The NFL’s top rusher, DeMarco Murray, is to lead Dallas against Detroit as the playoffs begin this weekend.
Murray led the league with 1,845 rushing yards, but he and the rest of the Cowboys offense face a formidable Lions defense led by Ndamukong Suh, who is set to appear after his one-game ban was overturned on appeal.
Cincinnati visit Indianapolis today in an American Conference first-round game, with New England and Denver having byes and awaiting the weekend’s winners.
Photo: AFP
In the National Conference, the Cowboys host Detroit today. Green Bay and defending Super Bowl champions Seattle earned first-round byes and await the winners next week.
Suh thought would be denied him after he was suspended by the league for one game on Monday for stepping backward twice upon the leg of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a game the previous day.
Suh won an appeal of the punishment, claiming numb feet prevented him from feeling his rival star’s leg beneath his cleats as he stepped backward.
Each of the NFL teams still standing have reason to believe next month will bring a Super Bowl party and a parade.
Every one of them also has a potentially costly flaw that could have them dejectedly clearing out their lockers instead.
“The game gets a little faster and certainly everything’s on the line,” Denver quarterback Peyton Manning said of the playoffs, where he has experienced plenty of pain — 12 losses — to go with lots of euphoria — 11 wins.
The key this time of year is pretty simple, he said.
“The more experience you have, the different types of games you’ve been through, those things can certainly help you, but it usually comes down to kind of who executes better,” Manning said.
Here is a look at the signature strength of some of the teams along with their most worrisome weakness:
In the AFC, the New England Patriots have weakness with their offensive line, which struggled early after left guard Logan Mankins was traded to Tampa Bay. The unit settled down when rookie center Bryan Stork took over in Week 4. With little depth, the Patriots need the O-linemen to stay healthy and protect quarterback Tom Brady.
With apologies to Rob Gronkowski, the addition of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner is a strength. The players have greatly improved New England’s pass defense. The emergence of second-year linebacker Jamie Collins also has been a big plus.
The Denver Broncos have weakness with Manning, who often looks rushed even when he is not. The O-line has not done him many favors and must step up its play for Manning to be able to find Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, who combined for 212 catches, 3,023 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
Defensive newcomers Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and T.J. Ward are strengths. So are Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., Rahim Moore and Derek Wolfe, who were sidelined a year ago. Add in Bradley Roby and Brandon Marshall and this unit atones for any offensive hiccups.
The Indianapolis Colts over the past six weeks have lost nine fumbles and thrown six interceptions. That is a real concern for a team who had seven interceptions in two playoff games last year. After committing a league-low 66 penalties in 2013, Indy was called for 105.
Even with all the blunders and bruises, quarterback Andrew Luck has an uncanny knack for winning. The Chiefs saw his genius in the playoffs last year when he rallied the Colts from a 28-point deficit. Luck’s finishing touch means anything is possible in this post-season.
The Cincinnati Bengals have weakness in quarterback Andy Dalton, who is 0-3 in the playoffs and has played some of his worst games in the pressurized post-season. In those three games, two losses in Houston and one at home last year against San Diego, Dalton has one touchdown, six interceptions and a paltry passer rating of 56.2.
However, rookie running back Jeremy Hill has provided a spark. The Bengals’ commitment to the run takes pressure off Dalton. Fourteen of his 17 passes went to a tight end or running back in a big win over the Broncos, a low-risk approach that goes hand-in-hand with handing it off.
In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line remains shaky in pass protection. The front five are good at opening lanes for Marshawn Lynch, but too often Russell Wilson is asked to improvise out of sheer survival.
The key to the Seahawks’ stout defense is its ability to stuff the run, led by middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. Opponents become one-dimensional and end up having to deal with a standout secondary featuring Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
The Green Bay Packers do not travel well. They were 4-4 on the road and 8-0 at Lambeau Field. If Seattle and Green Bay win in the divisional round, the Packers’ road to the Super Bowl would go through the Great Northwest, where they were thumped 36-16 in the opener.
However, a limping Aaron Rodgers is better than most healthy quarterbacks. His notorious grit was especially impressive last weekend when he fought through a left-calf injury to help the Packers beat Detroit. At home, Rodgers threw 36 touchdown passes without a single interception.
The Dallas Cowboys are not getting many difference-making plays from their cornerbacks. Orlando Scandrick picked off a pair of passes and high-priced veteran Brandon Carr went without an interception for the first time in his seven-year career.
Their strength is their committed to the run. NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray set franchise records for carries (392) and yards (1,845) and three first-round picks on the O-line got Pro Bowl nods: Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin.
The Detroit Lions’ O-line has been disappointing. Matthew Stafford was sacked 45 times. The Lions have a potentially dynamic passing game with receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, but their blocking problems have held the team back.
Their strength is their defensive line, which held opponents to an NFL-low 69 yards rushing per game, forcing teams — even Chicago and Matt Forte in November — to abandon the run. Suh anchors the defensive line, and the Lions and their fans exhaled when his suspension was overturned.
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