All on the line: Breaking down the divisional-round's battles up front

The Giants offensive line limited the Eagles to one sack in two meetings this season. Icon SMI Ross Tucker's Mailbag Ross Tucker will answer your questions every Friday in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Ross Tucker on Twitter

Last year's march through the playoffs to the Super Bowl title by the New York Giants showed how critical line play can be in the postseason. The Giants bruised and battered every team in their way on both sides of the ball, culminating in the devastating performance by their defensive line against Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. In a league seemingly forever trending towards high-flying aerial attacks, the Giants proved the bully in the schoolyard can still win the fight.

Line play has already been a major factor in this year's postseason, too. Who would have thought the Cardinals would physically manhandle the Falcons up front? Strong line play is the main reason why all four teams hosting games this upcoming weekend in the divisional round received byes. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of what to watch for in the trenches as teams vie for the opportunity to play in their respective Conference Championship games.

RAVENS AT TITANS

Put the women and children to bed when these two bruising units collide in what promises to be the most physical matchup of the weekend. The Titans offensive line works really well together, even though the team had to replace both guards in the offseason. They will have their hands full, however, with a nasty Ravens front that makes yards tough to come by and gets after the passer in a relentless fashion.

Baltimore's Haloti Ngata is one of the best defensive linemen in the league; that he isn't going to the Pro Bowl is a crime. All three interior linemen for the Titans will take turns trying to handle his elite combination of size and athleticism. He has been described by teammates and opponents as having Hall of Fame potential. He's that good. Fellow defenders Justin Bannan and Trevor Pryce are no slouches themselves. Bannan has made people forget about Kelly Gregg, which is no small accomplishment, and Pryce continues to beat offensive linemen with his hesitation rip move after all these years. Terrell Suggs will be a threat as well off the edge, but the Titans' Michael Roos has the quick feet and long arms to match up with him.

The other side of the equation is all about the health of Titans studs Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth. Just being out on the field is not enough. They have to be effective. Look for Baltimore to slide center Jason Brown in their direction to create a three-on-two situation to protect Joe Flacco's backside. That means rookie Jason Jones and veteran Jevon Kearse have to win in their one on one battles against Chris Chester and Willie Anderson, respectively. Look for the Titans to run some stunts with those two guys to free one of them up enough to get in Flacco's face.

CARDINALS AT PANTHERS

The Cardinals have to pick up where they left off Saturday against another NFC South foe. The Cardinals played their best game up front in a very long time on both sides of the ball, running the ball effectively while shutting down John Abraham on offense and bottling up Michael Turner while consistently pressuring Matt Ryan on defense. This time, however, they will be on the road and are unlikely to have the same snap count advantage they had in round one.

It all starts and ends from a pass protection standpoint for the Cardinals by identifying where Carolina star Julius Peppers lines up. The Panthers will not just line him up at right end all game against the Cards' Mike Gandy because they know full well Arizona will consistently give Gandy help. That means Peppers will take turns testing each and every one of the Cardinals linemen. Arizona needs to give that lineman help or hope he can hold up against the cat-like quickness of Peppers. The good news for Arizona is none of the other Panthers defensive linemen are elite pass rushers. The health of Maake Kemoeatu will make a big difference in the Cards ability to run the football against a Carolina defense that has been susceptible on the ground at times this season.

The Panthers have had amazing success on offense considering none of the starters on the offensive line are playing the same position they did a year ago. On defense, Gabe Watson and Darnell Dockett had big days for the Cards on Saturday but they will get tested again by a powerful line that loves to open holes for the hottest running back in the NFL in DeAngelo Williams. The Cardinals defensive line was jumpy on Saturday, which led to a couple of offsides penalties, but a plethora of big plays in return. It is unlikely they will have the same key on Jake Delhomme's cadence this week.

EAGLES AT GIANTS

The Giants wanted no part of playing the Eagles again this Sunday since no team truly desires to play a division rival in the postseason. Couple that with the Eagles going toe-to-toe with the Giants up front in both matchups and you realize the G-Men could be in trouble.

Eagles veteran offensive linemen Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas are starting to show their age as both struggled at times against Minnesota's Brian Robison and Jared Allen. That is not a good sign as they head into their marquee matchups against Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants dynamic duo. They could get exposed if left isolated. The interior of the Eagles offensive line showcased their athleticism Sunday as each and every one of them picked up a key block on Brian Westbrook's game-changing, catch-and-run touchdown. Now they will have to showcase their power and establish the run against the Giants underrated defensive tackle duo of Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield.

The Giants O-line will have to be prepared for the assorted cast of characters that the Eagles will throw at Eli Manning. Trent Cole, Darren Howard, Juqua Parker and Chris Clemons give the Birds more pass rushers than the Giants have since they are without the services of the injured Osi Umenyiora and the retired Michael Strahan. The Giants best counter to the relentless Philly pressure will be to bowl over an Eagles unit that has been run on in critical moments this season. Look for Kevin Gilbride to continue to utilize the athleticism of guards Chris Snee and Rich Seubert by pulling them in a variety of man-blocking schemes.

CHARGERS AT STEELERS

The Steelers offensive line has caught a lot of flak for its performance this year, but the truth is it's an average unit whose production has been hurt by Willie Parker's injuries and Ben Roethlisberger's propensity to hold onto the football. The line held up decently for a group that lost its two most consistent performers during the season in Kendall Simmons and Marvel Smith. Max Starks and Darnell Stapleton have been nothing more than adequate.

They will have their hands full with a Chargers front that is typically strong against the run. Chargers nose tackle Jamal Williams is not the player he used to be, but he still demands double teams at the point of attack. Igor Olshansky, Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire have been disappointing as pass rushers; they've held up against the run for the most part. Look for the Steelers to run behind right tackle Willie Colon. His nasty temperament sets the tone for the Steelers linemen.

The Chargers will need to put in extra time this week preparing for the assortment of blitzes Steelers defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau will throw at them. On Sunday, they will have to worry about blocking Aaron Smith and company on the Steelers front. Jeremy Clary and Marcus McNeil will have their hands full for the second week in a row going against James Harrison and Lamar Woodley, the deadliest outside linebacker combo in the league. Luckily, the Chargers will get to run-block for the water-bug known as Darren Sproles.