NFL PLAYOFF CAPSULES

SUNDAY

Green Bay (12-6) at Chicago (12-5)

Time: Noon Line: Packers -3½ Total: 43½

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

■ Weather: High teens, 20 percent chance of snow

■ Facts: The Bears are the 15th team to be a home underdog in a conference title game since the 1970 the merger. Those 'dogs have gone 8-6 straight up and ATS. ... Green Bay averaged 3.8 yards a rush and yielded 4.7 during the regular season. That negative 0.9 differential is the third worst in history for a team to get this far in the postseason. The teams that did worse (Philly at minus 1.7 in 1960; Indy at minus 1.3 in 2006) won championships. ... The Packers had four consecutive TD drives of 80-plus yards last week in their 48-21 romp in Atlanta, two more in a row than any other team this season. ... In seven of the eight games in this tournament, the team with the best defensive passer rating in the regular season won. Green Bay is ranked No. 1, Chicago's No. 3. Last year's champ, New Orleans, was at No. 3 in 2009. ... The Bears had 10 rushing TDs but allowed 14 this season. That minus-4 margin is the worst for an NFC/AFC finalist since the 1997 Packers had a ratio of 9-to-16. ... Go figure: Both these teams lost to a 6-10 Washington team. In Chicago's defeat, Jay Cutler was famously intercepted four times by DeAngelo Hall. ... Until Bears TE Greg Olsen had three catches for a season-high 113 yards against Seattle's 27th-rated defense Sunday, his most productive day of 2010 was three receptions for 64 yards against visiting Green Bay in Week 3, a 20-17 Chicago victory.

■ Analysis: Aaron Rodgers' 136.8 passer rating last week was the fifth time in the past 11 weeks he exceeded 130 for Green Bay, two more times than anyone else had all season. And twice he's done it in freezing weather. It's helped that he's benefited from a suddenly stout running game behind upstart rookie James Starks, who's had 189 yards on 48 carries in the postseason. The Packers didn't even punt in that Falcons game. Chicago, meanwhile, warrants high-fives for holding Seattle to punts on eight consecutive drives to open last week's 35-24 victory, but the Bears' offense has had only one TD in two games against the Packers and has gone 16 consecutive possessions without one. And look out for that Green Bay pass rush, tied for second best in the league.

■ Forecast: Packers 35, Bears 14

N.Y. Jets (13-5) at Pittsburgh (13-4)

Time: 3:30 p.m. Line: Steelers -3½ Total: 38½

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

■ Weather: Low-teens, 30 percent chance of snow

■ Facts: Before today, no NFL game this season had a temperature of lower than 19 degrees at kickoff. ... This outing marks Pittsburgh's seventh time to play host to an AFC title game since 1994. The Steelers are 2-4 straight up (1-5 ATS). ... Jets QB Mark Sanchez is New York's Mr. January, with 4-1 playoff mark (all on the road), with seven TD throws and three INTs. That's an upgrade over NYC's original Mr. October, ex-Giant Y.A. Tittle, who had one TD pass and 10 interceptions in consecutive title game losses in 1961-63. ... Pittsburgh's 8.3 yards per throw has been unsurpassed by a conference finalist since the 49ers were at 8.5 in 1994. ... The Jets were 28-21 winners at New England last week despite losing to the Patriots 45-3 six weeks earlier. No team had ever avenged such a lopsided loss in the postseason. ... Pittsburgh, which allowed a league-low 3.0 yards a rush this season, held Baltimore to 1.9 last week. The Ravens' 126 yards of total offense was the fifth lowest total in a game this season. ... Sanchez, the league's 27th-ranked passer, enters with the second-worst efficiency rating of any starting QB Pittsburgh has faced with safety Troy Polamalu (probable, ankle). ... Pittsburgh won last week despite yielding six sacks. Since Week 5, teams had been 0-17 when its QB has been trapped that many times. New York, meanwhile, had five sacks last week against the Patriots.

■ Analysis: Polamalu, who missed the Jets' 22-17 victory in Week 15, really does make a difference. Over the past two years, not only have the Steelers been 16-4 with him and 6-7 without, but in those games he missed they yielded 20 TD throws and had only six INTs. This year, the lone QBs to flummox the Steelers and Polamalu own Super Bowl rings. The Saints' Drew Brees and the Patriots' Tom Brady combined for five TD throws and only one INT in two victories this season. All others had 10 TDs and 20 interceptions. One more thing: Don't expect the Jets to have an average starting field position at their 45 as they did last week, the second best for a team this season.

■ Forecast: Steelers 31, Jets 17

BOB CHRIST/SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Last week: 3-1 vs. spread; 2-2 straight up

Season total: 135-122-7 (.525) vs. spread; 156-108 (.591) straight up