Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears

No. 5 seed Panthers 12-5 (NFC wild card), No. 2 seed Bears 11-5 (NFC North champion)

Last meeting: Bears 13-3, on Nov. 20

Offense

The Panthers have totaled 67 points while winning their past two games, including last weekend's first-round playoff triumph over the Giants at Giants Stadium. The offense revolves around wide receiver Steve Smith , left, who had a touchdown catch and a touchdown run on an end-around against the Giants. Ten of quarterback Jake Delhomme's 15 completions last weekend went to Smith. The Panthers also had 223 rushing yards, 214 of them by tailbacks DeShaun Foster and Nick Goings. The Bears ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense during the regular season, but they'll try to run the ball with 1,300-yard rusher Thomas Jones , right, and they're hoping their late-season quarterback switch back to Rex Grossman pays off. Advantage: Panthers

Defense

The Bears allowed 12.6 points per game during the regular season, a league low by a comfortable margin; Indianapolis was No. 2 at 15.4 points per game. The Bears have the NFL's defensive player of the year in linebacker Brian Urlacher , right, and four other Pro Bowl picks in linebacker Lance Briggs, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, cornerback Nathan Vasher and safety Mike Brown. They sacked Delhomme eight times, and Vasher had two interceptions as the Bears limited the Panthers to 238 yards and beat them, 13-3, on Nov. 20 in Chicago. Defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown totaled five sacks in that game, but the Bears allowed Steve Smith to have 14 catches for 169 yards. The Panthers also have two standout pass rushers in defensive ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker , left. Advantage: Bears

Special Teams

Neither kicker is exactly automatic. The Panthers' John Kasay missed 8 of 34 field goal attempts during the regular season (although five of his misses were from 50 yards and longer), and Bears rookie Robbie Gould missed 6 of 27. Gould was only 3 of 8 from 40 yards and beyond. The Panthers have two punt returners who are threats, in Steve Smith and cornerback Chris Gamble, and held opponents to 6.5 yards per punt return during the season. Advantage: Panthers

Coaches

John Fox is good. He's taken the Panthers to a Super Bowl, and he has them back in the chase this season after missing the playoffs last season. But no one did a better job this season than the Bears' Lovie Smith, who led a club with obvious offensive shortcomings to an NFC North title and a first-round playoff bye. This is his first postseason game as an NFL head coach. Advantage: Bears

And the Winner Is . . .

The Panthers could catch a break with the weather, with temperatures forecasted to be relatively mild Sunday. Carolina was about as unpredictable during the regular season as an 11-win team can be. But the Panthers have looked dominant the past two weeks. They have the best offensive player on either team in Steve Smith. They have a defense more than capable of shutting down Chicago's less-than-fearsome offense, and they know how to win in the playoffs. Pick: Panthers

-- Mark Maske