FOR USE AS DESIRED
January 17, 2002

NFL PRESS BOX NOTES – DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: The Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams, the AFC and NFC’s top seeds, respectively, enjoyed first-round byes last weekend and have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Since 1975 when the NFL began awarding homefield advantage to the team with the best record in each conference, there have been 52 No. 1 seeds. Of those 52 teams, 18 of have gone on to win the Super Bowl (34.6%) and 30 played in Super Bowl (57.7%).

PLAYOFF TDs & RECEIVING YARDS: Oakland Raiders wide receiver JERRY RICE, who had nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown in the team’s Wild Card victory over the New York Jets, has scored 20 touchdowns and has 1,994 receiving yards in 24 career playoff games. With one touchdown Saturday against New England, Rice will tie EMMITT SMITH and THURMAN THOMAS for the most playoff touchdowns with 21. With six yards, Rice can become the first player in NFL playoff history to post 2,000 yards receiving. The top five players in each category:

PLAYER	PLAYOFF TDs	PLAYER	PLAYOFF REC. YARDS
Emmitt Smith	21*	*Jerry Rice*	1,994 *
Thurman Thomas	21	Michael Irvin	1,315
*Jerry Rice*	20*	Cliff Branch	1,289
Franco Harris	17	Andre Reed	1,229
Marcus Allen	13	Fred Biletnikoff	1,167

*Active

ST. LOUIS CHAMPS AGAIN?: The St. Louis Rams ranked first in both offense and defense in the NFC in 2001, becoming the eighth team in history to lead a conference in both categories. Four of the seven teams to achieve the feat went on to win the Super Bowl. Following are the seven teams who have led their respective conference in both offense and defense, and their postseason advancement:

YEAR	TEAM	PLAYOFF SUCCESS
1972	Miami Dolphins	Won Super Bowl VII
1973	Oakland Raiders	Lost AFC Championship
1973	Los Angles Rams	Lost Divisional Playoffs
1977	Dallas Cowboys	Won Super Bowl XII
1979	Pittsburgh Steelers	Won Super Bowl XIV
1987	San Francisco 49ers	Lost Divisional Playoffs
1997	Denver Broncos	Won Super Bowl XXXII

*2001*	*St. Louis Rams*	*????*

SLOW START/STRONG FINISH: The New England Patriots became the 10th team in NFL history, and the first since the 1996 Patriots, to overcome an 0-2 start to win a division crown. The last two teams to accomplish this feat, the 1993 Dallas Cowboys and the ‘96 Patriots, advanced to the Super Bowl. The teams to overcome 0-2 starts, win their division, and their playoff success:

YEAR	TEAM	RECORD	PLAYOFF SUCCESS
1966	Buffalo Bills	9-4-1	Lost AFL Championship Game
1967	Cleveland Browns	9-5	Lost Divisional Playoff Game
1970	Oakland Raiders	8-4-2	Lost AFC Championship Game
1980	Cleveland Browns	11-5	Lost Divisional Playoff Game
1984	Washington Redskins	11-5	Lost Divisional Playoff Game
1987	Indianapolis Colts	9-6	Lost Divisional Playoff Game
1992	San Diego Chargers	11-5	Lost Divisional Playoff Game
1993	Dallas Cowboys	12-4	Won Super Bowl XXVIII
1996	New England Patriots	11-5	Lost Super Bowl XXXI

*2001*	*New England Patriots*	*11-5*	*????*

WARNER NEEDS 300: St. Louis Rams quarterback KURT WARNER has thrown for 300 yards or more in two consecutive playoff games (365 in 2000 Wild Card, and 414 in Super Bowl XXXIV). Warner this Sunday can become the fourth player in NFL playoff history to pass for 300 yards in three consecutive games. The players with the most consecutive 300-yard passing games in postseason play:

PLAYER	CONSECUTIVE 300-YARD PLAYOFF GAMES
Dan Fouts	4
Jim Kelly	3
Warren Moon	3
Many players	2

*Kurt Warner*	2

YARDS PER CATCH: When the Green Bay Packers face the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, three of the top five receivers in the NFL this year in yards-per-catch average will be playing – BILL SCHROEDER of the Packers (No. 2, 17.32), and ISAAC BRUCE (No. 3, 17.28) and TORRY HOLT (No. 4, 16.8) of the Rams. The top five receivers in 2001 in yards-per- catch average (minimum 32 receptions):

PLAYER	YARDS PER CATCH
Chris Chambers, Miami	18.40
*Bill Schroeder, Green Bay*	*17.32*
*Isaac Bruce, St. Louis*	*17.28*
*Torry Holt, St. Louis*	*16.83*
David Boston, Arizona	16.31

STEEL CURTAIN, PART II VS. RAVENS D: When the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, the NFL’s top 2 defenses (No. 1 Pittsburgh, 258.6 yards allowed per game; No. 2 Baltimore, 277.9) will meet. Following is a comparison of the teams’ defenses and their NFL rank:

PITTSBURGH (NFL RANK)	CATEGORY	BALTIMORE (NFL RANK)
258.6 (1)	Total Yards Allowed Per Game	277.9 (2)
74.7 (1)	Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	88.2 (4)
183.9 (4)	Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	189.7 (8)
212 (3)	Total Points Allowed	265 (4)
55 (1)	Sacks	45 (T8)

RED ZONE “D”: A top-10 finish in red-zone defense has led to Divisional Playoff berths for six of the eight teams that will play this weekend. The top team in allowing the fewest touchdowns per red-zone trips in 2001 was the Philadelphia Eagles (30.4). Following are the top 10 defenses this season in opponent red-zone TD percentage:

TEAM	OPPONENT TD PCT.	TEAM	OPPONENT TD PCT.
Philadelphia*	30.4	Oakland*	42.3
N.Y. Giants	37.0	Green Bay*	42.5
New England*	38.8	Cleveland	43.9
Baltimore*	39.0	Chicago*	44.1
Washington	42.2	N.Y. Jets	44.2

* Still in playoffs

2002 PRO BOWL CREDENTIAL NOTICE: The NFL is accepting credential applications for the 2002 Pro Bowl. To apply, log on to www.nflmedia.com. The deadline for applications is Friday, February 1. Each credentialed media member will require a Pro Bowl photo identification, which can be obtained upon completion of the media information form. This will allow access to practices and events during Pro Bowl week. You will receive separate photo identification with your game credential. To obtain the identification, media must visit Aloha Stadium between January 21 and February 9 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM HT. The 2002 Pro Bowl will be played on Saturday, February 9 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii at 11:30 AM HT, and broadcast by ABC-TV and CBS Radio at 4:30 PM ET.