Penn. Looks Mightier, on Paper

Are we headed for an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl? Will the Rams ever get to avenge their loss to the Patriots? How about Peyton Manning vs. Michael Vick?

Oh, the possibilities.

Here, with the help of my number-crunching friends at STATS Inc., is a glance at the NFL teams that will play in this weekend’s divisional playoff games:

New York Jets

MVP -- Running back Curtis Martin. Not only did this 31-year-old lead the league in rushing, but his 1,697 yards are the most ever for a thirtysomething running back.

Unsung MVP -- Linebacker Jonathan Vilma. OK, so he was chosen defensive rookie of the year. But he still deserves more praise, considering the way he stepped in for Sam Cowart and made an immediate impact.

Achilles’ heel -- Pass defense.

Why the Jets are done -- They’ve never won in Pittsburgh, having lost all six of their games there. The only NFL series in which a road team has lost more times is the Vikings at the Colts. The Vikings are 0-10 when playing in Indianapolis and, before that, Baltimore.

Why the Jets will advance -- Law of averages. Someday, they’re going to win in Pittsburgh. Why not Saturday?

X-factor -- Quarterback Chad Pennington. He has yet to prove he’s a big-game performer. Five of his passes were intercepted by the Steelers and Patriots this season, and that’s one more pick than he threw in the rest of the Jets’ games.

Pittsburgh Steelers

MVP -- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Say what you will about all the help he gets from the running game and defense, Big Ben still has a 13-0 record as a starter and a 98.1 passer rating, best for a rookie in NFL history.

Unsung MVP -- Linebacker James Farrior. There’s no better playmaker on the Steeler defense than Farrior, arguably the most disruptive linebacker in football.

Achilles’ heel -- Cornerbacks. Willie Williams has played well, but he’s 33. And right corner Deshea Townsend has a cast on his broken hand.

Why the Steelers are done -- After knocking off the Chargers at San Diego, the Jets are on a roll.

Why the Steelers will advance -- Since 1974, the Steelers have outscored their opening playoff opponent by an average of 14.7 points.

X-factor -- Kicker Jeff Reed. When kicking at gusty Heinz Field, Reed has made 81.4% of his field goals. Opposing kickers have made 66.7%.

St. Louis Rams

MVP -- Quarterback Marc Bulger. Remember the “greatest show on turf” days? In the last three games, Bulger’s offense has been even more productive than that of Kurt Warner.

Unsung MVP -- Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa. Even when the Ram defense was really struggling, this was the guy keeping the energy level up.

Achilles’ heel -- Special teams. It helps that Mike Martz activated Mike Furrey, the gonzo gunner on the left side of the kick-coverage team.

Why the Rams are done -- In their last game against Atlanta, they couldn’t stop the run and were outrushed, 242 yards to 30.

Why the Rams will advance -- When the line keeps the heat off Bulger, who can shut down that offense?

X-factor -- Receiver Kevin Curtis. He’s the third receiver and the fastest guy on the team. With 10 catches in the last two games, he’s definitely getting into the flow of the offense.

Atlanta Falcons

MVP -- Quarterback Vick. Thirty percent of his rushes have gone for 10 yards or more. That keeps defensive coordinators up nights.

Unsung MVP -- Defensive tackle Rod Coleman. He was the difference maker in the Falcon defense. That he was not chosen for the Pro Bowl was a farce.

Achilles’ heel -- Vick’s fumbling problems.

Why the Falcons are done -- Although their secondary is better with rookie DeAngelo Hall back in the lineup, it’s still by far the weakest link of the much-improved Atlanta defense.

Why the Falcons will advance -- They’re the league’s No. 1 rushing team, and the Rams will have a tough time stopping that.

X-factor -- Tight end Alge Crumpler. Since he signed his blockbuster deal a month ago, he has been nursing injuries and hasn’t done much. He’s due for a breakout game.

Minnesota Vikings

MVP -- Quarterback Daunte Culpepper. He shredded the Packers last Sunday, debunking the notion that the Vikings can’t win outdoors.

Unsung MVP -- Receiver Nate Burleson. With the spotlight on Randy Moss, Burleson has scored 10 touchdowns in the last 11 games.

Achilles’ heel -- A habit of making bonehead mistakes and bad decisions.

Why the Vikings are done -- Last week’s victory was an anomaly. Sunday, they’ll go back to being the 8-8 team we know.

Why the Vikings will advance -- Had they not blown two chances to score from the two, they might have beaten Philadelphia in Week 2.

X-factor -- Will Moss find any cracks in the Eagles’ secondary?

Philadelphia Eagles

MVP -- Quarterback Donovan McNabb. He has gotten so sharp as a passer, he hasn’t had to run much this season. That could change in this, the first meaningful game without Terrell Owens.

Unsung MVP -- Cornerback Sheldon Brown. Lito Sheppard gets more attention, but Brown has been a model of consistency at the position and is an outstanding tackler.

Achilles’ heel -- Other than Jeremiah Trotter, the linebackers are invisible.

Why the Eagles are done -- What is the Eagle offense without Owens?

Why the Eagles will advance -- In two games against the Vikings, McNabb has thrown five touchdown passes, run for two touchdowns and thrown no interceptions.

X-factor -- Can Philadelphia’s unproven receivers stretch the field without their star?

Indianapolis Colts

MVP -- Quarterback Manning. Has any passer ever had a better regular season?

Unsung MVP -- Running back Edgerrin James. Without him, Manning’s play-action fakes would lose their sting.

Achilles’ heel -- They’re a dome team built for speed on artificial turf.

Why the Colts are done -- Rewind the tape of last season’s AFC championship game.

Why the Colts will advance -- Indianapolis has had a minus-nine turnover differential in its last five games against New England. If the Colts can hold on to the ball this time, there’s a good chance they’ll win.

X-factor -- Will the mud and the muck neutralize defensive end Dwight Freeney’s pass rush?

New England Patriots

MVP -- Running back Corey Dillon. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in eight of his last 11 games.

Unsung MVP -- Receiver-cornerback Troy Brown. That he can play both positions at high levels is astounding.

Achilles’ heel -- The Patriots’ patchwork secondary must look pretty enticing to Manning.

Why the Patriots are done -- All the injuries eventually will take their toll.

Why the Patriots will advance -- New England has won 19 consecutive home games, including six consecutive home playoff games.

X-factor -- The groundskeeper has left the tarp off the Gillette Stadium field this rainy, dreary week. The field is in terrible condition. Just the way the Patriots like it.