NFL PLAYOFF CAPSULES

FIRST ROUND

SATURDAY’S GAMES

NFC

New Orleans (11-5) at Seattle (7-9)

Time: 1:30 p.m. Line: Saints -10 Total: 44

TV/RADIO: NBC (3), KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)

■ Weather: Mid-40s, 50 percent chance of rain

■ Facts: For the second time this season, a road team has been installed as a double-digit favorite — and for the first time in documented playoff history. … The biggest previous wild-card home underdog was New Orleans in the 2000 playoffs: plus-6 against St. Louis. The Saints won, 31-28. … In Week 12, New Orleans beat Seattle in the Superdome 34-19 as an 11½-point pick. … The Seahawks, the No. 4 seed, have the worst record for any team that ever made the playoffs. Conversely, in 1967 the Baltimore Colts had an 11-1-2 mark and didn’t qualify. … Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck (probable, hip), who sat out Week 17, is expected to replace backup Charlie Whitehurst. … In last Sunday’s winner-take-all NFC West showdown, the Seahawks held St. Louis to 186 yards in a 16-6 victory, their defensive best performance since midseason 2007. … The last time a visiting wild card had four more victories than a host division winner occurred in 2008, when the Chargers (8-8) beat the Colts (12-4) 23-17 in overtime as a 2½-point underdog. … This week the fifth-seeded Saints put 65 percent of their ground production on injured reserve (rushing leader Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, 2009’s top guy). Ex-Seahawk Julius Jones and Reggie Bush will fill in.

■ Analysis: Double-digit choices are 10-13 against the spread this year and 74-108-1 (.401) the past four years, including 10-19 on the road. But hold the phone on becoming an honorary 12th Man. The Seahawks gave up an astronomical average of 509 yards per game in five outings this season against teams with an offense ranked in the top 12, including New Orleans’ No. 6 unit. It’s hard to believe they’ll stay close when the ammo in their gun consists of the league’s 28th-rated passer and a running game ranked 31st.

■ Forecast: Saints 35, Seahawks 14

AFC

New York Jets (11-5) at Indianapolis (10-6)

Time: 5 p.m. Line: Colts -2½ Total: 44½

TV/RADIO: NBC (3), KBAD-AM (920)

■ Weather: Indoors

■ Facts: Through 14 weeks, Indy faced eight rushers who gained 1,000 yards, including Arian Foster twice. They totaled 940 yards at 5.2 per carry. Over the past three weeks, the Colts allowed rushing stalwarts Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden a cumulative 130 yards at 2.8 a rush. … Since New York QB Mark Sanchez had eight TD throws and no INTs through four games, he’s had nine TD passes and 13 interceptions, dropping him from fourth to 27th on the passer chart. But New York’s offense still leaped from 20th last season to 11th. … The sixth-seeded Jets held three foes to 163 or fewer yards of total offense, all in the past six weeks. Other NFL teams totaled nine such performances this season. … Since No. 6 seeds were invented in 1990, they are 14-26 straight up in the wild-card round, 3-1 the past two seasons. … The Colts were last in average rushing yards (79.7) through 14 weeks, but have topped 100 in their past three games, their longest stretch since 2007. … The Jets have wins over the AFC’s top-seeded Patriots and second-seeded Steelers, but eight of their other nine wins are against teams with at least 10 losses.

■ Analysis: Since Peyton Manning’s ugly sequence in Weeks 12 and 13, during which he threw four pick-sixes, Indianapolis has won four straight and Manning has nine TD passes and only two INTs. Aiding immensely has been a rushing game boosted by Joseph Addai’s return to health. While the Colts seem to be gaining steam, the Jets lost three of their final five games. Plus, their ballyhooed defense has given up 12.8 yards per reception, the third-worst mark in the NFL. Manning should find soft spots away from standout corner Darrelle Revis.

