NEW YORK JETS (11-6) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (15-1), Saturday, 4:30 PM, CBS: The home advantage will be tested right away.

The Steelers and Patriots were the lone teams this year to go undefeated at home. One of those Pittsburgh victories came on December 12 when a halfback option pass and a late rushing TD by JEROME BETTIS clinched a 17-6 win over the Jets. "We make it very difficult for teams to come in here and win," says Bettis.

Heinz Field might need some re-sodding after this one. Pittsburgh pounded the ball on the ground this year with a league-leading 618 carries (almost twice its total passes, 358), led by Bettis (941 yards) and DUCE STALEY (830). The Jets, with the third most rushes in the league (527, behind Denver’s 534), produced the NFL rushing champion, Pittsburgh native CURTIS MARTIN (1,697).

Both teams also have talented passers, and it will be a matchup of the two 2004 Associated Press Offensive/

with 13 wins) and Jets linebacker JONATHAN VILMA (who called the team’s defensive signals and finished second in tackles with 116).

The main man Roethlisberger will be throwing to is All-Star HINES WARD, the first receiver in Steelers history with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Jets quarterback CHAD PENNINGTON – without an interception in the red zone in his five-year career – will be throwing to a receiver Pittsburgh knows well, first-year Jet JUSTIN MC CAREINS. The former Tennessee Titan has 11 catches in his last three games against the Steelers.

ST. LOUIS RAMS (9-8) at ATLANTA FALCONS (11-5), Saturday, 8:15 PM ET, FOX: Mr. Excitement vs. Mr. Calm. Or quarterbacks MICHAEL VICK of Atlanta vs. MARC BULGER of St. Louis.

Vick is unpredictable. He can throw it or scramble -- and then throw it. "The longer he can scramble, the longer the receiver can run wherever he wants to," says New York Giants safety BRENT ALEXANDER. "All discipline is lost." That’s what Vick likes best – causing havoc. He finished as the NFC’s 11th-leading rusher this year with 902 yards, third most ever for a QB behind BOBBY DOUGLASS (968) and RANDALL CUNNINGHAM (942).

Meanwhile, the Rams have somewhat the "anti-Vick" -- stay-at-home Bulger, who ran for 813 yards less (89) than Vick this year. The one word that everyone on St. Louis uses to describe Bulger is "unflappable."

The old NFC Western Division rivals meet for the first time in the playoffs. On September 19, the Falcons outrushed St. Louis 242-30 – with Vick running for 109 yards – in a 34-17 victory. For the second week in a row, the Rams will face an NFL top-10 rushing attack. They held Seattle to 71 yards on the ground in the Wild Card. The Falcons, with a WARRICK DUNN, T.J. DUCKETT and Vick trio – finished No. 1 in the league in rushing.

St. Louis has its own rushing might in MARSHALL FAULK and rookie STEVEN JACKSON, but adds its trademark air game. Wideouts TORRY HOLT and ISAAC BRUCE combined this year for the most yards of any team’s top two receivers (2,619)

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (9-8) at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13-3), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX: First time two quarterbacks drafted in the first round in the same year have faced each other in the playoffs since 1999.

Then it was Denver’s JOHN ELWAY against Miami’s DAN MARINO on January 9, 1999 (Broncos 38-3 Divisional win). Sunday, it’s an NFL Draft class of ’99 QB matchup of Philadelphia’s DONOVAN MC NABB (No. 2) and Minnesota’s DAUNTE CULPEPPER (No. 11, which he wears on his uniform). Both come off career years in touchdown passes. Culpepper had 39 and McNabb 31, ranking Nos. 2-3 in the league respectively.

On September 20, the Eagles sacked Culpepper four times while McNabb threw two TDs and ran for another in a 27-16 win. The Eagles will try the same blitzing tactics Sunday. They finished second (47.0) in the league to Atlanta (48.0) in sacks this year, spread out among 17 players. The Vikes, meanwhile, got the majority of their sacks (39.0) from two players – tackle KEVIN WILLIAMS (12.0) and end LANCE JOHNSTONE (11.0).

The air show should be compelling. It will be Vikings wideouts RANDY MOSS (13) and NATE BURLESON (9) – with the most TDs of any NFC combo (22) – against Philly’s almost-all Pro Bowl secondary of All-Star cornerback LITO SHEPPARD and safeties BRIAN DAWKINS and MICHAEL LEWIS, and cornerback SHELDON BROWN.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (13-4) at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-2), Sunday, 4:45 PM ET, CBS: Here we go again!

For the third time in a calendar year, the explosive Colts travel to New England to take on the Patriots -- and hope for a different outcome. A year ago on January 18, Indianapolis, with – as this year – the No. 1 NFL passing attack, journeyed to Foxboro for the AFC Championship Game. Before they knew it, they had turned the ball over on all four first-half possessions. The Pats ended up intercepting 2003 Co-NFL MVP and ’04 MVP PEYTON MANNING four times for a 24-14 win. "Playing in that place is extremely difficult," understates Manning.

Then in the first game of 2004, three Colts turnovers and Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY’s 335 yards and three TDs did in Indy again, 27-24. Manning is 0-6 in Foxboro in his career with a 59.6 passer rating.

Now Indy again arrives in Foxboro flying high. Manning set NFL season records for TD passes (49) and passer rating (121.1)…three Colts receivers (MARVIN HARRISON, REGGIE WAYNE and BRANDON STOKLEY) each had at least 10 TDs, an NFL record…and the Colts scored 522 points, only the 10th NFL team to reach 500.

That’s all impressive, but these are the Pats, the Super Bowl Pats. The blue-collar, yet blue-chip Pats. They have Brady -- the QB with the best winning percentage of the Super Bowl era (.774, 48-14) – always-come-through players like BRUSCHI, MC GINEST, VRABEL and VINATIERI, and a guy they didn’t have last year – COREY DILLON, who ran for a franchise-record 1,635 yards this season.