can protect Rodgers after allowing 51 sacks. The 49ers’ Aldon Smith had 19 1-2 himself.
Seahawks (12-5) at Falcons (13-3)
Those road woes that plagued the Seahawks can be forgotten.
They’ve won three in a row away from home, includ- ing the 24-14 wild-card victory at Washington that was their first on the road in the playoffs since 1983. With six straight wins overall, they’re a confident bunch as they head to the Georgia Dome.
Texans (13-4) at Patriots (12-4)
Yet another rematch, this from Dec. 10 when the Texans flopped in Foxboro, 42-10. That was the beginning of a fade in which they dropped three of four and sank from top AFC seed to No. 3.
Houston recovered somewhat last week in a 19-13 wildcard victory over Cincinnati. This is a much tougher task.
“If you want to move on, you’ve got to bring a sense of attitude and nastiness with you to go out and dominate your opponent on every play,” said QB Matt Schaub.
Brady has 16 post-season wins and needs one win to break a tie with Joe Montana.