This weekend match ups

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Match ups from sprotingnew.com
NY Jets at Cincinnati

By Chick Ludwig & J.P. Pelzman
For Sporting News

The Bengals crash the postseason party for the first time since the 2005 season and for only the second time in 19 years. It's a rarity, and the only way to make it memorable is to rebound from that embarrassing 37-0 loss to the Jets in the regular-season finale on national TV and win the wild card rematch at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. If the Bengals follow up their first-round playoff defeat in '05 with another quick exit, disappointment as well as disgust will reign in the Queen City.
The Jets boast the NFL's No. 1 defense (252.3 yards) and the league's No. 1 rushing attack (172.2), but they're second to last in passing and 20th overall on offense. The numbers are clear signs that rookie QB Mark Sanchez is well-protected by a stellar defense and strong running game. Jets head coach Rex Ryan is simply asking Sanchez to manage games, not win them all by himself. The same goes for Bengals QB Carson Palmer, who is surrounded by the league�s No. 9 rushing attack (128.5) and No. 4 defense (301.4). The game marks the first time the Bengals will play the same opponent in consecutive weeks. The closest previous instance was in 1990 when they clawed the Houston Oilers, 41-14, in the wild card playoff round two weeks after beating them, 40-20, in Week 15. The last team to beat the Bengals in a playoff game in Cincinnati? The Jets, 44-17, on Jan. 9, 1983. Saturday will be the 27th anniversary of the Jets� rout; will history repeat? Stay tuned.
Jets Keys For Success


1. Win the turnover battle. In games in which they have more takeaways than their opponents, the Jets are 8-0, including wins in their last two regular-season games. And they are 0-5 in games in which they have more giveaways. The Jets must run the ball effectively, as they did Sunday against the Bengals, and keep the game from being decided by Sanchez.
2. Win the chess match. Yes, Palmer started and played into the third quarter last week but the Bengals showed little on offense�keeping the game plan as vanilla as possible. While the Jets certainly didn't show everything in their defensive arsenal last week, they showed more than Cincinnati because it was a must-win game for New York. The Jets must prepare for many more wrinkles from Palmer & Co. on Saturday. 3. Make big plays on offense. Wide receiver/Wildcat QB/return man Brad Smith has been a key cog in the Jets' past two victories, but the Bengals surely will be more prepared for him this time around. If Cincinnati forces him to pitch out when he runs the option, it will be up to trailing back Shonn Greene to make something happen. Or perhaps Sanchez will need to turn it loose once or twice and look for Braylon Edwards downfield.

Bengals Keys For Success

1. Contain the run. The Jets have formidable runners in Thomas Jones (1,402 yards), Greene (540) and Smith (207). Jones is fast, quick and elusive, Greene is a hammer and Smith is a valuable weapon out of the Wildcat formation. If the Bengals can't contain them to create third-and-long situations, they'll be at the mercy of the clock-eating Jets.
2. Take the ball away. To prevail, the Bengals must win the turnover battle. They're 37-6-1 under coach Marvin Lewis when they generate a positive turnover differential. On the flip side, they're 7-35 under Lewis when they lose the turnover battle. The Bengals, who have been limited to three second-half touchdowns in the past nine games, must create opportunities and take advantage of them. 3. Turn the tables. Running back Cedric Benson and the offensive line hold the keys to victory. The line is built to run the ball, and Benson has the speed, power, quickness and agility to move the chains and cross the goal line. The Bengals' goal is to keep the game close, then win it in the fourth quarter in true "Cardiac Cats" style like they did so many times this season. Cincinnati has scored only 49 points in the third quarter this season, a sign they struggle with halftime adjustments. The offense also is famous for false-start penalties and alignment and assignment errors. If they don't clean up the mistakes, they can't win.

