Rams vs. Falcons

Marc Bulger Elsa/Getty Images St. Louis beats Atlanta if ... the Rams go out and play like they have nothing to lose, like they did in Seattle last week. They were definitely the looser team against the Seahawks. I think the Rams feel like people aren't paying them the respect they deserve because of how they qualified for the playoffs at 8-8. But there are obviously a lot of teams who wish they were in St. Louis' shoes. Marc Bulger had a nice game at Seattle. He's got some weapons and he knows it. And he complements those guys really well. They're on the same page in the passing game and they can really cause you some problems. Bulger is very good at anticipating throws and putting the ball where his guy can make the play. It's not the ideal situation for Atlanta's defense to face the Rams' passing attack. Not with the speed of those receivers and St. Louis getting to play on the turf in a dome setting. The Rams' passing game is based on timing, and that gets better indoors on turf -- the same situation they're used to playing in at home. But the Rams will be challenged to create time for Bulger to throw. Atlanta is a team that has really improved with the rush and the front seven this year. The Falcons have done an unbelievable job in the trenches. So you've got to be able to hold up to throw some of those deeper balls. Each year in this league it seems to get harder and harder to throw vertically because the rush has become a bigger factor. Atlanta beats St. Louis if ... Michael Vick can't be contained. You've got to contain Vick to stop Atlanta. You've got to leave a guy on defense to spy on him. And it can't just be a body, but somebody capable of running with him. You've got to be disciplined in your lanes and try to keep him contained. And the Rams' secondary has to stay on its guys. Everything lasts longer when you play a quarterback like that. Your rush has got to be more relentless. The coverage has to hold longer. A lot happens because of Vick's ability to keep every play alive. You can expect a big dose of the Atlanta running game with Warrick Dunn, T.J. Duckett and probably even some designed runs with Vick. That's really what has gotten the Falcons where they are so far. They will not give up on the running game even if you're stopping it for a while. On defense, I look for defensive coordinator Ed Donatell to bring the house at times, trying to get pressure on Bulger and disrupt the Rams passing game. I'm sure Ed has watched tape on the Rams and knows they struggle when they get multiple looks blitz-wise and when defenders come from different places. The Rams still like to send five out on every play -- and obviously it's been successful for them. They've got the players to do that, but they've got to hold up up front. That's why to me the game will probably come down to the line on both sides. Can St. Louis' offensive line withstand the rush of Atlanta's defensive line? The Falcons defensive line has really played well this season. Those guys are all complementing each other. Last year they were in a 3-4, 4-3 kind of dilemma, but when they defined who they were, the players accepted their roles and took off with it. Each guy is feeding off his teammates.

Vikings vs. Eagles

Nate Burleson Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images Minnesota beats Philadelphia if ... the Vikings can reproduce the fast start they had against Green Bay. If they can score quickly and not make any big mistakes early, the Vikings can set the tempo against the Eagles and make it a fast-paced game. And you do not want to get into a game like that with Minnesota. The Vikings have too many weapons and too much speed. You know the Vikes would love to take the Philly crowd out of the game. Those fans are a huge advantage for the Eagles, but if the home team is not playing up to par, they can be easily turned and become another factor that the home team has to overcome. It's going to be a better game than most people expect. But again, it really depends on how Minnesota starts. If it's a low-scoring smash-mouth type of game, I think Philly has the edge. The Vikings don't want to play the Eagles' game either. I was impressed with Daunte Culpepper last week at Green Bay, but then I've been impressed with him for a long time. He's a big physical quarterback who has great vision and throws the deep ball as well as anyone. All you hear about is Randy Moss as his big weapon, but he's got some other guys who are steadily making plays for him -- like Nate Burleson, Moe Williams and Jermaine Wiggins. If you are going to get to Culpepper, you've got to get to him with more than one body and wrap up on the guy, because he's not easy to bring down. He makes plays on the run that a lot of quarterbacks in this league can't. Philadelphia beats Minnesota if ... the Eagles can show early on they're not an entirely different team without Terrell Owens. The Eagles are going to miss Owens, but it's not going to be that dramatic. Philadelphia was pretty successful before T.O. got there, and Minnesota understands that. The Eagles have been in this position every year, and they've got confidence in the guys they've got there. That's what Andy Reid is probably stressing: "We've been here before. We're the more experienced team. With the people we have here, it should not matter all that much that one guy is missing." Minnesota shouldn't go in with their guard down, based on Owens being out. Without him, the Eagles have lost a little bit of the vertical threat they had this year. I'm not saying they can't still throw the ball deep on occasion, but you'll see more of a controlled passing game -- more of the West Coast approach, where they get the ball to the backs and the tight ends. They're going to be trying to string together first downs and keep the ball out of a very potent offense's hands. That's why Brian Westbrook will be key for the Eagles. Andy is going to get him the ball as much as possible. They'll want Westbrook and Donovan McNabb to lead the way on offense, and they'll look for their receivers to step up and make a play when necessary. I don't expect the Philly crowd to be apprehensive early on. True, the Eagles haven't won a game in four weeks, and there are all these expectations on them, but the fans are hungry and they've been so close for the last three years. I don't think the crowd will take a wait-and-see attitude toward their team, they'll be into it from the get-go.

Mike Mularkey's NFL Breakdowns: AFC