Now, let's bring out the rest of our Super Bowl hopefuls: the Eagles, Rams, Patriots and Chiefs. By virtue of securing the top two seeds in their conferences, those teams watched last weekend while the Titans, Panthers, Packers and Colts won wild-card games to continue in the postseason.
Indianapolis and Carolina won with flair. Tennessee and Green Bay won with drama. So what lies ahead?
The Titans, with quarterback Steve McNair limping because of ankle and calf problems and running back Eddie George having a separated shoulder, must venture to New England. Everyone is waiting to see what defensive plan Patriots mastermind Bill Belichick concocts to stop Tennessee.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw five touchdown passes and had a perfect passer rating against the Broncos. The Chiefs, whose defense has been a weak spot much of the season, are at home but face a severe challenge in trying to stop Indianapolis.
The NFC divisional games will have a bit of an "old home week" flavor. Panthers wide receiver Ricky Proehl returns to St. Louis, where his 30-yard TD reception in the NFC championship game four years ago lifted the Rams into Super Bowl 34. And cornerback Al Harris, whose 52-yard interception return gave the Packers an overtime triumph over Seattle, was a reserve cornerback with the Eagles for five years before becoming a starter in Green Bar this season.
For detailed analysis of this weekend's games, check out our divisional playoff previews on the following pages.
This weekend's schedule (All times Eastern)
SATURDAY
Panthers at Rams, 4:30 p.m. (FOX) Titans at Patriots, 8:15 p.m. (CBS)
SUNDAY
Colts at Chiefs, 1 p.m. (CBS) Packers at Eagles, 4:45 p.m. (FOX)
For more in-depth playoff analysis, go to TSN's Ultimate Matchups at http://ultimate.sportingnews.com/nfl/matchups.
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