■ Forecast: Colts 31, Jets 17

SUNDAY’S GAMES

AFC

Baltimore (12-4) at Kansas City (10-6)

Time: 10 a.m. Line: Ravens -3 Total: 40½

TV/RADIO: CBS (8), KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)

■ Weather: Low 30s, 50 percent chance of precipitation

■ Facts: Home underdogs in wild-card history are 12-5 against the line and 11-6 straight up. … Third-year Baltimore QB Joe Flacco has won three road playoff games, as many as Tom Brady and one more than Peyton Manning. … Dating to the Chiefs’ home loss to the Colts during the 1995 postseason, Kansas City has lost its past three playoff games at Arrowhead, matching the longest home losing streak in NFL playoff history. … These foes last met in the 2009 opener. The host Ravens covered as a 13-point choice, 38-24, scoring two TDs in the final 2:06. Beleaguered Brodie Croyle was at QB for the Chiefs and had a career-best 116.1 passer rating. … The Chiefs were unbeaten at home this season until being flattened 31-10 by Oakland on Sunday, dropping them to a No. 4 seed. … Baltimore’s Ray Rice, with 1,776 yards from scrimmage, had eight plays of 40-plus yards. But that’s 10 fewer than last year, not including his playoff-opening 83-yard run against the Patriots. … Matt Cassel’s 19.1 passer rating vs. the Raiders was the second-worst by any starter the past nine weeks. He promptly plummeted three spots on the passer chart to eighth. … Flacco had a TD/INT ratio of 25/10, but was 1/5 in two games against Cincinnati.

■ Analysis: The Chiefs are wading into the postseason for the first time under second-year coach Todd Haley and are hard to gauge after facing only two playoff teams — and one of them was Seattle. Baltimore has been equally difficult to figure, allowing a ridiculous 514 yards to a bad Buffalo team one week, yet holding the defending champion Saints to their lowest total of the season. Exactly how ferocious is the Baltimore defense, especially with safety Ed Reed questionable with sore ribs? The Ravens yielded a league-high seven TD drives of 90-plus yards.

■ Forecast: Chiefs 27, Ravens 24

Green Bay (10-6) at Philadelphia (10-6)

Time: 1:30 p.m. Line: Eagles -2½ Total: 46½

TV/RADIO: Fox (5), KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)

■ Weather: Mid-50s, 10 percent chance of rain

■ Facts: The Packers, who have NFL’s best defensive passer rating, held a league-high seven foes to single-digit scoring. No Vince Lombardi team did better. … Eagles QBs were sacked six times in their season-opening 27-20 home loss to Green Bay. Starter Kevin Kolb (KO’d with a concussion) and Michael Vick went down three times apiece. … The Packers lost standout RB Ryan Grant (IR) in that game after eight carries. … Revenge: In 1962, two years after the Eagles beat visiting Green Bay 17-13 for their last NFL title, the Packers returned to drum Philly, 49-0. Green Bay scored 35 points before the Eagles had a first down. … Philadelphia has produced a league-high 21 plays of 40-plus yards, including an NFL-best five rushes by LeSean McCoy and eight more receiving by DeSean Jackson. … Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, the league’s third-rated passer, threw four TD passes in last year’s wild-card game at Arizona, but the Packers lost 51-45 in overtime as a 2½-point favorite. … The Eagles were beaten by four teams that had 10 or more losses, twice as many as any other playoff team. But they did hand NFC top seed Atlanta its worst defeat, 31-17.

■ Analysis: The Eagles aren’t getting much love, perhaps because Green Bay won its final two games, already has won at Philadelphia and Vick (probable, quadriceps) is beat up. But in a backward way, it favors the Eagles that their egos were bruised by Minnesota in a stunning Week 16 home loss that resulted in their "bye" last week against Dallas, while the Packers were wrestling the Bears for real. That pseudo rest was big, because Philadelphia coach Andy Reid has a remarkable record with two weeks to prepare, going 15-0 straight up and 11-4 ATS.

■ Forecast: Eagles 34, Packers 24

Last week: 6-10 vs. spread; 8-8 straight up

Season total: 132-117-7 (.530) vs. spread; 154-102 (.602) straight up