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A Look Ahead To Next Week

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By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Published: January 12, 2009

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-1)

BACKSTORY: The Eagles are in the NFC Championship Game for the sixth time and fifth since the 2001 season. They made four straight appearances (2001-04 seasons), losing three in a row, before beating Atlanta on Jan. 23, 2005, to reach Super Bowl XXXIX. This is their fifth conference title game under Coach Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb has been the starting quarterback for all but a Jan. 11, 1981, appearance, when Ron Jaworski guided the Eagles into Super Bowl XV.

MATTER OF STYLE: Though they didn't do so Sunday, the Eagles usually build their attack around RB Brian Westbrook. They run a version of the West Coast offense, which calls for McNabb to throw mostly short and intermediate passes. Defensively, the Eagles play a 4-3 scheme, but blitz more than most. They bring pressure in a variety of ways, leaving it to their talented array of defensive backs to make big plays.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Westbrook is the player on which the Cardinals have to focus. He's capable of making big plays as both a runner and receiver and must be accounted for on every play. McNabb is playing some of the best football of his career and has been outstanding since returning from that benching earlier in the year. Return men DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps provide the offense with good field position and the defense has playmakers all through the secondary.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "This is five NFC Championship Games in 10 years for me and that's a sign of how much we believe and trust in Coach Andy Reid. And for the older guys like me and tackle Jon Runyan it's storybook stuff." - Eagles S Brian Dawkins

DID YOU KNOW? The Eagles, meanwhile, became the first team in NFL history to beat the Giants twice in their home stadium in the same season.

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Coordinator Jim Johnson never seems to get enough credit for the tremendous work he does with the Eagles' defense. A man who loves to blitz, Johnson put together the third-best defensive unit in the league this year.

Arizona Cardinals (11-7)

BACKSTORY: The Cardinals were the only NFC franchise that had never advanced to a conference championship game until they dismantled Carolina 33-13 Saturday night.

MATTER OF STYLE: Arizona prefers the air route, with Kurt Warner firing away at an array of fleet receivers, but the ground game is starting to stir in the postseason. The Cards are averaging 35.5 rushing attempts the past two weeks, compared to 21 during the regular season. If WR Anquan Boldin returns Sunday from a strained left hamstring that sidelined him in Charlotte, Warner is likely to recapture the gunslinger form that led to 4,583 yards and 30 TD passes in the regular season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald has been spectacular on the big postseason stage. After burning the Falcons for 101 yards and six receptions, Fitzgerald was simply too much for Carolina's secondary, grabbing eight passes for 166 yards. His ability to adjust to the ball in the air is breathtaking.

Inserted as a starter at midseason, rookie CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is displaying the ball-hawking skills that made him a first-round pick out of Tennessee State. The Bradenton native has a pick in each of Arizona's two playoff matchups, giving him six interceptions in the past nine games.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "We shocked the world." - DE Antonio Smith after the Cardinals forced six turnovers and reeled off 33 consecutive points to trounce the NFC South champion Panthers

DID YOU KNOW? Before their stunning triumph in Charlotte, the Cardinals had been 2-19 on the East Coast in the past six years, including an 0-5 mark this season.

DIFFERENCE MAKER: DE Bertrand Berry is closing with a rush. The potential free agent has keyed a maligned defense that limited the run-heavy Falcons and Panthers to a combined 135 yards on the ground, with Berry coming off the edge and deftly anticipating the snap count. His stat line Saturday - three tackles, including one stop for a loss, one sack and one QB hit.

Baltimore Ravens (13-5)

BACKSTORY: The AFC's No. 6 seed knocked off a pair of division champions on the road as the NFL's most opportunistic defense registered a combined eight takeaways at Miami and Tennessee. Rookie QB Joe Flacco hasn't been picked off in the playoffs and the Ravens are one win away from a second Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

MATTER OF STYLE: Like Trent Dilfer in 2000, Flacco is asked to make a few key completions to complement a dominating defense. Despite being outgained by 180 yards Saturday at Nashville, Baltimore hung close by forcing three crucial turnovers until Flacco's 23-yard strike to TE Todd Heap on third down led to Matt Stover's winning field goal. Despite little success against the Titans, first-year coach John Harbaugh stuck to the run and that smashmouth philosophy won't change.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: After turning in his seventh 1,000-yard season, WR Derrick Mason continues to be Flacco's primary target downfield. His 48-yard TD catch late in the first quarter tied the score at 7 and helped blunt Tennessee's early momentum. In two playoff games, Mason has caught nine passes for 149 yards. No other Raven has more than four receptions in the postseason.

Jim Leonhard, Baltimore's "other" safety behind Ed Reed, has been all over the stat sheet in the playoffs. After making seven tackles and picking off a pass at Miami, Leonhard had five stops, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery Saturday. And his 29-yard punt return set up an early fourth-quarter field goal.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "There is something special going on around here. We aren't going to say what it is until we find out where the road ends." - Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs

DID YOU KNOW? The Ravens have allowed only nine TDs in the franchise's 10 postseason games.

DIFFERENCE MAKER: P Sam Koch keeps providing Baltimore with enviable field position when the offense stalls. Koch led the NFL during the regular season by placing 18 punts inside the 10-yard line and he's been equally effective through two playoff games, dropping four of his 12 punts inside the 20.

Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4)

BACKSTORY: The Steelers were the only home team to survive the divisional round, and the AFC North champions have already edged Baltimore twice this season. In Week 4, Pittsburgh rallied from a 13-3 deficit at home late in the third quarter to win 23-20 in OT. In Week 15, the Steelers scored 10 fourth-quarter points to win 13-9 in Baltimore. In their only playoff meeting, Pittsburgh won 27-10 at Heinz Field seven years ago, eliminating the defending Super Bowl champs.

MATTER OF STYLE: The players change over time, but the philosophy remains rooted in Pittsburgh's blue-collar image. The Steelers remain one of the NFL's most punishing clubs, running Willie Parker behind a physical offensive line and bringing heat off the edges of the 3-4 alignment manipulated so deftly by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. QB Ben Roethlisberger is 6-2 in the postseason and when defenses load up in the box, he looks downfield for big-play WR Hines Ward.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Parker reeled off three consecutive seasons with at least 1,200 rushing yards before injuries forced him to miss five games this season. He tuned up with a big game against Cleveland in the regular-season finale, then gouged the Chargers for 146 yards and two TDs Sunday. Grinding it out against the Ravens' defense is another story.

The league's No. 1 defense is keyed by OLBs James Harrison, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, and LaMarr Woodley, who combined for 27.5 sacks during the regular season. Woodley got to San Diego's Philip Rivers twice on Sunday and Harrison dropped Rivers once. Don't be surprised if LeBeau and Coach Mike Tomlin cook up some exotic blitzes for Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco this week.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "He's big, he's strong, he's tough and he's smart, but most importantly, he's a winner." - NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci on Roethlisberger

DID YOU KNOW? The Steelers are 5-0 with Parker in the postseason.

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Third-year WR Santonio Holmes from Belle Glade opened Pittsburgh's scoring against San Diego by returning a punt 67 yards. Holmes has averaged 16.6 yards per catch in his career and Roethlisberger could use another dependable target if Ward is double-teamed.

Roy Cummings, Ira Kaufman

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