The eight remaining playoff teams are ranked in nine categories: quarterback, running back, receivers, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs, special teams and coaching. Points are awarded on a one-through-eight basis, with the best in each category receiving one point and the worst receiving eight. The points are totaled to produce the playoff power rankings. Here are the rankings and analysis for the nine categories:
Quarterback
1. New England
2. Green Bay
3. Pittsburgh
4. Atlanta
5. Baltimore
6. NY Jets
7. Chicago
8. Seattle
There were five 4,000-yard passers in the NFL this season and not a one is still playing. Two quarterbacks in this field have won a combined five Super Bowls – Tom Brady of the Patriots (three) and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers (two). Brady threw 36 TD passes this season and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers threw 28. Rodgers also tops the playoff field with five 300-yard games. Mark Sanchez of the Jets completed only 54.8 percent of his passes, worst in the field, and has thrown only one TD pass in his last six games. Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck tops the playoff field with 17 interceptions and Chicago's Jay Cutler isn't far behind at 16. Cutler also lost six fumbles and Hasselbeck five. Atlanta's Matt Ryan threw only nine interceptions and Baltimore's Joe Flacco 10. Both feast off the play-action passing game.
Running backs
1. NY Jets
2. New England
3. Atlanta
4. Baltimore
5. Pittsburgh
6. Chicago
7. Green Bay
8. Seattle
There are five 1,000-yard rushers in the field: BenJarvus Green-Ellis of the Patriots, Michael Turner of the Falcons, Ray Rice of the Ravens, Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers and Matt Forte of the Bears. The Jets split the carries between LaDainian Tomlinson (914 yards) and Shonn Greene (766). New York averaged 148 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry, tops in this playoff field. New England and Pittsburgh also averaged four yards per carry. Turner rushed for seven 100-yard games and is the only Pro Bowler still playing. No other team in the playoffs managed more than three 100-yard games. Seattle didn't post its first 100-yard rushing game until the opening round of the playoffs when Marshawn Lynch slapped 131 on the Saints. Rookie James Starks gave the Packers his first 100-yard game last week in the playoff upset at Philadelphia.
Receivers
1. Green Bay
2. Pittsburgh
3. Atlanta
4. Baltimore
5. NY Jets
6. New England
7. Chicago
8. Seattle
There were 17 1,000-yard receivers in 2010 but only three are still playing: Roddy White of Atlanta, Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh and Greg Jennings of Green Bay. Jennings, White and Wes Welker of the Patriots are the only wideouts Pro Bowl-bound. So is Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez. Wallace is the best playmaker in the field with a 21-yard average per catch and 10 touchdowns. He led the NFL with seven 100-yard games and the Steelers led collectively with 11. Green Bay had three different receivers post 100-yard games: WRs Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson. So did the Jets with WRs Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes and TE Dustin Keller. The Ravens have four veteran Pro Bowl targets in WRs Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Derrick Mason and TE Todd Heap. Patriots WR Deion Branch also played for Seattle last fall.
Offensive line
1. NY Jets
2. New England
3. Atlanta
4. Pittsburgh
5. Baltimore
6. Green Bay
7. Seattle
8. Chicago
New York and New England have two Pro Bowlers each, and Pittsburgh and Green Bay have one apiece. C Nick Mangold and OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson will represent the Jets in Hawaii; OT Matt Light and G Logan Mankins the Patriots; rookie C Maurkice Pouncey the Steelers; and OT Chad Clifton the Packers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore played the entire season without their starting right tackles – Willie Colon of the Steelers and Jared Gaither of the Ravens – as did Green Bay (Mark Tauscher) for the final 12 games, all because of injuries. The blocking front of the Jets allowed New York to finish fourth in the NFL in rushing – tops in the playoff field – and the Falcons gave up the fewest sacks (23). The Chicago line was unsettled all season, with only C Olin Kruetz starting all 16 games at the same position. Bears QB Jay Cutler was sacked 52 times.
Defensive line
1. Chicago
2. Atlanta
3. New England
4. Pittsburgh
5. Baltimore
6. NY Jets
7. Seattle
8. Green Bay
Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle play 4-3 fronts and the rest line up in 3-4s. Atlanta collected the most sacks from its linemen with 26, followed by Chicago with 25 and Seattle 24. Four playoff linemen are Pro Bowl-bound: DEs Julius Peppers of the Bears and John Abraham of the Falcons, and DTs Vince Wilfork of the Patriots and Haloti Ngata of the Ravens. The Steelers took a huge hit up front when they lost DE Aaron Smith in the sixth game with a season-ending triceps injury. The Seahawks allowed an average of 119 yards rushing per game, worst in the playoff field. The Steelers were the best at 62.8 yards. Pittsburgh was one of only two NFL teams that did not allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Baltimore, Green Bay and Seattle allowed three apiece. The Packers allowed 4.7 yards per rush.
