2007 NFC Divisional Playoff Preview

For both the Seahawks and Eagles, the news got worse as the final score of the Philadelphia-New York Giants game came up. The Eagles were able to put together a five-minute, game-ending drive amassing 70 yards and ending on a David Akers field goal with three seconds left. Though the Giants made the game close with clutch plays from their three-headed monster of quarterback Eli Manning, running back Tiki Barber and wide receiver Plaxico Burress they weren't able to get the ball back.

For Seattle, that news means they will now have to travel to Chicago to play the NFC North champions the Chicago Bears. It will mark the second time this season that the Seahawks have had to play in the Windy City, having had a brutal wake-up call losing 37-6 early on. This time around the Bears are looking to erase an embarrassing home loss they suffered last year in the playoffs to Carolina. In the last five games the Bears are 4-1 having only lost to the Packers 27-6 in a game in which many Bears starters played limited minutes. In this game the Bears will face a somewhat healthy Seahawks offense, though wide receiver Darrell Jackson went out of the Wild Card game with an injury and his status for Sunday is unknown. But the Seattle D is depleted and should be happy that they're facing Rex Grossman-and not Drew Brees. For this reason-and the fact that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck played well versus Dallas-this game is one to watch.

As for the Eagles they barely eked out a win at home versus a tough New York Giants team-and now they head to what is arguably the toughest place to play in the Superdome. For obvious reasons the Saints have had so much to play for this season-and their play has been inspiring. Surprising most pundits New Orleans has used the services of free agent quarterback Drew Brees and coach of the year Sean Payton has gotten the most out of this team. But the Saints are no sure bet at home-and at 4-4 on the season they must start out of the gate strong to get the crowd behind them. If not, Philadelphia will use their clock-eating offense to make this one interesting. Losers of their last two of three, New Orleans could be in for a long day if they cannot convert their scoring opportunities. And the Eagles will not make this game easy, if history indicates anything. The Saints defeated the Eagles 27-24 this season behind nearly 300 yards passing from Brees. What is more important is that they held Eagles running back Brian Westbrook to 72 yards-and, ironically, defeated the Eagles on a game-winning field goal as time expired. That's obviously something that Eagles know all about-after squeezing out that Giant-killing kick on the last play of the Wild Card game.

NFC

Seattle (10-7) at Chicago (13-3)

A rejuvenated-and relatively healthy-Seahawks bunch rolls into Chicago this Sunday with one thing on their mind: returning to the Super Bowl. But first they will have to get past a Chicago Bears defense that is the best in the NFC. And history shows that is no easy task, as the Bears already proved, limiting Seattle to six points in a rout this season. But the Bears do not have an impressive offense-and quarterback Rex Grossman has actually had 0.0 quarterback ratings in games this year. Now Seattle must eat up the clock on time-consuming drives and limit its turnovers-because Chicago is not the Dallas Cowboys-and the Bears will make the Seahawks pay for every mistake made. The good news for Seattle is that Shaun Alexander is beginning to hit his stride; the bad news is the Bears were second in the NFC against the run. Where the Seahawks may have more luck is in the air, however, the Bears were fifth in the conference in that, too-and the Seahawks were sixth. This game will probably come down to who creates the least turnovers and which team capitalizes on them. Look for both Bears running back Thomas Jones and Alexander to have big games and the score to be in the low 20's. But in the end the veteran leadership of Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck-as was proven versus the Cowboys-and the Seahawks significant offensive weaponry will prove too much for even the Bears vaunted defense. Even with Darrell Jackson hobbled, new acquisition-and veteran playoff man-receiver Deion Branch stepped up against Dallas and made his presence known. It will continue Sunday and the Hawks will swoop down on another Lombardi Trophy in just a few short weeks.

Seattle, 20-10

Philadelphia (11-6) at New Orleans (10-6)

The magical mystery tour continues for the Philadelphia Eagles, who truly proved against New York that fans really don't know which team will show up. For awhile in the second half of the Wild Card game, it seemed as though the Giants were gaining yardage at will-just like the Cowboys did in Seattle-but it was the Giants, like the Cowboys, who ended up killing drives with dumb penalties, usually of the holding and false start variety. Those mistakes were enough for the Eagles to survive a spirited Giant comeback and knock through the game-winner as time expired-but they will have to play better on offense if they're to have a chance against the No. 1 passing defense in the NFC. For the Saints the news is great, they're playing the third-worst rushing defense in the NFC-and the Eagles looked porous as Tiki Barber ran through giant holes the whole game, no pun intended. If the duo of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush get those kinds of holes they will create their own hurricane of sorts-and the waves of touchdowns will come rushing through the Philadelphia defense, thus creating a surge of anticipation. But the Saints can't throw on the Eagles-the Giants know this now-on a regular basis and so the team that scores first may win the game, if they can control the clock and consume yardage on long drives. Both teams have solid defenses in terms of defending the pass, though both teams are horrible at defending the run. So like the Seahawks-Bears game, the winner will likely be the winner in the time of possession category. And for the Eagles it is a fact of life that Donovan McNabb is not there to beat the Saints with his feet. That will make all the difference in this game, in which the Saints go marching on.

New Orleans, 35-21