Few could have imagined a berth in the AFC championship game game would hinge on a match-up between Kerry Collins and Joe Flacco. Then again, with the way their respective teams play defence, it may not matter who is at quarterback when the Tennessee Titans host the Baltimore Ravens today. That is not to say that the Titans' Collins or the Ravens' Flacco have played poorly, but neither quarterback was expected to sniff the field this season, but both have performed admirably.
Collins replaced the ailing Vince Young in the opening game of the season and never came out, while the rookie Flacco has been at the helm for Baltimore since Kyle Boller and Troy Smith were injured in pre-season. Which of them gains a measure of offensive success could decide the game, with Tennessee and Baltimore having the second and third best defences respectively in the NFL. "It'll probably be the most physical game we've played and I'm expecting it to be the most physical game they've played," said the Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh.
Baltimore beat Miami 27-9 in their wild-card match least weekend to reach this stage. The night's other game sees the Arizona Cardinals looking to put aside a dismal record on the East coast this season when they travel to face the Carolina Panthers in the NFC divisional round. The Cardinals have lost all five of their games on the east coast, including a 27-23 defeat at the Panthers. Last week the Cardinals came from 17-14 down against Atlanta to score 16 unanswered points in a 30-24 win.
* With Agencies
