PLAYOFFS: THE FIRST LOOK

THE NFC

MINNESOTA VIKINGS at NEW YORK GIANTS

* Time: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.

* TV: Channel 7

* Radio: KNX 1070-AM

* Records: Vikings 9-7, Giants 10-5-1

* The Line: Giants by 4

* Vikings by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--334.6 (8th)

Passing--207.1 (14th)

Rushing--127.6 (6th)

Defense--355.4 (29th)

vs. Pass--231.5 (29th)

vs. Rush--123.9 (23rd)

* Giants by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--282.1 (27th)

Passing--157.8 (28th)

Rushing--124.3 (6th)

Defense--316.7 (18th)

vs. Pass--226.0 (26th)

vs. Rush--90.7 (3rd)

* Viking outlook: They made the playoffs for the fifth time in the six seasons under Coach Dennis Green, but have never won a playoff game in that span.

* Player to watch for Vikings: Running back Robert Smith. Smith set team records this year in rushing yardage (1,266) and 100-yard games (six). He goes against a rush defense ranked second in the NFC and third in the league.

* Giant outlook: The Giants, NFC East champions for the first time since 1990 and the first undefeated team (7-0-1) within the division, will face a familiar foe when they play host to the Vikings--quarterback Randall Cunningham. A 12-year veteran, in his first season with Minnesota, Cunningham faced the Giants as quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles 12 times, going 7-5.

* Player to watch for Giants: Defensive end Michael Strahan leads a defense that tied the San Francisco 49ers for the second-fewest points allowed in the conference (265).

“I’m not just here to play a game or two and think I am going to lose,” Strahan said of the Giants’ playoff chances Tuesday. “I think we have as good a chance as anybody.”

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DETROIT LIONS at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

* Time: Sunday, 1 p.m.

* TV: Channel 11

* Radio: KNX 1070-AM

* Records: Lions 9-7, Buccaneers 10-6

* The Line: Buccaneers by 2 1/2

* Lions by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--362.4 (2nd)

Passing--208.4 (12th)

Rushing--154.0 (2nd)

Defense--309.2 (14th)

vs. Pass--194.6 (13th)

vs. Rush--114.6 (18th)

* Buccaneers by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--273.5 (29th)

Passing--152.6 (30th)

Rushing--120.9 (11th)

Defense--289.1 (3rd)

vs. Pass--188.0 (9th)

vs. Rush--101.1 (6th)

* Lion outlook: What effect will the injury to Reggie Brown have on the Lions? Impossible to predict, but the game could turn on what kind of emotional impact it had on the team.

* Player to watch for Lions: Barry Sanders. Sanders, who became only the third NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season and finished with a record 14 consecutive 100-yard rushing games, has excelled against Tampa Bay. In nine seasons, he has rushed for 1,998 yards (a 117.5-yard per game average) and 16 touchdowns against the Buccaneers. In eight games in Tampa, Sanders has five 100-yard rushing games, including 241 yards Oct. 12, the best game of his career.

* Buccaneer outlook: Coach Tony Dungy said it best: “I don’t think any of us really look forward to playing Barry Sanders. But that’s our task and we’ve got to get something done where we can slow him down a little bit. Take two aspirins and start watching the film.”

* Players to watch for Buccaneers: Left end Chidi Ahanotu, nose tackle Brad Culpepper, defensive tackle Warren Sapp and right end Regan Upshaw. They have led Tampa Bay’s third-ranked NFC rushing defense and will have to find a way to stop Sanders.

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at DENVER BRONCOS

* Time: Saturday, 1 p.m.

* TV: Channel 7

* Radio: KNX 1070-AM

* Records: Jaguars 11-5, Broncos 12-4

* The Line: Broncos by 7 1/2

* Jaguars by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--339.0 (7th)

Passing--231.5 (4th)

Rushing--107.5 (18th)

Defense--327.4 (23rd)

vs. Pass--219.0 (24th)

vs. Rush--108.4 (13th)

* Broncos by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--367.0 (1st)

Passing--218.4 (9th)

Rushing--148.6 (3rd)

Defense--291.9 (5th)

vs. Pass--179.3 (5th)

vs. Rush--112.7 (16th)

* Jaguar outlook: In the 1996 AFC divisional playoffs, the Jaguars came to Mike High Stadium, where the Broncos were undefeated, and scored on six consecutive possessions after Denver had taken a 12-0 first-quarter lead. The Broncos came back with scores on three possessions before the Jaguars recovered an on-side kick to seal a 30-27 victory. “Now it’s totally different,” Jaguar left guard Ben Coleman said, comparing this season to last. “We didn’t know if we could win in Denver, but we thought we could. This year we know we can.”

* Players to watch for Jaguars: Receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. Smith (1,324 yards) and McCardell (1,164) were ranked third and fifth in the AFC in receiving yards. They will test the Bronco pass defense, ranked fifth in the NFL.

* Bronco outlook: John Elway has another chance to win the Super Bowl. Have the lessons of last season, when the team peaked too soon, been learned? Having the league’s top-ranked offense helps.

* Player to watch for Broncos: Running back Terrell Davis, the league’s second-leading rusher who is expected to play with a separated shoulder, has helped open up the Bronco offense. Denver wide receiver Rod Smith (1,180 yards) and tight end Shannon Sharpe (1,107) had the fourth- and sixth-most yards in the conference.

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MIAMI DOLPHINS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

* Time: Sunday, 9:30 a.m.

* TV: Channel 4

* Radio: KNX 1070-AM

* Records: Dolphins 9-7, Patriots 10-6

* The Line: Patriots by 4 1/2

* Dolphins by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--320.3 (11th)

Passing--236.4 (2nd)

Rushing--83.9 (29th)

Defense--335.3 (26th)

vs. Pass--221.9 (25th)

vs. Rush--113.3 (17th)

* Patriots by the numbers (with NFL ranking):

Offense--313.4 (15th)

Passing--221.9 (7th)

Rushing--91.5 (27th)

Defense--317.2 (19th)

vs. Pass--216.2 (21st)

vs. Rush--101.0 (5th)

* Dolphin outlook: For the 10th time in NFL history, two teams that finished the regular season against each other play each other in the first round of the playoffs. The Dolphins, particularly quarterback Dan Marino, have looked ineffective the last two weeks in losing. And the Dolphins won’t be helped by playing at cold-weather Foxboro, Mass.

* Player to watch for Dolphins: Marino, who holds the active record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass and is still capable of carrying the Dolphins when he is on his game.

* Patriots outlook: New England won Monday night on the strength of two long second-half touchdown drives engineered by quarterback Drew Bledsoe after the Dolphins had taken a 6-0 lead. The Patriots are hoping for typical New England weather in December on Sunday. “Hopefully, it will be 20 below,” cornerback Ty Law said.

* Player to watch for Patriots: Bledsoe. Despite Monday’s anemic 14-12 score, this game has plenty of offensive potential. Bledsoe threw the second-most touchdown passes in the AFC this season (28) and tied for the second-highest touchdown percentage (5.4). But Bledsoe has been known to make mistakes in crucial situations.