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NFL Playoff Primer Seahawks at Packers Saturday, 4:30 p.m., WTVT, Channel 13 Jaguars at Patriots Saturday, 8 p.m., WTSP, Channel 10 Chargers at Colts Sunday, 1 p.m., WTSP, Channel 10 Giants at Cowboys Sunday, 4:30 p.m., WTVT, Channel 13

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

After 18 weeks and 260 games, we're down to the NFL's elite eight. According to the Vegas oddsmakers, top seeds Dallas, New England, Indianapolis and Green Bay figure to advance by capitalizing on the bye week and homefield advantage.

Four of the NFL's top five offenses will be on display this weekend, along with six of the eight top-rated quarterbacks in the league.

From a coaching perspective, it doesn't get much better than Bill Belichick, Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy.

THE SEAHAWKS WILL WIN IF: Shaun Alexander pounds away between the tackles and keeps Green Bay's fierce pass rush off balance. When Alexander carries more than 25 times, Seattle is 23-3. QB Matt Hasselbeck is confident and experienced, but throwing 40 passes against Green Bay's superb corners is a blueprint for disaster.

THE PACKERS WILL WIN IF: Brett Favre's protection holds up against DE Patrick Kerney and OLB Julian Peterson, two of Seattle's four Pro Bowl defenders. Green Bay yielded only 19 sacks, second-fewest in the NFC to New Orleans, and Seattle's secondary will be exposed if Favre has time to survey the field.

THE JAGUARS WILL WIN IF: They score touchdowns in the red zone instead of settling for field goals. You can't expect to pull off a major upset against the most prolific attack in NFL history by scoring 17 points. New England's defense has struggled recently inside its own 20, so the Jags have to cash in big on every scoring opportunity.

THE PATRIOTS WILL WIN IF: New England's defense gets off the field and gives Tom Brady multiple chances to exploit a secondary that will be spread out and dissected. The onus is on Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi and teammates to frustrate the AFC's top-ranked ground game and spoil Jacksonville's plans for dominating time of possession.

THE CHARGERS WILL WIN IF: They maintain their league-leading average of three takeaways per game. The NFL's No. 3 defense doesn't yield many long scoring drives, so San Diego needs to generate a few short fields and punch in the ball to ratchet up the pressure against Peyton Manning, who threw six picks vs. the Chargers two months ago.

THE COLTS WILL WIN IF: Indy swarms against LaDainian Tomlinson and puts the offensive burden on QB Philip Rivers. The AFC's No. 1 pass defense rarely gets beat deep and Rivers won't have the patience to move down the field six yards at a time, especially if San Diego falls behind.

THE GIANTS WILL WIN IF: Eli Manning plays within himself and doesn't try to get into a shootout against Tony Romo. Manning looked surprisingly poised against the Bucs and his quick release will be vital against a Dallas pass rush that posted 46 sacks.

THE COWBOYS WILL WIN IF: The NFL's No. 3 offense remains balanced. Romo is at his best when Marion Barber runs effectively, leaving opposing safeties torn between moving up in the box for run support or fading back to protect against Terrell Owens over the middle.

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