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Sunday games contrast in styles Posted: Friday January 11, 2002 1:01 PM
The offensive philosophies you'll see in Sunday's playoff games could not be more dissimilar. In the NFC game, you'll see Green Bay and San Francisco -- teams that combined for 799 points this season, each with a Pro Bowl-bound quarterback. Later, in the AFC game, you'll see two defense-first teams, whose quarterbacks are more caretakers than record-breakers. San Francisco and Green Bay are loaded with big-play personnel on offense. There is no receiver in the NFL more dangerous right now than Terrell Owens, who grabbed two touchdowns last week. The Packers must find a way to negate him without neglecting Garrison Hearst. Keep this in mind: Kerry Collins threw for 378 yards against a beat-up Packers defense last week; Jeff Garcia is more than capable of that, even at Lambeau Field. For the Packers, they don't have the equivalent of Owens at receiver, so it's critical Ahman Green finds his stride early. Look for Brett Favre to keep the Niners off balance with bootlegs, some deep balls to Corey Bradford and short passes to tight end Bubba Franks. Favre is my pick for MVP because he wins with lesser talent around him and he's as dangerous as it gets in the two-minute drill -- something this game could easily come down to. In the nightcap, Miami will do its best to force Baltimore into passing situations and then turn Jason Taylor loose after Elvis Grbac. In his first year with the Ravens, Grbac has been a disappointment. The Dolphins would love to see the Ravens' game plan reduced to Grbac. Of course, Baltimore would like nothing more than to reduce Miami's offense to Jay Fiedler. The Ravens miss defensive end Michael McCrary, but Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper have picked up the slack in turning up the heat. In Lamar Smith and Terry Allen, neither team has a difference-maker at running back. So if it does come down to the quarterbacks, I give Fiedler the edge because of his scrambling ability. The Packers have won six of the last seven and have the best homefield advantage in the NFL, and I expect Favre will find a way to help them advance. Baltimore has the best chance of all the road teams this weekend, but the Dolphins are 7-1 at home. It's hard to pick against the defending Super Bowl champions, but that lackluster home game against Minnesota on Monday convinced me to give the edge to Miami. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNNSI.com.
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