AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers Sunday, January 14. 4:30 PM ET CBS

Chargers keys to victory

Facing a Bill Belichick-designed game plan is a nightmare for anyone especially San Diego’s first-year QB starter Philip Rivers. Rivers has shown poise and has made big plays all year. Rivers MUST play well for the Chargers to get past the Patriots this weekend. He must be able to deal with all the different looks he's going to see when he scans the New England defense. Rivers must get the ball to tight end Antonio Gates and tailback Ladanian Tomlinson with short passes to find a rhythm early if he’s going to have any success. LT will get his running the ball no matter who’s on defense. The Patriots do give up big plays down the field so getting River’s confidence up early will be the difference maker. The Patriot will be without former Charger Rodney Harrison so expect Philip Rivers to take shots down the field.

The Chargers must also find a way to pressure Patriots all world QB Tom Brady. If NFL sack leading Shawne Merriman and company can pressure Tom Brady he can keep him from getting into a rhythm and allowing the New England offense to get into a no-huddle flow. Brady can pick apart any defense in the league if he’s not under any pressure, if pressured Brady isn’t very mobile and can make mistakes.

Patriot’s keys to victory

Quarterback Tom Brady will have to play well for the Patriots to pull off the upset in San Diego. Brady is the best in the business in the post season and can throw every pass in the book with authority. Brady is a smooth operator and can distribute the ball like no other in the league Brady will have to get the ball out quickly, because he is going to see pressure from the perimeter all game long. His quick release is one of his great strengths. The will have to put the squad on his back to win. The Patriots will not be able to run the ball so expect at least 40 pass attempts.
  Head Coach Bill Belichick will need to come up with a defensive game plan that can confuse Chargers QB Philip Rivers to try bait him into some early turnovers. He’s had success over the years keeping Peyton Manning confused all game long so you can expect him to get in River’s head a bit. They will stack the line and force the Chargers QB to beat them. The New England secondary is a little beat up and does give up big plays. The Patriots defense will have to contain LT or they will be play action passed on all day and it could get ugly.  The Patriots don’t have the fire power deal with a shootout.

Current Odds: Chargers -4.5, Total 46.5

AFC 2008 Playoffs Schedule here!

New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers Game Results Patriots 24, Chargers 21

It wasn't easy, but the Patriots got it done in the playoffs once again, edging the Chargers 24-21 thanks to the late-game heroics of quarterback Tom Brady and kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Brady rebounded from an uneven outing to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Reche Caldwell, which with a two-point conversion tied the game. Brady then marched the Patriots on an eight-play, 72-yard drive that culminated in Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal. For San Diego, it was a bitter end to a once promising season. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, leading San Diego to leads of 14-3 and 21-13.

AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens Saturday, January 13. 4:30 PM ET CBS

Ravens keys to victory

Pound the ball with RB Jamal Lewis and allow him to dictate the offensive tempo. The Colts have one of the worse run defenses in the history of the league and will have problems. Lewis isn't the same guy who rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2003, as evidenced by his 3.7-yard average since then, but he can still hammer defenses between the tackles and could hammer the undersized Indianapolis front seven. New QB Steve McNair was brought in to manage the game and has done a masterful job all season.

The Baltimore must pressure Peyton Manning in the pocket to keep him off rhythm. That will not be an easy task. Last week the Kansas City Chiefs took away Manning deep routes and Manning made the adjustments and passed the ball underneath to his tight ends and RB’s out of the back field. The Ravens were second in the league in sacks and must get Manning jersey dirty of they want to win. The Colts will not be able to run the ball so pressuring Manning and controlling the clock will determine if the Ravens move on.

Colts keys to victory

Peyton Manning must continue to be patient throwing the ball to his secondary receivers. The big-play may be hard to come by against the Ravens stellar defense. Indy’s passing attack must mirror what they did against the Chiefs last week. Get the ball to tight end Dallas Clark, rookie tailback Joseph Addai underneath with short passes. Indianapolis played most of last Saturday's game with Clark aligned in the slot, and he had nine catches for 103 yards. Manning demoralized the KC defense by checking down to Addai or fellow tailback Dominic Rhodes and letting them run in space. This must happen on offense this week for the Colts to have a chance.

Avoid turnovers at all costs. Baltimore led the NFL in takeaways and turnover differential in 2006. The Ravens had 28 interceptions and three defenders had five or more pickoffs. The takeaways are fueled by the Baltimore pass rush, which will come from a variety of angles. The Baltimore secondary is stellar so don’t expect many big plays down the field to stud WR’s Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. If the Colts defense can come close to the extraordinary effort it demonstrated in Saturday's wild- card victory over Kansas City they may be on their way to the AFC Championship.

Current Odds: Ravens -4, Total 41

AFC 2008 Playoffs Schedule here!

Indianapolis Colts vs Baltimore Ravens Game Results Colts 15, Ravens 6

The Ravens kept the Colts out of the end zone, but Indianapolis' defense rose to the challenge and limited Baltimore to two field goals. Adam Vinatieri tied an NFL playoff record with five field goals. The Colts defense forced four turnovers, limited the Ravens to 244 total net yards, and denied the Ravens on 9 of 11 third-down situations. Antoine Bethea intercepted Steve McNair at the goal line in the second quarter, and the Ravens dropped two interceptions that could have turned the tide. It was only the fourth playoff game in NFL history -- and first since 1979 -- that neither team scored a touchdown.

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