AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

TENNESSEE AT BALTIMORE SATURDAY,

DENVER AT INDIANAPOLIS SUNDAY

IN AFC WILD CARD PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3

TENNESSEE TITANS–AFC SOUTH (12-4) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS–AFC NORTH (10-6)

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

NOTES

TEAMS MEET in playoffs for 2nd time; Baltimore won 2000 AFC Divisional Playoff (24-10) in Tennessee en route to Super Bowl XXXV championship. 

TITANS:  Club in playoffs for 4th time in 5 years……Head coach JEFF FISHER leads NFL head coaches in wins (56) in past 5 years & has led team to AFC Championship twice in past 4 seasons……QB STEVE MC NAIR led NFL in passer rating (100.4) & yards per attempt (8.04).  In McNair’s career, Titans are 52-28 (.650) when he throws TD pass.  McNair is NFL’s highest-rated passer on 3rd down (117.7) with 12 TDs vs. 2 INTs & is AFC’s highest-rated in 4th qtr (96.8).  Ranks 2nd all-time for lowest playoff INT percentage (2.145), minimum 150 passes (7 INTs in 233 atts.)……Including playoffs, club is 29-2 (.935) when RB EDDIE GEORGE has 27+ carries.  George averages 91.4 yds/gm in 7 career playoffs & recorded career playoff-high 52 receiving yds on 8 catches vs. Ravens in 2000.  Rushed for 1,000+ yards (1,031) for 7th time in 8-year career.  In Week 17 vs. Bucs, George became 17th player in NFL history to rush for more than 10,000 career yards (10,009).  In last 2 weeks of 2003, rookie RB CHRIS BROWN (No. 93) had 17 carries for 95 yards (5.6-yard avg.)……Pro Bowl WR DERRICK MASON led AFC with 35 3rd-down receptions in 2003.  With 1,303 receiving yards, recorded most in club history since CHARLES HENNIGAN in 1964 (1,561).  Mason became 1st player in club history to record 3 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.  Led team with 8 TDs – all receiving.  WR JUSTIN MC CAREINS scored career-high 7 TDs & was 2nd on team with 47 catches.  Has at least 1 catch in every game.  TE ERRON KINNEY notched 2 of 3 TD catches in final 3 weeks of season……Defense is NFL’s best vs. run (80.9 yds/game) & has not allowed 1st qtr TD in 21 of past 25 games.  LB KEITH BULLUCK led team in tackles for 2nd consecutive season & was named AFC All Star for 1st time.  DE JEVON KEARSE has totaled 9.5 sacks or more in 4 of 5 seasons.  Club was only team in NFL with 1.0+ sack in every game.  CB SAMARI ROLLE led club with 6 INTs.  In past 2 weeks, Rolle recorded 4 passes defensed, including 2 INTs & 61-yd FR-TD……All Star P CRAIG HENTRICH led AFC with 37.8-yard net avg., tops among all playoff punters.

RAVENS:  Team advances to playoffs for 3rd time in 4 years.  Including 2000 Divisional Playoff, club has defeated Titans in past 5 meetings……Head coach BRIAN BILLICK has never lost opening playoff game (2-0)……Club has won 5 of past 6 games with QB ANTHONY WRIGHT as starter.  Wright has thrown 9 TDs vs. 6 INTs in past 6 games & team has scored 29.8 pts/gm in those 6……NFL rushing leader & Pro Bowl RB JAMAL LEWIS posted 2nd-most single-season rushing yards in NFL history (2,066), trailing only Pro Football HOFer ERIC DICKERSON (2,105 in 1984).  Since 1970, RB Lewis has 4th-most rush yards (4,767) in 1st 48 games played.  Lewis leads NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense (166.8/gm as team).  Including playoff, has 4.0-yard avg. & 2 rushing TDs in 4 career games vs. Titans.  Outrushed 24 of other 31 NFL teams in 2003……Among NFL TEs, All Star TE TODD HEAP posted 3rd-most catches (57) & recorded 2nd-most receptions of 20+ yards (13).  WR MARCUS ROBINSON, college teammate of QB Wright (South Carolina), posted 2nd-most TDs (6) in 7-year career & most receiving yards (451) since 2000 (w/Chicago).  T JONATHAN OGDEN selected to 6th consecutive Pro Bowl……Club’s 41 take-aways tie New England for AFC-high……Pro Bowl LB RAY LEWIS led NFL LBs with 6 INTs.  LB Lewis (20) is tied for club’s all-time INT lead; only LB to currently stand as club’s INT leader or co-leader.  When LB Lewis & RB Lewis play together, team is 27-13 (.675).  Rookie LB TERRELL SUGGS (No. 10) led NFL LBs in sacks (12.0) & tied for 5th most by NFL rookie all-time.  Suggs tied for NFL lead in forced fumbles (6) & fumble recoveries (4) among LBs.  Defense finished season No. 1 in NFL vs. pass (175.3) & No. 3 overall (271.3).  All Star LB PETER BOULWARE finished 3rd among NFL LBs in sacks (8.5), including 6.0 in final 8 games.  Pro Bowl S ED REED tied for AFC-best 7 INTs, most among AFC players in playoffs......Club boasts 8 AFC All-Stars, tying Kansas City for NFL-high in Pro Bowl representatives – LB Boulware, TE Heap, RB Lewis, LB Lewis, CB CHRIS MC ALISTER, T Ogden, S Reed & ST ADALIUS THOMAS.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4

DENVER BRONCOS–AFC WEST (10-6) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS–AFC SOUTH (12-4)

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

NOTES

TEAMS MEET for 1st time in playoffs.  Including preseason, clubs meet for 4th time in past 58 weeks, all on national TV.

