2015 Divisional Weekend

Baltimore Ravens (11-6) @ New England Patriots (12-4)

Of the AFC elite, the Patriots reign supreme. As they say, the whispers of their demise were great exaggerated after a week 4 blowout loss to Kansas City on Monday Night Football. In typical Patriot fashion they responded with a scorched earth policy and dominated the remainder of the season, 10 wins to 1 loss, before resting a few stars in Week 17. The Patriots again lord high over the AFC peasantry, poised to claim their two home game victories and travel to Arizona for their 6th Super Bowl appearance in 14 years.

If the Patriots are King of the AFC, and the Steelers, Colts and Broncos are the high royalty, then the Ravens are the plague that reappears every January to wreak havoc upon them all. QB Joe Flacco and a younger defense now led by LB Terrell Suggs barely made the postseason but now that they have, no team wants these road warriors on their schedule, Pittsburgh the latest victims.

On paper, the Patriots again appear superior. QB Tom Brady, TE Rob Gronkowski and an improved defense that added elite CB Darelle Revis and enforcer CB Brandon Browner are imposing enough. However, who am I to discount these Ravens in January? They have won more road playoff games since 2008 than any other team has won playoff games, period! The resiliency of Joe Flacco and these Ravens against the dominance and relentlessness of Tom Brady and these Patriots always makes for a great matchup, and we are treated again to yet another chapter. Can't we just sit back and enjoy it again?

KEYS FOR BAL:  RB Justin Forsett has been one of the best stories of the year, coming from NFL journeymen obscurity to claim the Ravens' starting job. He will need to find success. The patchwork offensive line proved last week it can handle the load, it's up to them and Forsett to keep the ball on the ground and Tom Brady on the cold New England sidelines.

KEYS FOR NE: The Patriot defense is not the handicap that it has been in recent years with a stronger secondary and a more consistent pass rush. Teams have not had the record-breaking passing success they previously enjoyed. Call this a 'prove it' game, because none of their noted regular season improvement matters unless they perform against a January Joe Flacco in the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers (8-8-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

A hobbled Cam Newton faces incredible odds to defeat the defending champions. He has never been to Seattle, his team has only now reached a .500 record with a Wildcard victory over QBish Ryan Lindley, and he has been defeated by the Seahawks three times in three years in Carolina. Newton has scored only one touchdown in those 180 minutes of play.

But this game is not only Cam Newton vs The Seattle Seahawks. Despite their quarterback's struggles, the Panthers have gone toe-to-toe with Seattle for three years in a row. The total score of the three Wilson v Newton slugfests is 41-27. I've seen many single games with that score. The score may again be low with two of the best young middle linebackers in the game, LB Bobby Wagner and LB Luke Kuchley, in the heart of the action again. Still, with home field advantage, QB Russell Wilson, RB Marshawn Lynch, the Legion Of Boom and one of the most complete defensive units of all time, the defending champion Seahawks must be heavily favored. Even Panthers' fans cannot die a victory would be one of the biggest upsets of all time.

KEYS FOR CAR: Teams that have beaten the Seahawks in Seattle have done so by playing the Seahawks own game, running the ball and defense. The Panthers are set up for this. RBs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams could have huge games and the defense could prove it's 78-yard triumph over a non-NFL QB was no fluke. The 2014 Cowboys did so, the 2013 Cardinals did so. Unfortunately those are the only two examples in 24 total games in the Wilson era.

KEYS FOR SEA: The Seahawks simply need to continue playing their own style; running the ball with Lynch, pressuring without blitzing, trusting their secondary, and wearing down their opponent while making few mistakes. The formula has worked through their impressive November & December surge and should work again for the Seahawks to become the first defending Super Bowl Champion to win a playoff game since the New England Patriots did so on January 7, 2006.

Dallas Cowboys (13-4) @ Green Bay Packers (12-4)

For the first time since the 1967 NFL Championship, the infamous Ice Bowl that lives on as an early NFL watershed mark, the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers will meet for a playoff matchup at Lambeau Field. The Cowboys are 8-0 on the road, the Packers are 8-0 at home. The Cowboys gained some much needed momentum knocking off Detroit and the Packers some much needed rest, watching the action on television.

This a great matchup. Both teams have a top-tier running backs; Eddie Lacy to DeMarco Murray. Both have impressive WR cores; Bryant/Williams/Witten to Nelson/Cobb. Both have middling defenses getting it done, the Cowboys have overachieved well past their talent level, and the Packers defensive superstars have made up for their other weaknesses.

You'll hear pundits lament that the Cowboys are too inexperienced, that they haven't been to the playoffs since 2009! How dare they! Pundits love experience. But is the Packers experience anything to write home about?  Since their Super Bowl victory with a much better defense, they were stunned by the Giants as the #1 seed three years ago, massacred in San Francisco the following year, and lost their shot at redemption last year, again falling to San Francisco in dramatic fashion. This is a great matchup.

KEYS FOR DAL: Tony Romo played great to end the game in Dallas but the Cowboys offense should not expect the Packers to score 6 points in 3 quarters as the Lions did to close the game. A quick start for the running game with RB DeMarco Murray is essential.

KEYS FOR GB: No, it's not Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers has not wavered, or even dipped below being the best player in the league in the last four years. The difference between the 2010/11 Packers who won the Super Bowl and the last three mediocre units (1-3 in the playoffs) was the defense. Green Bay's defense has looked improved at times this season, but avoiding the big plays will be key. No 50 yard runs, no 70 yard bombs down the sideline. If the Cowboys have to earn their points with sustained drives, they will not be able to match Mr. Rodgers.

Indianapolis Colts (12-5) @ Denver Broncos (12-4)

Denver QB Peyton Manning is not the first Hall Of Fame Quarterback to find success with another team late in his career. Joe Montana did with Kanas City, Brett Favre did with Minnesota and Kurt Warner did with Arizona. None of those players had a playoff game against their old city. The thought of Indianapolis facing Peyton Manning in the playoffs would have been incomprehensible from 1998 to 2009. This guy was the body, hear and soul of the Colts.

So why is this not the headline of the decade?

Because the Colts are over Peyton Manning. Yes, Indianapolis has moved on from indisputably one of the top QBs of all time! Why? Because they have the player with the most promising NFL future of all, the golden boy Andrew Luck. The first and likely last matchup of legacy consequence between Manning and Luck comes this weekend. In Denver though, the cards are hugely stacked in Manning's favor as his defense is now loaded with S T.J Ward, CB Chris Harris, LB Von Miller, CB Aqib Talib and DE DeMarcus Ware. Not one of which played in the Super Bowl, whether injured or on other teams. This is not the same team of 8pt fame in Super Bowl 48.

KEYS FOR IND: CB Vontae Davis has quietly been a dominant force on an inconsistent defense. If a good corner takes away one of Peyton's options without help, we've seen how that can pay dividends across the field for the rest of the defense against Peyton's spread attack. Now, the Broncos have been a power running team lately so take advantage of Davis' game-changing ability, the Colts will need an early lead.

KEYS FOR DEN: RB C.J Anderson, the defense, the gritty, dare-I-say Seahawk style that GM John Elway has compiled and Coach John Fox has devised must continue. Manning hasn't looked like a 50 attempt, 400 yard man in a few months. But if Manning is not the strength of the team anymore, what an incredible asset to a team's strength he is.