NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF CAPSULES
TODAY'S GAMES
AFC
Baltimore (13-4) at Pittsburgh (12-4)
Time: 1:30 p.m. Line: Steelers -3 ½ Total: 37
TV/RADIO: CBS (8), KBAD-AM (920)
■ Weather: Low 30s, 70 percent chance of precipitation
■ Facts: For the third consecutive postseason, the Ravens are coming off a road wild-card victory and forced to travel on short rest to face a team coming off a bye. This scenario has played out only two other times in postseason history. All told, those shortchanged teams are a 1-3, with the victory by Baltimore at Tennessee in 2008, 13-10. The three losing teams were outscored by 101 points. ... Spearheaded by safety Ed Reed, the NFL interceptions leader, Baltimore has forced 14 turnovers its past three games and had a plus-3 margin in each. Pittsburgh, though, didn't turn the ball over more than twice in any game in 2010 -- even when QB Ben Roethlisberger was serving a suspension in Weeks 1 through 4. ... In the Ravens' 30-7 romp at Kansas City last week, they dominated possession with 38 more snaps than the Chiefs, tied for the second-biggest margin in a game this year. ... The Steelers allowed only 62.8 yards rushing per game, the third-smallest yield by a team since World War II. ... When Pittsburgh beat the Ravens 23-14 in the 2008 AFC title game, it was the sole playoff game that season in which the winning team didn't come from behind. ... In Pittsburgh's past five games, no foe got 280 yards of offense. In the Steelers' previous nine games, seven teams had at least 300.
■ Analysis: If putting Baltimore in this scheduling bind is perceived as only a minor inconvenience by the NFL, then how come there have been only three such scenarios during the regular season the past decade? After all, it's been hard enough for the Ravens to come off short work this season even when their next foe hasn't been sipping cocktails pool-side the week before. Baltimore is 1-2 not getting full rest this season, including an abominable 15-10 loss at Cincinnati in Week 2. Compound that with the fact the Ravens had only 43 rushing yards in their Dec. 5 home loss to Pittsburgh, their worst ground production the past five seasons. The Steelers seem primed to have a punishing performance.
■ Forecast: Steelers 27, Ravens 10
NFC
Green Bay (11-6) at Atlanta (13-3)
Time: 5 p.m. Line: Falcons -2½ Total: 43½
TV/RADIO: Fox (5), KBAD-AM (920)
■ Weather: Indoors
■ Facts: This is the first time Green Bay won't be playing in freezing weather since losing at Detroit 7-3 on Dec. 12. ... Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who has recovered nicely from a concussion in that Lions game, has thrown for a record seven TDs in his first two career playoff games, both on the road. ... In their previous playoff meeting, during the 2002 postseason, Michael Vick-led Atlanta beat the Packers 27-7 at Lambeau Field, their first home playoff loss ever. ... The only other time the Falcons were a No. 1 seed was 1980. They promptly lost to Dallas 30-27 as a 2½-point favorite. ... The Packers advanced to today's game as a sixth seed with a 21-16 victory at Philadelphia. That makes No. 6 seeds 5-1 over the past three seasons after going 11-25 from 1990 to 2007. ... Green Bay RB James Starks, a sixth-round draftee this year, had 123 yards on 22 carries last week. He had 101 yards in the regular season. ... The Falcons, who beat visiting Green Bay 20-17 on Nov. 28 on a field goal with 9 seconds left, are the smallest home divisional-round favorite since Chicago was a 2½-point choice over Carolina in the 2005 playoffs. The Panthers won, 29-21.
■ Analysis: The Packers are indeed battle tested, for this will be their seventh road game against a team that qualified for the 2010 postseason, going 3-3. But, like Baltimore, they also are amid a grueling schedule that has them playing on the road on short rest and facing a bye team. Although Green Bay had little trouble shutting down the potent Eagles last week, Philly didn't have a grinding RB to keep the Packers honest. Atlanta's Michael Turner, the league's third-leading rusher, who had 110 yards in the teams' previous meeting, surely will have perky legs going against a team that has lost three of its past four road games.
