THE SCOOP
It’s playoff time, and those little guys who seldom hit anybody will become bigger and bigger.
Indianapolis enters the playoffs with supreme confidence: Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri holds NFL career postseason records for points (196), field goals (48) and consecutive games scoring in playoffs (25). He needs five extra points to tie Gary Anderson (57) for No. 2 in NFL playoff history.
Meanwhile, Kansas City is looking for any sign that things will turn around, given that Ryan Succop missed a key field-goal attempt in Sunday’s finale in San Diego, a game the Chiefs eventually lost.
Since the Super Bowl win after the 1969 season, the Chiefs are 3-12 in the playoffs, with their kickers making 12 of 25 field-goal tries. Since their previous playoff win, after the 1993 season, the Chiefs are 0-6 in the playoffs, with their kickers making 3 of 9 attempts.
WEATHER CHATTER
Temperature forecasts for this weekend’s wild-card games as we all begin to ponder the Super Bowl in New York in February:
- It'll be around 65 degrees, give or take, for the Chiefs at Colts, 4:35 p.m. Saturday indoors in Indianapolis. Things go downhill from there.
- Saints at Eagles, 8:10 p.m. Saturday, low of 27 degrees, but at least it will be clear after the snowstorm moves through.
- Chargers at Bengals, 1:05 p.m. Sunday, high of 35 with 100 percent chance of rain and snow.
- 49ers at Packers, 4:40 p.m. Sunday, high of zero, low of minus-18 with 20 percent chance of snow.
TICKET TALK
Green Bay Packers officials say that they are optimistic that Sunday’s home playoff game will be sold out and a TV blackout can be averted. NFL rules say that if the game isn’t sold out by 72 hours before kickoff there will be a blackout in local TV markets. The deadline was 3:40 p.m. Thursday with 7,500 tickets yet to be sold. The Packers could ask for a deadline extension. With a long waiting list for season tickets, not selling out a playoff game is an unusual scenario for the Packers. The last time a home game didn’t sell out at Lambeau Field was in January 1983 when the Packers played host to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 Coaches who have won a division title in their first season as an NFL head coach since the merger. Philadelphia's Chip Kelly is the second. Barry Switzer did it in 1994 with Cowboys.
38,733 Passing yards in the past eight seasons for the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees, more than any other NFL quarterback in that span.
HE SAID IT
“I think (Andrew Luck) is just getting even more comfortable with his role. The thing that is fun is he doesn’t make those ‘rookie’ or first- or second-year mistakes. He knows if it’s not there, throw it away and let’s do this. I guess what I’m saying is he manages the game very well and gives us an opportunity to win.” — Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who has played with Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
