Watch New York GIANTS vs New England PATRIOTS Live Online - SUPER BOWL XLII 42 Preview

The Patriots are looking to cap an 18-0 season with their fourth Super Bowl victory in seven years. Led by quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants are hoping to fool the football prognosticators, spoil the Pats' perfect season and begin building a legacy of their own.

That all sets the stage for a great game, local football fans say.

"It ought to be a good one. They (the Giants) beat the Packers and the Cowboys, and they are the right team to be representing the NFC," said Bill Crandall, who manages the Just Sports apparel store at Westgate City Center, an entertainment district just a few hundred yards from University of Phoenix Stadium. "I think there would have been more fans here if it was the Packers, but I still think it will be crazy chaos."

Local organizers are expecting 125,000 visitors to set foot in the Valley just to take part in Super Bowl festivities, from the family-friendly NFL Experience theme park next to the stadium to dozens of VIP parties in Scottsdale.

Sunday's AFC and NFC championship games sealed the deal for some fans. On Monday, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee sold more than a dozen $7,500 Super Bowl ticket packages to Giants fans Monday.

"From a competitive standpoint, it's a great matchup. From a visitors and economic-impact standpoint, they (New York and New England) are the largest markets and have the most media coverage," committee President Bob Sullivan said. "I think we'll see a groundswell of people coming in from the Northeast."

For months, Camelback Inn, Arizona Biltmore and other popular Valley resorts have been booked solid for Super Bowl weekend, Jan. 31 through Feb. 4. So Super Bowl fans making hotel arrangements after Sunday's playoff games have been left with few options.

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Watch Super Bowl XLII Live Online 2008

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Mike Carey will also become the first black referee in Super Bowl history.

The officials of Super Bowl are chosen based on merit, with the highest ranked at each position getting the assignment. Carey, who in his private life runs a skiing accessories company, has been among the NFL's top crew chiefs for a decade and has been a Super Bowl alternate, but has never been the referee.

Black officials have been increasing in number over the years. This season there were 26 on the 17 crews, a single-season high.

Blacks also have been well-represented in the Super Bowl at other positions, starting with Burl Toler, a former player, who was involved of several of the early games.

Watch New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers Live Online - NFL NFC Championship Game Preview

The Giants and Packers met in Week 2 at the Meadowlands, with Green Bay winning, 35-13. Since that game, many things have changed for both teams.

The Giants turned things around after an 0-2 start, but it's actually the Packers who have been doing things differently since then as they have gone from a pass-first offense to a more balanced attack. Green Bay threw the ball 247 times in the first six weeks -- an average of 41 attempts per game. That figure dropped to 33 attempts per game in the last 10 regular-season games. For the Giants, the biggest change has been an improved running game -- they rushed for 94 yards in that first meeting but are now averaging 134 yards per game. And the play of Eli Manning has improved as the season has progressed.

You can probably make up an all-star team of unrestricted free agents from this weekend's games, and these two are near the top of the list. In Week 2, Grant was still a third-stringer and he had no rushing attempts and one reception for 21 yards in the game. In his first six games, he rushed for a total of 27 yards. In the next 10 regular-season games, he rushed for 929 yards -- and added 201 in last week's playoff win. Grant has the strength to run inside and the speed to run outside and has shown the ability to avoid tacklers in the open field. He is also a good receiver coming out of the backfield and will flank out as a wide receiver when the Packers try to create matchup problems.

Pierce came into the NFL as an unrestricted free agent in 2001 as an outside linebacker, and he was signed by the Giants in 2005 as a restricted free agent. He has started at middle linebacker the last three seasons for the Giants and has been their leading tackler. He leads by example and is very vocal. He's a smart player who is very competitive. He had 12 tackles and one pass defended in the Week 2 meeting. Pierce should be a big factor in the Giants' run defense if they are to win this game -- though he did not play all that well against the run in Dallas last week.

Watch San Diego Chargers vs New England Patriots Live Online - NFL AFC Championship Game Preview

The Chargers and Patriots met in New England in Week 2, with the Patriots winning, 34-14, after jumping to a 24-0 halftime lead.

The Pats held the ball for 35:46 and actually ran the ball more times than they passed it (32-31). Don't expect to see that this week.

