WILD CARD PREVIEW: COWBOYS-SEAHAWKS

When the playoff matchups were announced, by far the least enticing of them all was the Dallas-Seattle first round showdown. I'm actually quite surprised that NBC would chose this game as their prime time showcase for Saturday. However, despite the lack of story lines that a division rivalry or battle of great offenses might bring, this could be the most even game of the weekend. Both teams are beat up on defense, and both teams have underachieved at some point this season. Part of the lack of hype is that the game is played in the irrelevant sports town of Seattle, who most Americans basically consider part of Canada. So get ready to follow up a classic offensive showdown of Indy-KC with a sloppy Dallas-Seattle game on Saturday night.

QUARTERBACKS: As tough as it is to judge this game, it may be even more difficult to determine if both QBs will be at the top of their game on Saturday. Once America's darling, Tony Romo has been subject to a lot of criticism at QB in recent weeks. After a story book start to his career, Romo went 2-3 in December and threw 6 TDs compared to 8 INTs. Although his numbers have started to slip, I still believe that Romo has the talent and desire to be one of the better QBs in this league. Dropped passes and defense are the reasons why Dallas lost 3 games, not Tony Romo. The QB on the other sideline is a bit more complicated to figure out. It looked like it was going to be another big year for Matt Hasselbeck with the way he started, but after the injury to his knee, a totally different QB was running the Seahawks' offense. Hasselbeck has been very tentative since his return and in no way mirrors the QB he was in 2005. He's been far too inconsistent (8 TDs to 8 INTs since returning) to count on, and that is why Dallas is slightly better off behind center on Saturday. EDGE: DALLAS

RUNNING BACKS: One of the most puzzling situations to me this season has been the Dallas running game. It's quite obvious that Coach Parcells is in love with Marion Barber III, but one may question why this is so. Jones and Barber are very similar backs. Both aren't very fast or big by running back standards. What Parcells likes about Barber is that he is tougher to take down and is also a better receiver than Jones. The distribution of carries varies depending on who has the hotter hand, but with everything on the line, expect Parcells to get his favorite back more touches. On the other hand, nothing is more certain in this game than the fact that Shaun Alexander will get plenty of carries on Saturday night. Unlike Hasselbeck, Alexander has improved every week since his return from injury, and he is now as strong as he has been all season. With a Dallas defense having so much trouble in recent weeks, Alexander will be relied on to lead the team to the next round. EDGE: SEATTLE

RECEIVERS: When Tony Romo took over it was thought that Terry Glenn would receive less targets while Terrell Owens and Jason Witten would see an increased role in the offense. Sports is one of the most unpredictable things in the world, but my projection on this was dead on. The Cowboys had one of the best receiving cores in football coming into the season, and ever since Romo has stepped in, they have not lost a beat. While Owens may drop a ball or two, he usually performs well in big games, and even if he doesn't, the steadiness of Glenn and Witten should be enough considering the Seahawks secondary is so beat up. However, when Matt Hasselbeck has the ball he may have a hard time finding people to throw to. Darrell Jackson, DJ Hackett, and Nate Burleson are all game-time decisions. It's likely that Hackett and Burleson will play alongside Bobby Engram while their best wide receiver Darrell Jackson should be out. When they all are healthy, Seattle has a WR core that rivals even Dallas, but with the massive injuries they have it would be hard to see any of them having a big day. EDGE: DALLAS

DEFENSE: The defenses in this game have one thing in common. They are both flat out beat up. The Cowboys defense, when healthy, has looked like one of the best units in the NFC this season. However, in recent weeks they have been nothing special, specifically getting trounced by the Detroit offense in their last game. They have names in the secondary (Terrence Newman and Roy Williams), but even with the stars, it has been an under achieving unit. Their defense line has also struggled at times this year to get pressure on the QB. The strength of the Dallas defensive is the linebacking core. Led by DeMarcus Ware, this group is the reason why it is more difficult to run against Dallas. When Seattle's defense takes the field it is a similar situation. Their secondary has been as bad, if not worse than Dallas in 2006. It could actually be their worst week of the year because three of their starters in the secondary are going to miss the game. The rush defense of the Seahawks is not that much better. Coming of a very strong 2005, it has been a largely underachieving unit that has allowed most teams to rack up yards. With Terrell Owens catching the deep balls, and the Barber-Jones tandem at RB, it could be a horrific performance for Seattle. EDGE: DALLAS

SPECIAL TEAMS: Much has been made about the kicking situation this year in Dallas. Coach Parcells never was a big fan of Mike Vanderjagt, and once he finally found the opportunity to cut him, that's exactly what he did. His replacement, Martin Gramatica, is a slight improvement in pressure situations, but in reality, are you really that confident with Gramatica taking your big kicks? The Seahawks have the experienced Josh Brown handling the duties. He is one of the more consistent kickers in the NFL, and he knows how to deal with the rain that comes daily in Seattle. The return game should not be much of an issue because neither team has a threat fielding kicks.
EDGE: SEATTLE

FINAL ANALYSIS: This is by far the toughest game of the weekend for me to call. I think both teams have glaring weaknesses that would prevent me from picking them against anyone, but each other. What I think will be the determining factors in this game are experience and home field. Hasselbeck and Alexander have been here many times before, and they should be prepared for exactly what kind of pressure this game will bring. On the other hand, Tony Romo is the great unknown. He's played a little more than half the regular season but never in a game of this magnitude. He could also have some issues gripping what is likely to be a wet ball. That is why Seattle is one of the toughest places in football to play. It not only has arguably the best and loudest crowd, but couple that with wet, rainy conditions, and you've got yourself a totally different environment than the Cowboys are used to. Both those factors should give Seattle the slight edge in this matchup of former Super Bowl champion coaches. PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 24 COWBOYS 20