NFL: Road winners hope to stay alive
The long and winding road to the Meadowlands already has taken some unexpected twists and turns.
NFL: Road winners hope to stay alive The long and winding road to the Meadowlands already has taken some unexpected twists and turns. Check out this story on lohud.com: http://lohud.us/1hBCELI
Poughkeepsie Published 11:53 p.m. ET Jan. 9, 2014
Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril hits the arm of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, causing a fumble during Seattle's 34-7 win Dec. 2. (Photo: Scott Eklund/AP file )
The Saints, 49ers and Chargers are grateful for that. They hope to continue on it this weekend.
No one has it tougher than New Orleans. Then again, the Saints had never won a playoff game away from the Big Easy before taking down the Eagles in the wild-card round.
Seattle is a different challenge.
"It is deafening," coach Sean Payton said of CenturyLink Field, where fans set a noise record earlier this season. "They do a great job. Their fans are educated. They understand when to be real loud and when to quiet down. The way the stadium is structured, the noise stays in.
"We've experienced it a handful of times now, and you just try to simulate it as best as you can."
The Saints didn't do that particularly well in a 34-7 loss on Dec. 2.
"The last game didn't matter, and who you played and how they played and all that doesn't matter," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "And this certainly applies to somebody that we've played before in the season. It was like the first thing I had addressed in our team meeting when we came back together was: What has happened in the past doesn't tell the story of what's going to happen in the future, one way or the other.' "
The Panthers and Chargers both had road victories in the regular season against their upcoming opponents.
New Orleans (12-5)
atSeattle (13-3)
The Saints' improved defense and running game makes them confident they can compete with Seattle, which hadn't lost a home game with Russell Wilson at quarterback until Arizona beat the Seahawks in Game 15, raising some vulnerability questions.
"If we want to accomplish what we set out to accomplish, then we better find a way to go there and win," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who will face the league's stingiest defense (231 points allowed).
Indianapolis (12-5)
at New England (12-4)
The Colts needed a stunning comeback from a 28-point deficit in the second half to beat Kansas City, 45-44. They understand how unlikely another big rally would be against the playoff-tested Patriots.
Still, they're game for anything, and with New England's defense banged up, the Colts could score a lot of points.
"We know it's going to be a dogfight — that's what the playoffs are about," said Andrew Luck, whose work against the Chiefs was reminiscent of, well, Tom Brady.
And Luck will try to outscore Brady in this prime-time match.
"He has definitely set the standard for success," Luck said of the three-time Super Bowl winner.
San Francisco (13-4)
at Carolina (12-4)
The Panthers went to Candlestick Park in November and won 10-9. Both teams are capable of such defensive exploits again.
At least the 49ers won't have to risk frostbite to advance, as they did in beating Green Bay last Sunday.
"Whew, I don't want to go back to that," Niners tight end Vernon Davis said. "This is going to be great; this is our element. Just like San Francisco, it's going to be, what, 50 degrees? Sixty? Ah, that's even better. We're ready for any occasion, any environment."
Carolina won its final seven home games after an opening loss to Seattle. After seeing how 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick wrecked the Packers with his running and passing, the league's second-ranked defense knows what it must do.
The Panthers limited him to 91 yards passing, 16 yards rushing and no touchdowns in that one-point road win.
"All you have to do is watch the way he has played down the stretch," coach Ron Rivera said. "We caught them at a good time, and it turned out in our benefit."
San Diego (10-7)
at Denver (13-3)
The Chargers can say the same thing about their 27-20 victory on a Thursday night in December; San Diego lost by eight points to the Broncos in a home game.
San Diego has won five in a row and six of seven. The latest was a 27-10 decision at Cincinnati, which was 8-0 at home in the regular season. Denver was 7-1, it's only home loss also to the Chargers.
"It's tough to say you're confident knowing what you're going against. You don't want to take that the wrong way," Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle said of the most prolific offense in NFL history, led by Peyton Manning. "Do we believe we can win? Yes. Do we know what a tough challenge it is and how great we have to play? Yeah.
"It's not just because it's happened in the past it's going to happen. You still have to play at a high level and do the things necessary as a team to win."