The Chargers weren't playing anywhere near as well as they are now. It's hard to travel through three time zones and play well, but the Chargers did it last week at Indianapolis. In the first meeting, the Chargers did not have receiver Chris Chambers, and Pro Bowl cornerback Antonio Cromartie was not starting. Since Cromartie has moved into the starting lineup in Week 9, they've allowed 33 yards less per game passing, their defensive passer rating has gone down from 98 to 72, and the average pass play has dropped 1.7 yards. Also, in the first four games of the season, San Diego's defense had four interceptions. In the next 12 games, they had 26 interceptions.

Norv Turner is a master at calling the right play at the right time -- and he will have to be masterful again this week, especially if the Chargers end up playing with backup Billy Volek at quarterback, possibly without LaDainian Tomlinson and possibly without tight end Antonio Gates (certainly not at full speed). Turner loves play-action passes and screens. If you see one, more than likely you'll see three or four during the game -- just ask the Colts, who were killed on two of them last week. Turner also is a very good play-caller in two-minute drills.

Bruschi is not overly big or fast, he just makes plays. He has great anticipation and is an elite player at diagnosing plays. Not many players are more instinctive. He will be the key for the Patriots defense against play-caller extraordinaire Turner. Bruschi plays weak inside linebacker and it's a treat to watch him play.

These eight have got to be great for playoff success

We know stars shine brightest in the playoffs. So as we ready for this weekend's Divisional Playoff round, we're expecting players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, Tony Romo, Brett Favre and Patrick Kerney to make their presence felt.

Great players show off in the postseason. It's their time.

But to win in the playoffs, it takes an entire team effort. Stars make it easier for sure, but the grunts, those under-appreciated players, need to do their jobs just as well.

So I've come up with a list of eight players from the eight teams, guys most fans outside of their own cities probably don't know, who can be key to their teams' successes this weekend.

The stars will get the spotlight, and usually hog it. But these guys should be watched closely as well.

New England Patriots

RB Kevin Faulk: With all the talk about the outside passing game for the Patriots, look for Faulk to have a major impact in the short passing game. Faulk is one of the best screen backs in the league. The Jaguars will focus a lot of their attention down the field, which is the right thing to do, but Faulk may make them pay. He has been a valuable player for this offense for years and never really gets his due.

Jacksonville Jaguars

TE Marcedes Lewis: You know the Patriots will get their points, so the Jaguars will have to keep up. That means more success in the passing game. Lewis has developed into a quality target in the middle of the field. Being matched up against the New England linebackers, who don't run that well, he might find some soft spots. Look for Lewis to catch at lease five passes against those backers.

Indianapolis Colts

DT Ed Johnson: He has been a rookie starter all season long, and he's played well. Johnson's play in the middle of the Colts line will be vital to the success of their being able to slow LaDainian Tomlinson. If he can win against a good inside three for the Chargers, it could force the game into the hands of Philip Rivers. That's what the Colts want. Johnson has been a real find as one player who wasn't drafted.

San Diego Chargers

CB Quentin Jammer: Yes, Antonio Cromartie is the All-Pro in that secondary, but they have to get good play out of Jammer. The Colts will have Marvin Harrison back at receiver, which means three big-time threats in Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez. Jammer has to come up big to try and slow down the Colts passing game. He has the skills, and Norv Turner said he had a Pro Bowl season, but he had just one pick.

Dallas Cowboys

WR Patrick Crayton: With Terrell Owens playing on a sore ankle and Terry Glenn competing after missing most of the season with an injury, Crayton has to be a factor in the passing game. He's had a big-time season subbing for Glenn, but it has to carry over here. If Owens really struggles, Crayton might be the go-to guy. It's his chance to show he's up to the task.

New York Giants

LT David Diehl: He is starting for the first time this year at left tackle, and that's been an adjustment. Now he gets Chris Canty in front of him on run downs and DeMarcus Ware coming at him on passing downs. That's not easy. Diehl doesn't have great feet, but instead makes up for that with his toughness. He has to keep Eli Manning clean of Ware for the Giants to have success.

