One: Will Seattle end the NFL's longest drought, dating to 1984, without a playoff win? In some ways, it seems like a season of destiny for the Seahawks, who posted the NFC's top record and claimed home-field advantage for the playoffs. If not destiny, at least they have reversed some issues.
MVP candidate Shaun Alexander won the NFL rushing title with 1,880 yards after falling short by a yard last year. With a rebuilt defense, the habit of allowing big fourth-quarter comebacks vanished. The dropped passes aren't glaring anymore, either.
Since losing to the St. Louis Rams in their playoff opener last season, the Seahawks are 8-0 at Qwest Field. Even better, Mike Holmgren has the NFL's highest-scoring team (28.3 points a game). That's something to ponder for opponents making the long trip to the Pacific Northwest.
Two: Does Carolina have a playoff-ready rushing game? When the Panthers advanced to Super Bowl XXXVIII two years ago, they had the NFL's fourth-leading rusher in Stephen Davis. This time, they enter the playoffs with big-play artist Steve Smith tying for the NFL lead with 103 catches, while the 31-year-old Davis is on injured reserve with a bum knee.
When DeShaun Foster bolted for 165 yards in Sunday's playoff-clinching victory at Atlanta, it was just Carolina's second 100-yard rushing game of the season — both achieved against the Falcons defense, which ended the year ranked 26th against the run.
The Panthers didn't suddenly become a passing team. They passed on 48% of their snaps, compared with 47% in 2003. The big difference is they rushed for 412 fewer yards than in 2003, an extra 25-plus yards a game that could come in handy when emphasis on ball control and reduced risk goes up a notch in the playoffs.
Three: Is Washington the most dangerous team in the NFC? Coach Joe Gibbs takes his Redskins to face Tampa Bay with the longest current winning streak of any playoff team, at five games — the last three averaging 33.7 points against divisional foes.
Since Gibbs returned in 2004, the Gregg Williams-directed defense has been among the NFL's best. Gibbs has tweaked the offense enough to improve the protection and establish the signature running game led by Clinton Portis' 1,516 yards. Add big-play receiving aces in Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, and there is balance.
Health issues exist with Portis, revived quarterback Mark Brunell and cornerback Shawn Springs among the notables, but confidence is high. The Redskins have beaten three NFC playoff entrants — Seattle, Chicago and the New York Giants — and nearly won in Tampa in Week 10.
Four: Is Muhammad poised to become Chicago's clutch target? Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's comeback might also spark the return of Muhsin Muhammad as a difference-maker in the passing game. Muhammad led the NFL with 16 touchdown receptions in 2004, a good reason why little time was wasted in luring him to the Windy City.
Muhammad became such fast friends with Grossman during offseason work that he attended the quarterback's wedding. But his production took a blow with the broken ankle that floored Grossman in the preseason. With rookie Kyle Orton managing the offense for the bulk of the season, Muhammad finished with four touchdowns and 750 yards.
He is no speed burner, and with the NFL's best defense in tow, the Bears are not built for shootouts. But "Moose" could provide Grossman with the security blanket every passer needs at crunchtime.
Five: Who's at outside linebacker for the Giants? The past few weeks, the continuity of the Giants defense has been affected by a rash of injuries at linebacker. They had another scare when Nick Greisen was shaken up in their division title-clinching win at Oakland. Greisen, the only one of the six linebackers to open the season still standing for the regular-season finale, returned to finish the game.
Getting back Pro Bowl-bound Antonio Pierce from a high ankle sprain would be a huge boost, but that's hardly a certainty this week. The team is more hopeful that Reggie Torbor can return from a hamstring injury. Still, it's a group with three players signed within the past three weeks. Before Saturday, the unit had allowed three 100-yard rushers in four games.
But it helps to have Pro Bowl defensive ends up front in Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora and the NFL's No. 2 rusher, Tiki Barber, as a ball-control weapon to ease pressure on inconsistent young quarterback Eli Manning.
Six: Is max protection a good idea for Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden? In two games since he was sacked a season-high seven times at New England, Bucs quarterback Chris Simms has been sacked three times. That's heading in the right direction for a team that has allowed 41 sacks, more than any playoff squad.
Gruden has tried to scheme through the protection problems all season. He has reined in some of his more creative designs and often sends just two receivers out while getting heavy use out of max-protection formations such as two-tight-end sets.
It helps that rookie Carnell Williams fuels the rushing game and Simms — who didn't throw an interception in six of his 10 starts — keeps mistakes to a minimum. Simms throws a great deep ball, but without the blocking he can't connect with polished burner Joey Galloway.
When the Redskins played at Tampa in Week 10, they didn't get a sack. Undoubtedly, blitz-happy Washington will try to disrupt the flow much more this time.
Seven: Can the two-time defending champion Patriots overcome the loss of Harrison? Bill Belichick is still the most resourceful coach in the NFL. In addition to losing coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, the Patriots lost 45 man-starts to injury and managed to win another AFC East title. They got stronger as the season progressed and key players returned.
The defense has all-pro defensive end Richard Seymour back. Tedy Bruschi came back from a stroke, although there's a mystery surrounding the linebacker's injured knee. Corey Dillon (the Patriots are 5-0 when he rushes 20 times) is again being counted on to lessen the load on Tom Brady, who made up for the running back's injury problems by passing for an NFL-high 4,110 yards.
But the one player the Patriots can't get back is all-pro safety Rodney Harrison. The vulnerable secondary has started six strong safeties since Harrison tore three knee ligaments in September. No playoff team has allowed more touchdown passes (25) than the Patriots.
Eight: How have back-to-back losses affected the Bengals? It's not so much that the Bengals finished the regular season with their only consecutive losses; it's the manner in which they occurred, allowing a combined 74 points.
Cincinnati allowed Kansas City 537 yards Sunday. Larry Johnson's 201-yard rushing performance was an eerie reminder of what happened the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Paul Brown Stadium — they punished the Bengals with 221 ground yards. When the Bengals' season-opening four-game winning streak ended at Jacksonville in early October, they allowed 181 rushing yards.
A suddenly battered defense, which tied a franchise record with 44 takeaways, can expect a similar gut check in the franchise's first playoff appearance since 1990. And the lack of sharpness isn't exclusive to the defense. The three points scored at Kansas City, albeit with breakout quarterback Carson Palmer sitting out for the bulk of time, marked the fewest in 48 games with Marvin Lewis as coach.
Nine: Can "The Bus" drive the Steelers to Detroit? Jerome Bettis maintains one reason he returned for a 13th season was the chance to play for a championship in his hometown. Bettis is no longer the Steelers' featured runner; fast Willie Parker rushed for 1,202 yards. But Bettis, who had three touchdowns in his specialized role Sunday, still symbolizes the power rushing game that is Steelers football and is so critical to keeping pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben's 98.6 passer rating ranked third in the NFL, but he averaged just 19.2 passes in the nine victories that he started this season. In three losses, Roethlisberger threw an average of 31.7 passes. The Steelers' formula is still heavy on running tough and stopping it with the NFL's third-ranked run defense. On a four-game winning streak matching their longest of the season, the Steelers outscored opponents 115-33.
