Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins
The setup
1. Three rookie quarterbacks will start in Sunday's wild-card game. Two will face off in this matchup. It's the battle of the read option. It's the most intriguing game of the weekend, and it comes last.
2. The quarterbacks receive the attention, but both teams' offenses are built around the running game. It doesn't get much more rugged than Marshawn Lynch and Alfred Morris .
3. The Seahawks struggled on the road for much of the season, but their victory in Chicago was the biggest win of their season. Seattle followed that up with a blowout win over Buffalo in Toronto. The Seahawks aren't the same team away from home, but they are good enough to be the favorites next week in Washington. The Redskins simply can't match the Seahawks ' defensive talents.
You want a perfect wild-card matchup? You want exciting offense? Intriguing star power? Rookie quarterbacks who are rewriting NFL history and running backs on each side who make the ground game as thrilling as the passing game? This is it. Robert Griffin III vs. Russell Wilson -- the first two rookies to finish a season with a passer rating of 100 or higher. Alfred Morris vs. Marshawn Lynch -- two of the NFL's top three rushers. The Redskins vs. the Seahawks -- two teams that have each won seven of their past eight games. Now, that's some wild stuff.
Player to watch
Alfred Morris, RB, Redskins : For much of the season, whenever the subject of rookie superlatives has been broached, Robert Griffin III has diverted the conversation toward an unlikely name: Alfred Morris . It might have been easy for observers on the national level to roll their eyes, believing Griffin was simply deflecting attention to a teammate. That is, until Week 17, when Morris' 200-yard game against the Dallas Cowboys changed the eye-rolling to eye-opening. Morris has rushed for 100 yards or more in each of his past three home games. As Griffin noted Sunday, teams that focus on stopping RG3 will regret ignoring Morris.
Under pressure
Redskins' secondary: It isn't so much that Seattle puts up a boatload of passing yards (they actually rank 27th in that category ). Rather, their efficiency and ability to finish drives are what make them such a scary matchup for Washington's leaky defense. Nobody put up more points in the last five weeks of the season than the Seahawks . Wilson, meanwhile, has thrown 16 touchdown passes while getting picked off just twice in his past eight contests. If the Redskins want to give RG3 a chance to get it done on offense, they must be incredibly disciplined and consistent for all four quarters in their pass defense -- something they haven't done very well at times this season.
Matchup to watch
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Richard Sherman vs. Robert Griffin III: Maybe the most underrated and impressive element of Griffin's success as a rookie has been his discipline in the passing game. He has thrown just five interceptions this season, tied for the lowest in the league among qualifying players. His interception percentage of 1.3 is the second-lowest in the league, trailing only Tom Brady . The only problem? On Sunday, he's up against one of the toughest cornerbacks in football. Sherman is tied for second in the NFL with eight interceptions.
Did you know?
Each of the Redskins ' last two playoff games were against the Seahawks , and Seattle won both, in 2005 and 2007. ... RG3 has the most rushing yards for a rookie quarterback since at least 1950. Russell Wilson is fifth on that same list. ... Only the Denver Broncos have a longer active win streak (11 games) than the Redskins (seven). ... The Seahawks are 3-5 on the road this season. They lost five of their first six away games, but they also won their last two.