Green Bay Packers

RT Mark Tauscher: With the way Patrick Kerney is exploding off the left end spot, you have to neutralize him. Brett Favre gets rid of the ball quickly, but Tauscher will have to play big against Kerney. When he gets going, the Seattle defense seems to feed off of Kerney. If Tauscher struggles, it could be a long day for Favre and the offense. Tauscher is a tough, physical player who has held up in pass protection against good players in the past.

Seattle Seahawks

RT Sean Locklear: Seahawks left tackle Walter Jones is on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But it's Locklear on the other side who must come up big for the Seahawks this week. He will be matched against Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman, who plays with a relentless style. Any let up and Kampman will kill Locklear. Locklear has to keep Kampman off Matt Hasselbeck and handle Kampman in the run game if Shaun Alexander has any chance of attacking the Packers.

Watch New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys Live Online - NFL Playoffs Preview

It will be huge. As explosive as Dallas has been all season, the Cowboys owe a great deal of their success to the fact that Owens remains one of the elite receivers in the NFL. The bottom line is that when he's on the field, he makes life easier for everybody else on offense. Without him, quarterback Tony Romo isn't likely to play with the same swagger and the Cowboys' offense isn't going to be chewing up yardage by the chunks.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said Monday that T.O. is a "game-time decision." He apparently has been rehabilitating his high ankle sprain so relentlessly that he was meeting with trainers on Christmas Day and New Year's. If we had to wager, we'd assume Owens will be dressed Sunday. His ankle probably won't be 100 percent -- such injuries tend to linger -- but his presence alone makes all the difference for the Cowboys' offense.

There's still good reason to be skeptical of Manning -- mainly because he was playing lousy during the final month of the regular season -- but the Giants have to love what they've seen from him lately.

Aside from one critical interception, Manning played brilliantly in a season-ending loss to New England and he was equally impressive in Sunday's wild-card win over Tampa Bay (20-for-27 for 185 yards and two touchdowns). If he can perform that well against Dallas, the Giants could very well pull the upset.

Remember, Manning enjoyed a huge day against Dallas in a season-opening loss (312 yards, four touchdowns, one interception). He was mediocre in the rematch, but the Dallas defense can give up big plays.

The key here is how well the Giants protect Manning and how well he makes decisions. One thing that is definitely certain is that he won't lack for confidence heading into this contest.

Watch Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers Live Online- NFL Playoff Preview

What took place Saturday once was unimaginable, and now the Seattle Seahawks hope it's not out of the question they can do something else which once seemed unthinkable, too.

The Seahawks beat the Washington Redskins, 35-14, in a first-round playoff game because of their, drum roll, please, defense. Next they will find out if their defense, the team's best in a decade, will be good enough to survive a divisional playoff game at Green Bay.

"You gotta take your hat off to the organization," said offensive tackle Walter Jones, Seattle's longest-tenured player, in his 11th season with the team. "They got (defensive) guys who can go out and make plays. The defense is built on speed and getting to the quarterback, and these guys can do it with the best of them.

"A defense that good can put you in position to score points."

Or score points itself.

Against Washington, the Seahawks played lethargically for much of the game on offense, but they produced a fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown drive after the Redskins' Scott Suisham missed a 30-yard field goal attempt, and then Marcus Trufant and Jordan Babineaux returned interceptions for touchdown to make the final score more lopsided than the game actually was.

Seattle has tried for years to improve its defense. Eight of their 11 defensive starters came to the team since 2005, and the additions this year of defensive end Patrick Kerney and safeties Brian Russell and Deon Grant finally lifted the Seahawks into the ranks of the league's better defensive teams.

The Redskins were unable to block Kerney, who led the NFC in sacks, with one lineman. By double-teaming and, at least once, even triple-teaming him, the Redskins left the quick Seattle linebackers free to chase down plays. Washington, trying to protect quarterback Todd Collins, wanted to control the game with Clinton Portis' running, but he was limited to 52 yards on 20 carries, an average of 2.6, and was often caught from behind by a linebacker.

Seahawks linebackers Leroy Hill, Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson were the game's leading tacklers, credited with 23 tackles, 12 assists, two sacks, five quarterback hits and one pass defensed among them.

"We proved we can play defense," Hill said. "A lot of people consider the Seahawks an offensive team, and we're just trying to prove we can play a little defense, too."