■ Forecast: Falcons 24, Packers 13
SUNDAY'S GAMES
NFC
Seattle (8-9) at Chicago (11-5)
Time: 10 a.m. Line: Bears -10 Total: 41
TV/RADIO: Fox (5), KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)
■ Weather: Low 20s, 20 percent chance of snow
■ Facts: Double-digit favorites were 19-4 straight-up this regular season (10-13 against the spread), but over the past four postseasons are 2-4, including Seattle's 41-36 victory last week over 2009 champion New Orleans as a 10-point underdog. ... In that game, the Saints tied a playoff record with 32 first downs in regulation despite missing their top two RBs and starting tight end. ... Chicago averaged 289.4 yards a game this season, the lowest norm by a playoff team since the 2005 Bears averaged 256.3. ... In the Bears' 23-20 home loss to Seattle in Week 6 as a 6-point favorite, when the Seahawks were coming off a bye, Chicago 1,000-yard rusher Matt Forte had 11 yards on eight carries. ... Celebration hangover? Since 1970, teams that oust the defending champs in the first or second round are 0-13 the next week, 1-12 against the spread. ... Big turnaround: In Seattle's second game, Denver converted a season-high 14 third-down tries (20 attempts) in a 31-14 victory. Three games later, the Seahawks held Chicago to 0-for-12 on conversions, the second-biggest O-fer of the season. The Bears also were 0-for-13 against the Giants. .. In the regular season, Chicago was no more than a 6½-point choice and 2-4-1 ATS as a favorite.
■ Analysis: Seattle is the first team to be a double-digit playoff underdog in back-to-back weeks since the Chargers in 2007. But Seattle shouldn't expect back-to-back miracles unless the Bears' ninth-rated defense spends Saturday night bar-hopping. Last week's Seahawks victory came in large part to their unusually good starting field possession edge (40-26) and the fact the Saints came to town supremely overconfident. The Seahawks had a minus-9 turnover differential for a reason this season and are going against an opportunistic Bears team that has started a league-best 39 drives in enemy territory. The Cinderella ride ends here.
■ Forecast: Bears 38, Seahawks 9
AFC
New York Jets (12-5) at New England (14-2)
Time: 1:30 p.m. Line: Patriots -8½ Total: 44½
TV/RADIO: CBS (8), KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)
■ Weather: High 20s, 10 percent chance of snow
■ Facts: From 1991 to 2004, No. 1 seeds were 9-0 straight-up (8-1 against the spread) against No. 6s. Since 2005, top seeds are 2-3 straight-up and ATS. ... The previous eight times teams were an underdog of 8-plus points in the playoffs, they went 6-2 straight up and 8-0 ATS. ... The Patriots' 45-3 home romp over the Jets in Week 13 is the second most-lopsided by anyone all season. New England also gave the Steelers, Bears and Packers their worst losses of the season. ... Despite having the NFL's best record, the Patriots have been outgained by 1.7 yards a game, whereas the Jets are at plus-59.5. In 2001, New England won its first league title despite a minus-29.4 norm, the worst ever by a champion. ... The Patriots have begun a possession inside the enemy 30-yard line 11 times, producing eight TDs and two field goals. Conversely, foes started only six drives anywhere in New England territory, and never closer than the 34. ... QB Mark Sanchez led the Jets to winning drives in the fourth quarter or OT six times this season, including last week at Indy in winning, 17-16. But four of those comebacks were against teams with 10-plus losses.
■ Analysis: There's no quit in this Jets team -- if that 42-point loss at New England is disregarded. They not only have three road playoff victories the past two seasons, but rallied from a 7-point deficit in each. And although New England's Tom Brady was by far the NFL's passing leader and set a record for consecutive throws without an INT, there's something amiss. In each of the previous three years, New England had the greatest positive differential between offensive and defensive snaps, with a cumulative plus-435 total. This year it was minus-70 and hasn't had its same keep-away capabilities, which will hurt against the league's fourth-ranked rushing offense.
■ Forecast: Patriots 28, Jets 24
Last week: 0-4 vs. spread; 0-4 straight up
Season total: 132-121-7 (.522) vs. spread; 154-106 (.592) straight up
