NFL Playoffs 2014-15: Super Bowl Odds and Predictions for Wild Card Matchups
The NFL playoffs are here.
We've made it through 17 weeks of the regular season, and it's time to watch the NFL's best teams duke it out for the right to play in Super Bowl XLIX. The road to Arizona begins in the Wild Card Round, where eight teams will play next weekend.
Of the four matchups on the schedule, two stick out as the most polarizing of the weekend. Continue reading on to find predictions for those games as well as Super Bowl odds for the teams who will play in a week's time.
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| Saturday, January 3 | ||||
| Panthers | Cardinals | 75/1 | 50/1 | Panthers, 27-13 |
| Steelers | Ravens | 33/1 | 75/1 | Steelers, 30-17 |
| Sunday, January 4 | ||||
| Colts | Bengals | 25/1 | 12/1 | Bengals, 21-20 |
| Cowboys | Lions | 9/1 | 22/1 | Cowboys, 29-17 |
Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers
This will likely either be the most exciting matchup of the Wild Card Round or the most boring.
The Cardinals are the playoffs' worst team in terms of health, as quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton are both injured. Ryan Lindley is the man in charge of the offense.
The Panthers are the playoffs' least successful team, finishing the season at 7-8-1. They were 3-8-1 on Dec. 1. It took a four-game winning streak through December to clinch the NFC South, becoming the first team to win the division in back-to-back years.
While many will complain that a sub-.500 team doesn't belong in the playoffs, head coach Ron Rivera isn't one of them, via Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer:
"The beautiful thing is the record doesn't matter. That's the best part. It's about the fact that we won the South two years in a row. We were the first team to do it from the South. That's something for us to build on as we go forward as a football team.
"
The team's official Twitter account even had some fun with those who doubted it throughout its run to the top of the division:
Despite your feelings on the matter, it's hard to ignore the fact that Carolina is arguably the hottest team in the NFC right now. The defense hasn't allowed more than 19 points since Nov. 30, and it just put on a show against the potent Atlanta Falcons offense on Sunday.
Against a far inferior offensive team, the Panthers defense should thrive. Lindley just threw his first NFL touchdown pass this weekend, and his inexperience will show against a ferocious defense.
Arizona made the playoffs thanks to an incredible start to its season, but these teams are moving in two opposite directions. There's very little chance the Cardinals will ride Lindley to a win in the playoffs.
The Panthers will advance and keep their run going to the divisional round.
Prediction: Panthers 27, Cardinals 13
Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys
The stifling defense of the Lions will try to go to work against the high-octane offense of the Cowboys next weekend though things aren't looking so hot for Detroit.
For one, the Green Bay Packers didn't seem to have a problem dropping 30 points on it on Sunday. Plus, the Packers rushed for 152 yards.
Dallas' offense has been just as potent as Green Bay's lately, and DeMarco Murray has been the most reliable running back in football this year. He'd be nothing without quarterback Tony Romo, however.
Romo and Murray work perfectly together. Each player takes the pressure off the other. Murray forces the defense to stuff the box, allowing Romo to pick apart the defense with fewer obstacles in his way. Romo sometimes demands coverage down the field, allowing Murray to run rampant in the middle of the field.
It's a simple case of "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."
The bigger concern for Detroit is its own quarterback. Romo could very well beat the Lions, but Matthew Stafford could beat himself first.
Stafford continues to be somewhat of an enigma. He can light it up with big yard totals and highlight-like plays to receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, but it rarely happens against competent football teams. That's probably because of this glaring statistic, brought to light by Fox Sports' Ross Jones:
Detroit will be on the road next weekend. The Cowboys have a winning record.
That's right, Lions fans. Uh-oh.
We could just chalk it up to bad luck if the record was 0-5 or 0-6, but there's absolutely no looking past 0-16. It's a trend. Stafford does not perform well when the pressure is on.
Detroit has all the talent in the world, but this fact alone will keep it from being great. Look for Dallas to roll as a result.
Prediction: Cowboys 29, Lions 17
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
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