The Bottom Line

The Bengals made their intentions clear in the final game of the regular season. They preferred to take their chances in a playoff rematch against Sanchez rather than face Texans gunslinger Matt Schaub. The Bengals, who get two injured starters -- defensive tackle Domata Peko and free safety Chris Crocker -- back for the playoffs, believe they can contain New York's vaunted running attack and cause Sanchez to make mistakes by throwing the ball sooner than he wants. Like the Jets on Sunday night, the Bengals will have a stadium full of passionate fans behind them. But that won't bother the confident Jets, who have exactly what you need come playoff time --- a great defense, a great rushing attack and momentum.
Scoring prediction: Jets 24 - Bengals 21

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Philadelphia at Dallas

By Jean-Jacques Taylor & Geoff Mosher
For Sporting News
The Cowboys have a wretched streak of 12 consecutive seasons without a playoff win. The only way to end this streak is to beat their nemesis Philadelphia. The Cowboys already have beaten Philadelphia twice this season, but it won't be easy to beat the Eagles a third time.
The matchup remains the same: The Cowboys have the better defense, and the Eagles have the better offense. The difference: The Cowboys' defense has a bigger edge on the Eagles' offense than the Eagles' defense has on the Cowboys' offense. Dallas has scored at least 20 points in each game this season, and the Eagles have managed just one touchdown in eight quarters against the Dallas D.
If the Eagles can't get their big-play offense untracked this week, then they have no chance to beat the Cowboys. DeSean Jackson has just 76 yards receiving and no touchdowns in two games against Dallas. Donovan McNabb has one touchdown and two interceptions against Dallas, and running backs LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook essentially have been non-factors. The Cowboys are playing with a confidence they have rarely displayed in the last decade. They're starting fast and letting their defense dictate game. It's up to Philadelphia to match their intensity.
Eagles Keys For Success


1. Play like a bigger team. The Eagles' defense is small up front, especially when using nickel personnel and bringing in defensive ends to play tackle. The Cowboys used that to their advantage last week as Marion Barber and Felix Jones steamrolled the Eagles for 182 yards rushing and took advantage of a massive offensive line that plowed its way downfield. Eagles defenders must shed blocks faster and swarm to the ball.
2. Catch the ball. Perhaps overanxious to make plays with a division title at stake last week, Eagles receivers dropped at least five passes and McNabb lost a fumble when he couldn't handle a low snap. The receivers must make routine catches Saturday night, especially on third downs, to move the chains and keep Dallas' defense on its heels. 3. Rediscover the run. Westbrook's return has thrown off the running game. Leonard Weaver and McCoy, who carried the load while Westbrook missed seven games from concussions, only carried the ball twice last week for 6 yards combined. They must be more involved Saturday night, and the coaches must keep the offense balanced.

Cowboys Keys For Success


1. Keep Tony Romo clean. He threw 34 passes last week against Philadelphia and rarely was touched. That's among the reasons he finished with 311 yards passing and two touchdowns and a bevy of completions of 20-plus yards. No way the Eagles will let him sit in the pocket and take his time Saturday. Philadelphia will unleash every blitz it has in hopes of making Romo make bad decisions under duress. They sacked him four times in the Nov. 8 game, which Dallas needed a fourth-quarter TD pass from Romo to Miles Austin to win.
2. Control Jackson. Jackson, among the best big-play receivers in the game, has five 100-yard games and nine touchdowns, but he has been a non-factor in two games against Dallas. Eagles coach Andy Reid must design more plays that give Jackson an opportunity to make plays, and McNabb can't miss them. The Cowboys have slowed Jackson by mixing coverages�man and zone�as well as occasionally giving their cornerbacks deep help and also using some bump-and-run. 3. Keep McNabb in the pocket. In two games against Dallas, McNabb has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes with virtually no impact. Part of the reason is the Cowboys have kept him in the pocket, sacking him seven times and keeping him from extending drives and making big plays out of chaos with his legs. The Cowboys can keep him contained because nose tackle Jay Ratliff does a good job of penetrating up the middle, stopping McNabb from stepping up into the pocket. Pressure from outside linebackers Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware keep him hemmed in.

