Seattle at Green Bay
2:30 p.m. Saturday, KDVR-31
Regular-season and playoff records: Seattle Seahawks (10-6, 1-0) vs. Green Bay Packers (13-3, 0-0)
Point spread: Packers by 8
Last meeting: It was late November 2006 when the Seahawks defeated the Packers 34-24 in Seattle. Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander rushed for 201 yards on 40 carries in the game, one of his few decent performances since his MVP season of 2005. Both QBs — the Packers’ Brett Favre and the Seahawks’ Matt Hasselbeck — had three interceptions.
Hash marks: The teams had a memorable playoff game in Green Bay during the 2003 season. Tied in regulation, Seattle won the toss and Hasselbeck, whose voice carried over the P.A. system, announced the Seahawks were going to take the ball and they were going to score. On his second possession of overtime, Hasselbeck’s pass was intercepted by Al Harris, who returned it for a game-winning touchdown.
Seahawks win if: Their defense, tenacious last week against Washington in a first-round playoff game, harasses Favre into multiple picks.
Packers win if: Favre gets protection and takes care of the ball. Green Bay’s offense, led by Favre’s late-career renaissance, has scored at least 31 points in nine games this year, including the last four home games.
Seahawks’ player on the spot: Alexander. Deploying the Jim Bates system, the Packers’ defense is more vulnerable against the run than the pass. The Seahawks, however, aren’t much of a running team because of Alexander’s injuries.
Packers’ player on the spot: K Mason Crosby. The rookie from Colorado led the NFL with 141 points and 19 field-goal attempts of 40-plus yards. Inclement weather could be a factor.
Bet you didn’t know: Holmgren and Favre both broke in with the Packers in 1992. “I remember in that first meeting, he struck fear in every guy in there,” Favre said during an October interview with The Denver Post. “He said, ‘Half of you guys are going to be gone because you bought into losing.’ And he said, ‘If you want to get on the boat with us, fine. But I’m going to weed out the ones that don’t believe we’re going to the Super Bowl.’ And he said, ‘And we’re going to go. It may not be this year, it may not be next year, but we’re going.’ And I believed him. I didn’t know I was going to be the quarterback, but I believed him.”
Key matchup: Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren vs. Packers QB Brett Favre. Proving that a coach is only as good as his players, Favre is 3-2 against Holmgren’s Seahawks.
Prediction: Packers 24, Seahawks 21
Jacksonville at New England
6 p.m. Saturday, KCNC-4
Regular-season and playoff records: Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5, 1-0) vs. New England Patriots (16-0, 0-0)
Point spread: Patriots by 13 1/2
Last meeting: The Pats won 24-21 in Jacksonville on Christmas Eve 2006. The last time these teams met in Foxborough was in the 2005 playoffs, when the Pats crushed the Jags 28-3.
Hash marks: It should be dry at kickoff with the temperature around 40 degrees. … The Pats have won nine consecutive home playoff games, dating back to 1978. … The Pats haven’t caught the 1972 Dolphins, yet. Two other teams — the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears — had undefeated regular seasons but are largely forgotten by historians because they lost the NFL championship game. … Pats TE Kyle Brady played eight seasons for Jags before signing with New England this season.
Jaguars win if: They control the ball. They have two excellent running backs in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, and David Garrard is a superb third-down quarterback. Long, sustained drives resulting in touchdowns, not field goals, would put the pressure on the Pats’ high-powered offense.
Patriots win if: QB Tom Brady stays healthy. Even if he doesn’t throw four touchdowns, Brady is at his best when it matters most.
Jaguars’ player on the spot: David Garrard. Expect Patriots coach Bill Belichick to focus on Taylor and Jones-Drew, leaving Garrard to beat them downfield. Garrard threw just three interceptions during the regular season, but two in his first-ever playoff start last week at Pittsburgh.
Patriots’ player on the spot: Tom Brady. He’s always on the spot. How does he handle it? Three Super Bowl rings and 16-0 offer some hint.
Bet you didn’t know: This game features the two highest-scoring teams in the season’s second half. In the final eight games, the Pats scored 258 points and the Jags were next with 256 points.
Key matchup: Jaguars CB Rashean Mathis vs. Patriots WR Randy Moss. Mathis was a Pro Bowler last season, when he had eight interceptions, but he had just one this year as he battled a groin injury. However, Mathis got two picks last week against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, including one he returned for a touchdown. Speaking of touchdowns, Moss had an NFL-record 23 receiving scores this season.
Prediction: Patriots 34, Jaguars 17