BRONCOS:  Are 10-4 (.714) all-time vs. Colts & have won 8 of past 11 in series, including 31-17 win at Indy in Week 16.  Head coach MIKE SHANAHAN has 7-2 (.778) playoff record as head coach & is 19-9 (.679) in postseason as head coach & assistant coach.  Shanahan makes 13th playoff appearance (5th as head coach) & has been in 6 Super Bowls (3 wins, including 2 as Denver head coach)......QB JAKE PLUMMER had career-best 91.2 passer rating, including career-high comp. pct. (62.6) & 2.14 TD-INT ratio (15 TDs, 7 INTs).  Posted 113.8 passer rating (14 of 17 for 238 yards & 1 TD vs. 1 INT) & rushed for 2 TDs in Week 16 meeting......Pro Bowl RB CLINTON PORTIS rushed for career-best 1,591 yards & became 3rd player in NFL history to rush for 1,500 yds in each of 1st 2 seasons (Pro Football HOFer ERIC DICKERSON & Colts RB James).  Rushed for 3,099 yards & 29 TDs in 1st 2 seasons, most in franchise history for 1st 2 years......WR ROD SMITH led team in receptions (74) for 5th time in past 6 seasons.  Ranks 2nd in club postseason history with 538 receiving yards (VANCE JOHNSON, 715) & 3 receiving TDs (Johnson, 4).  TE SHANNON SHARPE led club with 8 TDs & became NFL all-time leader for most TDs by TE (62).  Holds NFL postseason record for longest reception (96-yard TD).  Is Broncos playoff leader with 42 receptions.  Has won 3 Super Bowls & won 12 consecutive postseason games from 1997-2001 with Denver & Baltimore.  WR ASHLEY LELIE had 5 catches for 115 yards (23.0 avg.) in last meeting vs. Colts.  C TOM NALEN was selected to 5th Pro Bowl......Only team in NFL to rank in top 3 in conference in both offense & defense.  DE BERTRAND BERRY led club with career-best 11.5 sacks; had 13.5 in 5-year career entering 2003.  Played 3 seasons (1997-99) with Colts.  Combined with DE REGGIE HAYWARD (8.5) & DE TREVOR PRYCE (8.5) to form only trio in NFL with 8.5+ sacks each......K JASON ELAM is only player in NFL history with 100 pts in each of 1st 11 seasons. 

COLTS:  Won 1st AFC South division title.  Set franchise record with 447 points scored.  Head coach TONY DUNGY is 3rd coach in franchise history to reach 10+ wins in each of 1st 2 seasons (DON MC CAFFERTY, 1970-71 & TED MARCHIBRODA, 1975-76).  Dungy has taken his team to playoffs in 6 of past 8 seasons......Offense ranked 2nd in AFC (367.1) & passing offense led NFL (261.2).  Pro Bowl QB PEYTON MANNING passed for NFL-best 4,267 yards & became 1st player in NFL history with 5 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons.  Had AFC-high 29 TD passes & has thrown 25+ TD passes in each of past 6 seasons, only player in NFL history to accomplish feat.  Has thrown 68 career TD passes to WR MARVIN HARRISON (10 in 2003), 3rd-most by any NFL duo......RB EDGERRIN JAMES had 3rd career 1,000-yd season (1,259) & became club’s all-time leading rusher (6,172).  Colts are 27-5 (.844) when James scores TD......Pro Bowl WR Harrison had 94 catches, his 5th consecutive season with 90+ receptions, including 4 100-catch seasons.  Has NFL-best 563 receptions over past 5 years (112.6 per season).  Had 1,272 receiving yards, 3rd in AFC, & became Colts all-time leader with 10,072 yds.  Had 5th consecutive 1,000-yard season & there have only been 9 1,000-yard seasons in team history.  Colts had 4,000-yard passer (Manning), 1,000-yard rusher (James) & 1,000-yard receiver (Harrison) for 4th time in 5 years......Pro Bowl DE DWIGHT FREENEY led team in sacks for 2nd consec. season (11.0) & recorded 8th double-digit sack season in Colts history (Freeney has 2).  Is 1st Colt DE to be named AFC All-Star since 1977......All-Star K MIKE VANDERJAGT has converted NFL-record 41 consec. FGs, including game-winning 43-yarder last wk as time expired to clinch division title.  Did not miss kick in ’03 (46/46 PAT; 37/37 FG) for only 4th perfect season in NFL history.