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They’re in no rush

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The NFL, hoping to stay ahead of the technological curve, experimented this season with three-dimensional TV broadcasts. But for many of the teams in this weekend’s slate of playoff games, their offense comes through in crisp and vivid 1-D.

All passing, all the time.

The Indianapolis Colts finished fifth in passing, 31st in rushing.

The Philadelphia Eagles were sixth in passing, 22nd in rushing.

The Arizona Cardinals were second in passing, 32nd in rushing.

Experts contend that the recipe for success in the postseason is a greedy running game and a granite defense. That theory will be put to the test over the next four weeks. The mantra for these playoffs?

This too shall pass.

It’s no accident that so many teams are living by the pass. Hey, they would run if they could. That’s what the Colts are hoping to do, now that running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes are getting healthy, as are some key offensive linemen.

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“We know we’ve been struggling,” Rhodes said. “It’s obvious. . . . But we’ve done enough to put up 12 wins.”

Most of that is because of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who Friday was named the NFL’s most valuable player in part because of what he’s been able to do without a running game. The Colts’ offense is predicated on play-action passing, and when there’s no threat of running, those fake handoffs ring hollow.

History is not on the side of the Colts or Cardinals. According to the Indianapolis Star, since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger 12 of 78 teams that ranked last or next to last in rushing during the regular season made the playoffs. Both the Colts and Cardinals made it that far, so this might catch their attention: Of the 10 previous teams that did make it from that category, only one -- the 1978 Atlanta Falcons -- won its opener. (The Falcons were eliminated the following week.)

So there’s something to the idea that a good rushing attack isn’t a luxury but a necessity.

That’s not news to the San Diego Chargers, who play host to Indianapolis today. Their running game was so-so (ranked 20th), but they came on strong in their finale, trampling Denver for a club-record 289 yards rushing.

However, LaDainian Tomlinson didn’t practice this week because of a groin strain. He is expected to play, though, and can form a devastating one-two punch with change-of-speed back Darren Sproles, who runs past defenders as if they’ve sprouted roots.

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Also consider this: Philip Rivers threw for a team-record 34 touchdowns this season, and the Chargers ran for 13. That’s only two seasons after Tomlinson ran for 28.

Whereas the San Diego offense is swinging toward flinging, its defense isn’t so fond of aerial attacks. The Chargers, who have struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, are ranked 31st against the pass and 25th overall.

That’s particularly scary for them in light of today’s guests. The Chargers are facing three-time MVP Manning, who powered the Colts’ season-saving, nine-game winning streak.

Likewise, Arizona’s offense is all Kurt Warner. The Cardinals’ rushing numbers are slightly skewed because the team was in so many shootouts, frequently falling behind early, that it had to abandon the run. But that doesn’t entirely explain it.

“Being 32nd in the league in rushing is something I’m embarrassed about,” Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters during the week leading up to the team’s finale. “Because I feel like we’re a better team than that.”

Arizona will have ample chance to prove that today as it faces an Atlanta defense ranked 25th against the run. Without the threat of a potent running game to contend with, the Falcons can turn their attention to knocking around Warner.

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“He gets hit more than any quarterback in the league,” defensive end John Abraham said. “Our biggest thing is to keep the pressure on him and keep hitting him. We might not get the sacks, but we have to do the best we can to get him frustrated.”

The Eagles, who play at the Minnesota Vikings, have a tendency to abandon the run. For instance, in their only loss in the last five games (10-3 at Washington) they passed 46 times and ran 16, with Brian Westbrook rushing four times in the second half. The Philadelphia Daily News noted this: They are 6-1 when Westbrook has run the ball at least 15 times, and 2-4-1 when he hasn’t.

“There are some play-callers -- and I’ve seen this all my life -- that once they start calling passes, they cannot get back to a run,” NBC’s John Madden said. “ . . . It’s something that you want to balance.”

The view of some Westbrook watchers: balance schmalance.

“If Brian Westbrook runs it 15 times and he catches seven or eight passes, then he’s touched it 23 times; I don’t care if it’s a screen, a flare, how you’re getting the ball in his hands,” said Cris Collinsworth, also of NBC. “I just think that he’s a special guy.”

Then again, Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid might reason, why bother running? The Vikings are ranked first against the run, but 18th against the pass. Plus, run-smothering defensive tackle Pat Williams is back after missing two games because of an injured shoulder.

The way Collinsworth sees it, the Eagles cause defenses the most problems when quarterback Donovan McNabb becomes a run threat.

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“Defensive coordinators that play the Eagles all say the same thing: ‘We think we can play these guys, but the one thing that we cannot handle is when Donovan takes off and runs,’ ” he said.

“Donovan doesn’t have to run a lot -- three or four times in a game just to establish it. And if they’re getting Westbrook the ball in some way, shape or form, it doesn’t make any difference to me if they’re throwing the ball 65% of the time.”

That’s 1-D football at its finest.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com

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