The Bottom Line

Beating a team three times in one season is difficult, but it's not nearly the super human feat we're led to believe. Dallas has yielded one touchdown to Philadelphia and it's high-scoring offense in eight quarters. There's no reason to think that will change in Game 3. With a beat up offensive line, Philadelphia will find it difficult to keep the pass rush at bay. Wins over New Orleans and convincing victory over Philadelphia last week to win the NFC East have the Cowboys feeling confident.
Scoring prediction: Eagles 16 - Cowboys 21

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Baltimore at New England

By Ian R. Rapoport & Mike Preston
For Sporting News

Can the Patriots overcome the loss of Wes Welker, the NFL's leading receiver? The sight of Welker crying into his towel on the sidelines last Sunday, his knee torn to bits, is something that will stick with Patriots fans. Can one of the most prolific offenses still function? Tom Brady & Co. will move on and click again, but it won't be easy.
Can the Ravens upset the handicappers? Few experts are picking the Ravens. Baltimore, the No. 6 seed in the AFC, has the near-impossible task of trying to be the first team to hand Brady a home playoff loss; he's 8-0 in home playoff games. Sound impossible? Perhaps you didn't hear Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth officially declare that the Patriots "beatable." Baltimore did turn in two upset playoff wins last year.
The Patriots' season has been imperfect in many ways. Fourth-quarter leads have evaporated, the invincible Brady has been inconsistent as he battles injuries to his ribs and ring finger, and the secondary has a propensity for allowing big plays. Yet still, it's the Patriots. Three rings. Belichick and Brady. Mystique. They might not be the machine of years past, but you might not want to stop watching.
Ravens Keys For Success

1. Joe Flacco must be on. He has struggled in the second half of the season, especially in the last two games. New England cornerbacks Darius Butler and Leigh Bodden are suspect, so the Ravens will have opportunities to throw downfield. If Flacco is on, the Ravens have a chance to pull the upset. If he is hot, the Ravens could win big.
2. Pick up the blitz. The Steelers and Raiders blitzed the Ravens often in the last two games, so the Patriots will employ the same game plan and blitz a lot off the perimeter. The Ravens must do a better job in recognition, especially Flacco, because he must make the hot reads. The Ravens' offensive linemen also have been slow to make decisions on which players needed to chip block (tight ends or running backs) or if the guards needed to pull. 3. Maintain discipline. In big games this season, the Ravens have self-destructed with penalties. The Ravens, especially on the defensive side of the ball, are infamous for late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that keep opponents' drives alive. The Ravens were the third-most penalized team in the league. To beat New England, the Ravens must be on their best behavior, especially in Foxborough, where Belichick gets a lot of home cooking.

Patriots Keys For Success

1. Locate S Ed Reed. The Patriots thrived in the Week 4 game against Baltimore, in part, because Brady kept the ball away from the dynamic Reed. Reed has battled injury issues and won't be 100 percent Sunday. He'll still be strong enough to play mind games with Brady, and it'll be easier without Welker. Brady must locate Reed on every play and steer clear.
2. Make life easy for WR Julian Edelman. As if it's not enough pressure to be the receiver handed Welker's job, Edelman is just a rookie who played quarterback in college. And it's the playoffs. To ease Edelman into the biggest day of his life, Patriots coaches must hold his hand. To start, simple is the way to go. Make it easy. If Edelman does half of what Welker did, the offense will have a big day. 3. Contain Ravens RB Ray Rice. The Ravens have a stout running attack, and that's just a portion of it. Rice, the 5-8 speedster, has a whopping 78 catches for 702 yards this season. Some opponents have used a third safety to shadow him, and others deployed a linebacker. Either way, Rice can make a grab and take it the distance. Patriots defenders must smack him around.

