by Jimmy Johnson

Super Bowl Central

Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 Recap | Box | Play-by-play

Inside the game:

• Kriegel: Holmes steals show from Fitz
• Marvez: Harrison cited for going 100
• Behrendt: Loss wins Cards respect
• Video: Online OT reviews SB XLIII
• Steelers celebrate 6th Super Bowl
• Big Ben rises to occasion
• Fitz breaks out too late
• Polamalu beaming after Super win
• Respected Rooneys bask in No. 6
• Kurt Warner mum on future

Outside the game:

• Vote on 10 best, worst ads
• Polls: Was this best SB ever?
• Boards: Tell us what you think
• Steeler fans rush to the streets
• President Obama 1-for-1 on SB picks
• Porn clip interrupts local broadcast
• Springsteen rocks Super halftime show

Super Bowl history:

• NFL on FOX Super Bowl reflections
• Best teams | Games | Performances
• Worst teams | Games | Performances
• Chokes | Scandals | Media day moments
• SUPER BOWL CENTRAL | VIDEO

Shopping:

Get your Super Bowl gear!

But the fans can't overlook the fact that the Giants had a week off while the Eagles had to prepare and travel to beat Minnesota. The Giants were home, getting healthy, and they were watching this game. So Tom Coughlin and the Giants will be prepared. The Giants will be favored and they should win the game, but I think Philadelphia can win it based on how they've played down the stretch and the fact that they won the last meeting between these two bitter rivals.

As a coach, you liked playing teams in the playoffs that you know pretty well. But the thing now is that Philadelphia is going to have only this week to prepare. They will have to fall back on a lot of the same things that worked for them in the previous game. The Giants have had two weeks to prepare, plus they were sitting home watching this game. So they've had more time to make some adjustments, to correct the mistakes they made in that last game. Believe me, the Giants will have some change-ups, have some different looks on both sides of the ball that Philadelphia may not be prepared for. So, the Giants have a decided advantage in preparation even though the Eagles won the last game.

Any time a game is a rematch, I always look for the team that lost to be the most-improved team. Because what happens when you lose a game, you tend to be very critical of yourself. I believe the Giants will be able to correct their mistakes and also game plan to be so much better second time around. The team that won that game — the Eagles — will feel happy that they won and feel real good about it. Their thinking will be, if it was good the last time, why not do it again? So they don't really correct as many mistakes as the team that lost the game.

This is a great playoff matchup in what has been a great, highly competitive division this year. This game will be no different than, say, what fans in Philadelphia and Dallas expect when the Eagles play the Cowboys. Just look at their series over the last several years. The Cowboys have fared well in the first game and the Eagles have dominated them in the second game.

In the other NFC playoff game, anytime you have Kurt Warner and the talented receivers that Arizona has you'll have a chance. But the Cardinals have a lot to overcome. The Panthers had the week off, beat Arizona earlier this year, and are playing at home (where they were 8-0 this season).

Carolina has the real strong running game that should be able to control the game. Those backs, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, are going to be fresh. It's going to be difficult for Arizona to stay with Carolina. The one thing Arizona has to be concerned about is turning the ball over on the road against a really outstanding defensive team. And if they turn it over, once or twice, that means even fewer opportunities for the Cardinals to match the score. I believe that Carolina is going to run the ball and score a lot. Plus, Jake Delhomme improved at the end of the year. I thought he struggled in the middle of the season, but he got better and having the time off is going to help him a lot, too.

I am really looking forward to the San Diego-Pittsburgh rematch. Like I said on the show, Norv Turner has done a great job keeping his team together and they have played very well down the stretch. I know people tend to be critical of Norv, but he has to be doing a lot of things right. They have won five straight now and that was a great game they played against the Colts on Saturday night.

Philip Rivers has had a great year. Who knows whether LaDainian Tomlinson will play again this season, but Darren Sproles has stepped in and done a tremendous job in his place. He is a game-breaker. I give them a chance against Pittsburgh. They played tough against them during the regular season, but again it is a huge, huge advantage that the Steelers had the week off and will be playing at home. I say that even though we just watched two road teams win on Sunday. But this two-week break is a lot different. The Chargers had a chance to win the last time. I do think their offense is playing better right now and the defense really kept Peyton Manning out of the end zone.

The team I really like right now is Baltimore. They are playing very good defense and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco is come on and playing pretty well. They really have the running game going now with all three backs. Baltimore, I think, has a shot against anybody right now. That game with Tennessee should be one heckuva defensive game.

That game will be all about who can hold onto the ball and who can avoid the turnover. It should be a low-scoring game with two good defenses and so if it is low-scoring, one or two turnovers could be the difference. The key to Baltimore is that its running backs are finally all healthy.

I like Baltimore's defense, and I like Philadelphia, Tennessee and Pittsburgh's defenses as well. I do think success against all of them really depends on the style of offense. Who can protect the passer against these teams? The best pass-protecting teams will have the best chance, and I do think you can throw on any one of these teams. If you can protect the passer, but that is a big if.

But I do keep coming back to the Baltimore because of Ed Reed back at safety. He is such a ball hawk. Because what happens, whenever the Ravens really put a rush on the quarterback, a lot of times he will throw too early or he throws it up or he throws it into coverage. So, when you have a ball hawk like Ed Reed, he's going to come up with a pick and if he does he's liable to score with it. He's that good! The key to playoff football is putting pressure on the quarterback. Now, there will be times when you don't get the sack or the hit, but the pressure causes the quarterback to makes throws he normally doesn't make. When that happens, the whole game can change around.