Another weekend, another four NFL playoff games. Of course, this weekend, the action gets a little more intense.
Eight teams square off Saturday and Sunday for a chance at their respective conference championships, which will be played next Sunday.
Here are some thoughts as we all get ready for another two days of football.
No. 3 Seattle Seahawks at No. 2 Green Bay Packers
Before he resigned as Falcons head coach in December, Bobby Petrino made a habit of citing the Green Bay Packers as a team the Falcons could draw inspiration from.
Last year the Packers won their last four games to finish 8-8. Petrino said such a finish by the Falcons could carry over into 2008 -- much like the Packers turned their finish into a 13-3 record and the No. 2 spot in the NFC.
But was it really momentum or was it simply the will of quarterback
Brett Favre?
If Tom Brady weren't leading the Patriots to an undefeated regular season with eye-popping numbers, Favre would have been a front runner for the league's MVP award. The (apparently ageless, but he's really 38) veteran threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns and broke some NFL records along the way.
To say the Packers are a "team of destiny" with Favre, may be a bit of a reach. But, if they beat the Seahawks this weekend and advance to the NFC Championship, I'm not sure what else you can say.
(You could say Favre has never won in Dallas, which people will say if it's a Packers-Cowboys Championship).
Of course, beating the Seahawks comes first.
Seattle had a
smooth win over Washington last week to open the playoffs and returns to Green Bay for another playoff game -- the site of an overtime loss in the 2003 Wild Card playoffs.
(Think
Matt Hasselbeck and his "we're going to score" guarantee at the overtime coin toss).
That game ended with an
Al Harris interception return for a touchdown.
I expect this game to be the most highly contested playoff matchup of the weekend. These teams are incredibly close in almost every
statistical category.
Both allow 18.2 points per game and both have 24 giveaways on the season.
The Seahawks have been underrated all season and the defense, led by
Patrick Kerney and one of the best groups of linebackers in the NFC, is probably better than the one Seattle took to the Super Bowl after the 2005 season.
The secondary isn't that bad either, producing two fourth-quarter touchdowns last week on interceptions.
That said, the Packers offense is young, energetic and balanced. Favre has a 1,000-yard receiver in
Donald Driver and a 12-touchdown performer in
Greg Jennings.
Running back
Ryan Grant has also been a pleasant surprise with eight touchdowns and a 5.1-yard per carry average.
No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 New England Patriots 
Fifty touchdown passes, 4,806 passing yards, 398 completions, 16 straight wins, one shot to move on in the playoffs.
When you look back on Tom Brady's numbers, it's easy to see why the Patriots are undefeated. If they weren't, they'd likely be one of the most disappointing teams in the history of sports.
Of course, that means nothing in the playoffs. It really is one game at a time now -- something some people in the media seemed to forget when the Patriots hit that 14-0 mark and their place in history was secured.
The hype now has shifted over to Jaguars, who looked impressive in a
win at Pittsburgh last week.
Talk about a team that has
all the odds stacked against it.
Jacksonville has to go on the road again this week to meet one of the most dominant teams in the history of football.
It's not going to be easy but I will say the Jaguars have the attitude to upset the Patriots, especially in the run game.
Fred Taylor has quietly produced a 1,200 yard season and
Maurice Jones-Drew is the change-it-up power back every team would love to have.
If Jacksonville wins this game, it may come with a chunk of time of possession and a 10-7 score.
To do that, the Jags will have to deal with a Patriots defense that has graciously given up the spotlight to
Randy Moss,
Wes Welker, Brady and the team's high-flying offense.
The Patriots allow 17.1 points per game and have taken the ball away 31 times this season. Which, considering the success of the team's offense, almost always results in a score.
No. 3 San Diego Chargers at No. 2 Indianapolis Colts
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Colts defense could be the key in this playoff matchup.
Bob Sanders, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, has a way of taking over a game, which is what the Colts will need against a Chargers team that appears to be learning to take advantage of every weapon on offense.
San Diego put up a solid second half in
beating the Titans 17-6 last week and will look to get off to a quicker start against Indianapolis.
Of course they may be without tight end
Antonio Gates, who is a game-time decision. That puts more pressure on
LaDanian Tomlinson. Plus, the blueprint for taking down
Peyton Manning and the Colts often rests on time of possession and the running game.
These teams met in the regular season with San Diego taking a wild
23-21 victory off missed kicks by Colts kicker
Adam Vinatieri. Manning also threw six interceptions in the game.
A repeat of that defensive performance, which allowed the Colts just 177 total yards, and the Chargers could be on their way to their first AFC Championship game in more than 10 years.
If Manning can reestablish his relationship with receiver
Marvin Harrison, who is expected to return from injury, and the Colts get a lead look for Sanders and the defense to tee off with the pass rush and get back to the one-two punch that led Indy to the Super Bowl last year.
No. 5 New York Giants at No. 1 Dallas Cowboys
Division rivals meet again as New York travels to Dallas to meet the NFC-leading Cowboys.
It's been a season of turnaround for the Cowboys, who exploded out of the gate and secured the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 record.
A large part of that success has come on the arm of Tony Romo, who starts his first playoff game since botching a snap in last year's playoffs that cost the Cowboys a chance at victory in Seattle.
But it's not just Romo looking for a little redemption in Big D. The Cowboys
haven't won a playoff game in 11 years.
Hard to believe isn't it?
Needless to say Texas Stadium will be shaking come Sunday night in Irving.
The Giants
looked good in last week's road win at Tampa Bay, but playing at Dallas is a different story. New York lost there in
Week 1 despite four touchdown passes from
Eli Manning.
Dallas countered with tight end
Jason Witten, who caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Witten figures to be a key in this game as he's the Cowboys' second leading receiver (1,145 yards and seven touchdowns).
The Giants held him to just two receptions when the teams met again in Week 10, but don't underestimate the importance of a big, reliable tight end during the playoffs.
Witten could become Romo's primary target this weekend as
Terrell Owens is recovering from surgery. He joined the team in practice this week.
New York is on its second straight road trip and is looking for its first win over the Giants this season.
It's not easy beating a division opponent three times in a year, but it's hard to imagine a poor showing from the Cowboys given the home field and memories from the last playoff miscue.