The Bottom Line

For all the Patriots' flaws, most seem to evaporate at home. They haven't allowed any late comebacks, and their running game looks to be able to hang with the best -- in Gillette Stadium. All that will be important. Just as evident is how much they will need to pressure quarterback Joe Flacco, who is looking beaten down and weary during the second half of the season. This is the time to attack him. And thanks to a newly improved pass rush led by Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess, they can. But most importantly, during a season that includes Tom Brady's return from a knee injury, there is no way it'll end in a whimper at home.
Scoring prediction: Ravens 21 - Patriots 24

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Green Bay at Arizona

By Tom Silverstein & Kent Somers
For Sporting News

The Packers pounded the Cardinals in two meaningless games�one in preseason and again in the season finale. Last week, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt pulled most of his starters after the first quarter while the Packers' starters played through three quarters. The result was a 33-7 victory by Green Bay. The Cardinals aren't attaching any significance to it, since they didn't game plan for the contest or use front-line players. At full strength, can the Cardinals change the result this week?
Can Cardinals protect the quarterback? The key to stopping the Cardinals is pressuring Kurt Warner with a minimal blitzing. Last week, Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews beat right tackle Levi Brown in the first quarter. If the Packers can bring pressure from the edge, the Cardinals are in trouble. Packers cornerback Charles Woodson is smart and athletic and can make plays on passes thrown under duress.
How will the Cardinals pass defense hold up? The Packers have a lot of weapons in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a solid corps of receivers and running back Ryan Grant. The Cardinals must pressure Rodgers with a variety of blitzes. In last week's game, Packers receivers dominated Arizona's cornerbacks. It's hard to say if that means anything since the Cardinals played backups most of the day.
Packers Keys For Success

1. Get in Warner's face. It's not a given that you can beat Warner with the blitz. He's quick to read defenses and quick to throw. He can anticipate where the open man is, and his throws are deadly accurate. The key to pressuring him is inside blitzes, make him aware that it's coming at him. Because Warner doesn't have much mobility, he can't buy much extra time. The Packers have to get a lot of hits on him and disrupt his timing with receivers.
2. Replace Woodson as the rover. Woodson's strength has been roaming the middle of the field in nickel situations and offering run support or blitz help. He's a big reason the run defense is as good as it has been. On Sunday, however, he must devote his time to covering Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The best candidate to replace Woodson as the rover is linebacker Brandon Chillar. He can cover tight ends and backs, is a good blitzer and is big enough to have some impact in the running game. 3. Continue to feature TE Jermichael Finley. The Cardinals can match up safeties Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson on Finley, but it still would be smart to make him a big part of the offense. The key is splitting Finley out wide or in the slot in three-wide formations. He seems to get more man-to-man opportunities when Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are both on the field. Finley is becoming a serious threat in the red zone, and it's critical to get him man-to-man in those situations. He is showing more and more ability on fade-stops.

Cardinals Keys For Success

1. Get the ball to Fitzgerald. The Packers like to play bump-and-run coverage with Woodson, and Fitzgerald has improved at escaping jams in recent years. The Cardinals need to get Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin�if able to play through a high ankle sprain and a sprained knee�matched up with the Packers' nickel and dime backs. If that happens, the Cardinals will make some big plays.
2. Run the ball effectively. The Cardinals must keep the Packers' outside rushers honest and make them play the run. The Cardinals' running game improved greatly over the last half of the season, and Beanie Wells gives them a big-play threat they've lacked for years. 3. Don't commit early turnovers. When they've struggled this season, the Cardinals have committed turnovers in the first half�against Indianapolis, Carolina and San Francisco. The running backs, Tim Hightower and Wells, have ended promising drives with fumbles early in games. The Cardinals must be productive on offense early, because the Packers are going to score some points.

The Bottom Line

The Packers won seven of their last eight games, and a case could be made that they are playing as well as any team in the NFC. The Cardinals enter the playoffs this year with much more confidence than last season, when they caught fire in the postseason. The club seems quietly confident it can have success against Green Bay, although they failed to prove that in two games this year, the preseason and the season finale.
Scoring prediction: Packers 28 - Cardinals 27