Pass Offense

The Ravens have set their sights on Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair. Confident of controlling Titans running back Eddie George for the fourth straight time, the Ravens believe Tennessee must rely on McNair to make plays. The sixth-year veteran was the difference in the Titans' 14-6 win over the Ravens on Oct. 22. With Tennessee behind 6-0, he finished off a late first-half drive by eluding the rush with a scramble before hitting Rodney Thomas for a 9-yard touchdown pass. It nearly happened again in Tennessee's 24-23 loss to the Ravens on Nov. 12. After the Ravens' go-ahead score, McNair found Eddie George for an 11-yard gain and then scrambled 20 yards to the Ravens' 25-yard line.

The Denver Broncos will dare the Ravens to beat them with the pass, and the Ravens appear ready to accept that challenge. The Broncos commit eight players to stopping the run more often than any team the Ravens faced in the regular season. But can a struggling Ravens downfield passing game exploit the NFL's worst pass defense? "I've said since Day One ... that no matter how well we run the ball, if we don't have a certain vertical aspect of the passing game and hit plays down the field, we are not going to last long in the playoffs," Ravens coach Brian Billick said.

Army will run out onto the PSINet Stadium field Saturday and right into that relentless shower of cheers from fellow cadets, all of them knowing a victory over Navy in the season finale can ease the pain of a 1-9 record. They are more than a few good men when it comes to preparing to play defense for the country. But just like at Annapolis, winning football games hasn't been a specialty at West Point this season, Army's third since bumping some Division I-AA schools from the schedule and joining up with a tougher crowd in Conference USA. "Just by who we play, we're always going to be at a disadvantage," said Michael Wallace, the Black Knights' standout senior running back.

Rankings: The Ravens are 18th in the NFL against the pass, allowing 211.7 yards per game. The Redskins are sixth in passing offense with 237 yards per game. Prime stat: The Redskins' running backs have made 56 catches, accounting for 41 percent of their completions. Last week: The Ravens gave up 253 yards passing and made three interceptions against Jacksonville. Washington QB Brad Johnson completed 25 of 36 passes for 289 yards against Philadelphia and connected with WR Albert Connell six times for 83 yards.

Titans run offense vs. Rams run defense - TITANS EDGE Eddie George is the battering ram the Titans will spring on St. Louis. He will pound away until the Titans find a soft spot. The Rams' smallish defensive line will try to out-quick Tennessee's big offensive line. St. Louis defensive tackles Ray Agnew and D'Marco Farr helped stuff Tampa Bay's running game a week ago. What makes Tennessee different is the improvisational running skills of quarterback Steve McNair. Titans pass offense vs. Rams pass defense - RAMS EDGE McNair is averaging 100 passing yards in three playoff games.