"We're not the biggest or the most physical team," Peterson added, but he pointed out the Seahawks' defense has the quickness to run with most teams. The only success the Redskins had with their running game came when they spread the Seattle defense out by using three or four receivers, but that exposed Collins to frequent hits.

Peterson opined that the Seahawks will need to tighten up their third-down defense against Green Bay, but it really wasn't too bad. Washington converted only 4 of 18 third downs into first downs.

Watch San Diego Chargers vs Indianapolis Colts Live Online - NFL Playoffs Preview

The San Diego Chargers are right back where they were a year ago, headed into a divisional playoff game. But somehow this feels different.

Perhaps it's because they just won a playoff game for the first time in 13 years.

Perhaps it's because they're going to play Indianapolis, a team they beat the last two times they played.

Perhaps it's because their young quarterback, Philip Rivers, finally played a big game at a big time to beat a defense that was putting all its attention on stopping LaDainian Tomlinson and daring Rivers to win the game with his arm.

Or, perhaps, it's all of the above.

But we'll go mostly with No. 3, because that's the biggest development.

On Sunday, the Chargers beat the Tennessee Titans 17-6. The Titans were missing four starters because of recent injuries, and their quarterback, Vince Young, was missing some of his mobility due to a quad injury.

So beating them, perhaps, was no big deal. It was expected. The unexpected part was how the Chargers did it.

"We executed our game plan," said Tennessee linebacker Keith Bulluck. "We wanted Philip Rivers to beat us. I think he did a good job of that."

"I think that's been the (defensive) strategy for 34 games that I've been here, and I don't think that strategy is going to change as long as (Tomlinson) is here," Rivers said.

True enough, and the only way the Chargers can change that approach by their opponents is for Rivers to have more games like this one.

With San Diego trailing 6-0 at halftime and with Tomlinson limited to 6 yards on his first seven carries, Rivers directed drives of 86, 78 and 72 yards on the Chargers' first three possessions of the second half. After halftime, he completed 12 of 17 passes for 194 yards. He finished with 292 yards, including five completions of at least 25 yards.

Watch Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots Live Online- NFL Playoffs Preview

So, which are the "real" Jacksonville Jaguars?

Are they the team that dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers for three quarters of Saturday night's wild-card playoff game?

Or, are they the team that came perilously close to suffering one of the worst meltdowns in NFL playoff history?

The cynic could easily say that the Jaguars hardly look like the team that so many observers around the league pegged as having what it takes to spoil the New England Patriots' postseason perfection party.

I certainly have my doubts. I once thought the Jags were a club that had all of the necessary ingredients to be as dangerous as any team in the playoffs -- powerful running game, a quarterback who takes exceptionally great care of the football, a punishing defense that makes big plays, and poise. Especially poise. The Jaguars clearly lost their composure at the least opportune time Saturday night. They looked like a team that, well, hadn't won a playoff game since beating Miami in the divisional round after the 1999 season.

Of course, you could always take this perspective that coach Jack Del Rio offered of the Jags' ability to pull out a 31-29 win after squandering an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter: "I think it clearly exemplifies the kind of resolve this team has competed with all year."

During the regular season, the Jaguars overcame injuries to key players, such as defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, linebacker Mike Peterson, offensive guard Chris Naeole, and even quarterback David Garrard, who missed three games with a bum ankle.

On Saturday night, they overcame themselves.

At the end of the third quarter, they held a 28-10 lead and were giving the Patriots and every other team in the AFC playoffs something to worry about. Then, after three quick Steelers touchdowns, the advantage disappeared. It was Pittsburgh 29, Jacksonville 28 with 6:21 remaining.

For Del Rio, it was not a time to panic, even though that seemed like the obvious reaction. "You're wanting to stay calm, stay poised, keep fighting," he said.

With 2:38 left, the Jaguars got the ball again. Right before the members of his offense took the field, Del Rio pulled them together and said, "Guys, you've got to love it. I mean, here we are. It's right here. Let's have fun, let's go down, make some plays and win this ballgame."

He made it sound so simple, yet it was a monumental task.

The play that ultimately won it was Josh Scobee's 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds left. But the play that set up the winning points was Garrard's 32-yard quarterback draw on fourth-and-two from the Pittsburgh 43.

