deeshopper

1. Who has the quarterback advantage? If the importance on scoring carries over to the postseason, the Ravens could have problems. The Ravens have averaged only 19.7 points a game in Flacco's seven postseason games. Of course, Flacco has played all seven on the road, which makes it tougher to score.

2. Who looks like a one-and-done? Houston. The Texans may have finished as the No. 3 seed, but they've lost three consecutive games heading into the playoffs.

3. Is home-field advantage vital? Not very. Since 2005, the lower seeds in the divisional round have a 7-5 record, thus New England and Baltimore can't be complacent about obtaining a bye and home games in the second round.

4. Which team is most affected by injuries? The Ravens are in the best shape.

9. What can we tell from how these teams did against other playoffs teams: A lot. The Bengals went 0-7 against teams that made the playoffs. The Broncos beat Cincinnati 24-22 in Week 2, but they lost by an average of 27 points to the Packers and Patriots, the only other playoff teams they faced. The Texans went 3-2 against playoff teams, the Steelers 3-4 and the Ravens 6-0. The Patriots went 1-2 against playoff teams.

10. Who is the favorite for the Super Bowl? Injuries to Roethlisberger and Mendenhall clearly give the edge to the Patriots. They are at home and they have Brady. The Steelers could be a great No. 5 seed, but they will be challenged to pass the ball with a quarterback nursing a high ankle sprain.
The Bengals, Broncos and Texans don't have the look of teams that could win two games in the playoffs. That could set up a Ravens-Patriots championship.