Linebackers
1. Pittsburgh
2. Baltimore
3. Green Bay
4. Chicago
5. NY Jets
6. New England
7. Atlanta
8. Seattle
Baltimore, Green Bay, New England and Pittsburgh all play 3-4 fronts, asking their linebackers to make plays and be the stars. They delivered. All have Pro Bowlers – MLB Ray Lewis and OLB Terrell Suggs for the Ravens; OLB Clay Matthews for the Packers; MLB Jerod Mayo for the Patriots; and OLB James Harrison for the Steelers. Matthews posted 13 ½ sacks, tops in the playoff field. The Packers would have been even better at linebacker if they hadn't lost middle man Nick Barnett in the fourth game with a season-ending wrist injury. Pittsburgh linebackers recorded 32 ½ sacks, tops among the postseason teams, and both the Packers and Patriots intercepted six passes at linebacker, also tops. The Bears played the season without Hunter Hillenmeyer but the other two starters – Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs – were selected for the Pro Bowl.
Secondary
1. Green Bay
2. NY Jets
3. Pittsburgh
4. Chicago
5. Baltimore
6. New England
7. Atlanta
8. Seattle
Green Bay finished fifth in the NFL in pass defense and the Jets sixth. The Packers and Bears had more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed, and the Jets limited quarterbacks to a 50.7 percent completion rate. Seattle gave up 31 TD passes, tops in the playoff field. Atlanta led with 23 interceptions but allowed seven 100-yard receiving games and six 300-yard passing games, both tops in the field. Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle are the only playoff teams without Pro Bowlers. The Packers are sending CB Charles Woodson and FS Nick Collins to Hawaii; the Jets CB Darrelle Revis; the Steelers SS Troy Polamalu; Baltimore FS Ed Reed; and the Patriots rookie CB Devin McCourty and FS Brandon Meriweather. Reed led the NFL with eight interceptions. New York DBs are dangerous in the pass rush as well with 11 sacks.
Special teams
1. Chicago
2. NY Jets
3. New England
4. Atlanta
5. Baltimore
6. Seattle
7. Pittsburgh
8. Green Bay
Chicago's Dave Toub is among the NFL's best coaches in the kicking game. Twice in the last four seasons, his Bears have led the NFL in special teams. Chicago has the NFL's best return game with Devin Hester and a top-10 punt coverage unit. New England also ranks in the top 10 in punt coverage, and the Jets, Steelers and Falcons are in the top 10 in kickoff coverage. Pittsburgh recovered four fumbles on special teams, tops in the playoff field, and the Seahawks blocked four kicks, also tops. New England and Seattle also scored four touchdowns apiece in the kicking game. The Bears and Jets are the only teams in the playoff field that did not commit a turnover on special teams. The Ravens have the best feet in the playoffs with kicker Billy Cundiff and punter Sam Koch. Cundiff led the NFL with 11 touchbacks on kickoffs.
Coaching
1. New England
2. Pittsburgh
3. Green Bay
4. Baltimore
5. Chicago
6. NY Jets
7. Atlanta
8. Seattle
Only two coaches in this field have won Super Bowls and only one other coach has been there. Bill Belichick won three Lombardi Trophies with New England, Mike Tomlin one with Pittsburgh, and Chicago's Lovie Smith lost the 2007 Super Bowl to the Colts. Rex Ryan took the Jets to the AFC title game in 2009, John Harbaugh took the Ravens in 2008 and Mike McCarthy took the Packers to the NFC title game in 2007. Atlanta's Mike Smith is still looking for his first playoff victory in this his second postseason appearance. Seattle's Pete Carroll is looking for his second playoff victory – but his first came 13 years ago when he was coaching the Patriots. He was replaced by Belichick in 2000. Carroll became the first coach in NFL history in 2010 to take a team with a losing record to the playoffs in a non-strike season.
Ranking the final eight
A position-by-position breakdown of the NFL's final eight playoff teams. The best team at each position gets one point, the worst team gets eight points. Using this system, New England and Green Bay are the favorites to reach the Super Bowl:
| TEAM | QB | RB | REC | OL | DL | LB | DB | ST | CCH | TOT |
| NE | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 30 |
| PITT | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 31 |
| NYJ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 34 |
| BAL | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 39 |
| GB | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 39 |
| ATL | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 40 |
| CHI | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 43 |
| SEA | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 68 |
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