Garrard, in his first playoff start, had wanted to run the play on third-and-two, but the coaches called a pass that fell incomplete. He had insisted on having the ball in his hands at crunch time, mainly because he wanted to make up for the mistakes he made, including two interceptions that led to 10 Pittsburgh points.

"I knew they weren't going to stop me for two yards," Garrard said.

At 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, he knew he had too much size and power for the mostly smallish defenders the Steelers had had on the field to defend the pass. Garrard figured, at the very least, he could lower his helmet and push his way past the first-down marker. He never expected to turn two yards into 32, but that was the case when the Pittsburgh sent an all-out blitz that didn't get to him and left the field wide open for a long gain.

Watch Washington Redskins vs Seattle Seahawks Live Online - NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview

Almost four years ago, Mike Holmgren found himself at yet another scouting combine. He bumped into old pals, fellow veteran NFL coaches.

Bill Parcells. Mike Sherman. Bill Cowher. ... Joe Gibbs?

The same Joe Gibbs who was Southern California's line coach in 1969, when Holmgren was a senior quarterback? The same man who had left coaching a decade earlier to run a NASCAR team?

"What are you doing? Are you sure you want to do this?" Holmgren asked Gibbs that spring day in 2004, knowing Gibbs was thoroughly enjoying life outside of football.

"Yeah, I think so," Gibbs told him of returning to the game.

Saturday, the men who are 1-2 in victories among the league's active coaches will be across the field from each other. Gibbs' Redskins will be in Seattle to play Holmgren's Seahawks in the NFC's wild-card playoffs.

And sometime after this game, the 59-year-old Holmgren will revisit Gibbs (171-100 in 16 seasons) to ask about stepping away from coaching and beginning a new life.

"I will have a conversation with him at some point about that," said Holmgren, who is 169-109 in 16 seasons.

Sooner than later?

"Yeah, probably," Holmgren said.

He and longtime wife Kathy have four daughters, and Holmgren relishes being a grandfather. He owns a boat and a house in an upscale Seattle suburb. He also has homes in the coastal hills of his native Northern California, and in Arizona, where he escapes football by riding motorcycles across the desert. He did that again during Seattle's bye week in late October.

After these playoffs, Holmgren has one season remaining on the two-year contract he signed after the Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl to Pittsburgh 23 months ago.

Holmgren agreed to that deal only after some soul searching. Then 12 months ago, after Seattle lost in the second round of the playoffs in overtime at Chicago, Holmgren again took his time before deciding to return. Now, as he is trying to reach a sixth Super Bowl as a head man or assistant, he acknowledges this could be his last go-around.

"Where I am in my coaching life, I've got more years behind me than I have ahead of me, that's for sure," Holmgren said. "You think about it (being the last chance). If you get into the playoffs, you probably think about it every year.

"My mindset has not changed. ... At the end of each season Kathy and I will get away from here for a week and just kind of bang (the possibility of retiring) around a little bit and think about how we're going to do this in fairness to everybody -- the players, the owner, everybody.

"You have to take some time and let things settle in. It's an important decision."

Watch New York Giants vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Live Online - NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview

The New York Giants haven't won a playoff game since 2001. Jeff Garcia has played a big part in that -- and gets yet another chance to extend that drought Sunday.

Garcia leads the fourth-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) against the fifth-seeded Giants (10-6) in a wild-card matchup at Raymond James Stadium.

Garcia will make his third playoff start against the Giants in as many uniforms, and the sight of the veteran quarterback likely won't be pleasing to New York. Garcia has engineered two playoff victories over the Giants in the past six seasons, most recently last year.

Filling in for an injured Donovan McNabb, Garcia completed 17 of 31 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown to help Philadelphia defeat New York 23-20 in a wild-card game last Jan. 7. That performance, however, is hardly his most memorable one against the Giants in the postseason.

On Jan. 5, 2003, Garcia helped lead the second-biggest playoff comeback in league history, throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing seven times for 60 yards and a TD to help San Francisco rally from a 38-14 deficit and defeat New York 39-38.

"I don't think that I really look at those games as feeling like I -- or believing that I -- have an edge up on the Giants," Garcia said. "It is not like that at all. I feel like what we did those days we were able to make enough plays to win the football game, but it is going to be a battle."

