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The Ravens love to play man coverage behind their blitzes, which will put a ton of pressure on McAlister and Rolle. After a sub-par season in 2005, McAlister has played some of his best football this season. Rolle isn't the player he was when he was with the Tennessee Titans, but he is still a quality cover corner.
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Baltimore finished sixth in the league in pass defense and led the NFL with 28 interceptions. McAlister had six, Rolle had three.
Some make the case that Harrison is the NFL's best receiver while others say Wayne has had a better season. They both make Peyton Manning a happy man.
Harrison is a great route runner who is good after the catch. Wayne is the more physical of the two, and he's earned Manning's trust -- all 100 percent -- the past two seasons. In man coverage, they both can be tough to stop, especially if Manning is on target.
Watching these four men go at each other will be a heck of a treat.
Saints coach Sean Payton against Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson
Payton is the best play-caller in the NFL and his timing is usually dead on. But Johnson is a mastermind on the defensive side of the ball.
The Saints led the NFL in total offense and did so with an aggressive approach. Payton will throw it from anywhere and everywhere, and can use Reggie Bush in a variety of roles, which makes it tough to game-plan against him.
But he will be matching wits against Johnson, who is as creative on his side of the ball as Payton is on his. Johnson loves to blitz, and does so with players coming from all angles and in all multiples. With corner Lito Sheppard out, some might expect Johnson to back off some, but that's not his way.
If Payton and the Saints can catch the Eagles in their blitzes, it could make for a lot of big plays. If the Eagles win with their blitzes, it could force some big turnovers.
This is one coaching matchup that is worth watching, each with aggression on their side of the ball.
Let's hope neither man backs off, which is doubtful.
Seahawks offensive line vs. Chicago Bears front seven
When the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl last season, their offensive line was a big reason. It was as good as any in the league late last season.
But they lost guard Steve Hutchinson, the best guard of the decade, to free agency. Then they lost right tackle Sean Locklear for part of the season with an injury and center Robbie Tobeck with the flu and a hip abscess. That caused a lack of continuity up front, which showed up in a big way. They haven't had the run push they did last season.
That's key against the Bears, who have a good front seven. Led by Tank Johnson inside -- yes, that guy -- and linebacker Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, the Bears can get after it in the run game.
The Seahawks have youth on their line. Second-year player Chris Spencer starts for Tobeck, while left guard Rob Sims is a rookie and Locklear is in his third season. It helps that left tackle Walter Jones is the best in the NFL.
The line will also be tested in passing situations. The Bears had 40 sacks this season, all but four coming from the defensive line. Rookie end Mark Anderson led the team with 12.
It will be interesting to see if the youngsters on that Seattle line handle facing a tough front seven on the road.