Now the Giants again face the 37-year-old Garcia, who won the Bucs starting job this season after being signed away from the Eagles as a free agent in March. He threw for 2,440 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions to help Tampa Bay return to the top of the NFC South for the first time since 2002 -- the season the team won its only Super Bowl.

Garcia posted a 94.6 quarterback rating, seventh in the league, as the Bucs returned to the playoffs after a year off. Tampa Bay was 4-12 in 2006.

"He certainly has done an outstanding job for them. He is the guy that you have to try to do something about," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Wednesday. "You have to get pressure on him; you have to contain him; you have to get up in his face. You have to do all of those kinds of things. And of course they are always trying to create opportunities for him to be able to be in a position that he can take full advantage of.

"So we definitely know of the strengths of Jeff Garcia, how well he is playing. And we will spend a week trying to do something about it."

Watch Tennessee Titans vs San Diego Chargers Live Online - NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview

For the second straight season, the San Diego Chargers are on a roll heading into the playoffs. This time around, they're trying not to be overconfident, especially with a matchup against a Tennessee Titans team that is thrilled to be getting another crack at the AFC West champions.

San Diego brings another long winning streak into the postseason on Sunday when it meets visiting Tennessee for the second time in five weeks.

The first matchup between these teams resulted in a 23-17 overtime victory for San Diego in Nashville on Dec. 9 -- the Titans' only loss in their last five games.

In that contest, the Chargers (11-5) rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 17 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to tight end Antonio Gates with 9 seconds remaining. San Diego won on LaDainian Tomlinson's 16-yard TD run in overtime.

The game was extremely physical, with four players getting fined a total of $32,500 by the NFL and Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman accusing the Titans of a cheap shot that left him with an injured knee.

"I know that there's a lot of things that went on a few weeks ago when we played them at our place, a lot of bad blood in this game," said Tennessee center Kevin Mawae, who was docked $5,000 for a hit on Merriman. "So it'll be interesting to see. We're going to try to stay focused this week and not get caught up in the locker room trash talk and just focus on ourselves.

"We go out to San Diego and give them our best shot."

Tennessee (10-6) is still upset about the last meeting, believing it was on the wrong end of a call on a crucial fourth-and-5 play for San Diego during the final drive of regulation. Rivers threw a pass downfield to Chris Chambers, who had to dive back for the ball, and the officials ruled it a catch.

It was replayed because it came in the last two minutes, but not overturned because of a lack of camera angles.

"If people missed the first one that we played, tune in," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said.

Rivers, though, isn't ready to label this wild-card game as a grudge match.

"Nah, I mean, we won the game. That's all that matters to us," he said. "It's a new game now. We get to play them at home. It's going to be another fun, physical game. I'm looking forward to it."

Watch Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers Live Online - NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview

Maybe no team in NFL history has gone through a more difficult path through the playoffs to win a Super Bowl than the Pittsburgh Steelers did two years ago.

The one they now face could easily top it.

With possibly the least momentum of any playoff team and missing their Pro Bowl running back, the Steelers host the only visiting team to win at Heinz Field all season when they meet the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.

Even if Pittsburgh (10-6) can get by Jacksonville (11-5), which beat the Steelers 29-22 on Dec. 16, its road back to the Super Bowl could include road games against unbeaten New England and defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis.

Before they can think about going on the road next week, the Steelers must knock off a Jaguars team which won six of seven before losing a meaningless regular-season finale. One of those victories included the trip to Heinz Field, preventing Pittsburgh from finishing with an 8-0 home record.

The Steelers even had Willie Parker for that game and he ran for 100 yards, but his season ended four days later when he broke his leg in a game at St. Louis. That leaves Pittsburgh without the NFL's fourth-leading rusher.

Parker has been replaced by Najeh Davenport, who came off the bench against the Rams to rush for 123 yards before being held to 27 last week on 12 carries in a 27-21 loss at Baltimore. Pittsburgh came out flat in that game, falling behind 17-0, despite entering with a chance to claim the AFC's No. 3 seed.

"A lot of things are of concern. What lies ahead is an enormous playoff game versus a great football team at our place," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "If there is any hesitation, they better quickly get over it because the ball is going to be kicked off here shortly."