NFL Playoff Schedule 2015: TV Info, Full Bracket and Super Bowl Predictions

The new year means a lot of things for everyone, whether it be a new start, time off or simply time to refocus on what's most important in life.

For fans of football, it means the start of the best time of every year—the NFL playoffs. The beginning of the Wild Card Round marks the potential march to a Super Bowl for 12 teams, with just one coming out on top.

Two massive matchups lie ahead in both the AFC and the NFC for the right to take on the No. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference. Prior to the games getting underway, here's a look at the full playoff schedule and Super Bowl predictions.

Date	Time	Matchup	Watch	Stream
Saturday, Jan. 3	4:35 p.m. ET	Arizona at Carolina	ESPN	WatchESPN
Saturday, Jan. 3	8:15 p.m. ET	Baltimore at Pittsburgh	NBC	NBC Sports Live Extra
Sunday, Jan. 4	1:05 p.m. ET	Cincinnati at Indianapolis	CBS	CBSSports.com
Sunday, Jan. 4	4:40 p.m. ET	Detroit at Dallas	FOX	Fox Sports Go

Super Bowl Prediction: New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

This shouldn't come as any shock to most football fans after watching the entire regular season. Both the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers looked like Super Bowl contenders this year and are firing on all cylinders heading into the playoffs.

Green Bay comes into January after a 10-point win over the Detroit Lions to clinch the NFC North. That run to the division crown, of course, comes after Aaron Rodgers famously told Packers fans to "R-E-L-A-X" back in September.

The Cheeseheads weren't quite as relaxed when Rodgers went down with a calf injury, but he still came out and played well against the Lions on Sunday. ESPN Stats & Info notes his nearly perfect performance after the injury:

One huge component for the Packers' turnaround this year was the receiving corps for Rodgers. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb emerged as two of the best wideouts in the NFL as Green Bay surged back to the playoff discussion.

Both receivers actually rank near the top five in yards after the catch, via Pro Football Focus:

"

Most yards after catch among WRs: Golden Tate 709 Demaryius Thomas 672 Antonio Brown 615 Randall Cobb 603 Jordy Nelson 558 Julio Jones 552

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 29, 2014"

Needless to say, it's more than just Rodgers who makes the offense go. Nelson has enjoyed a career year with Rodgers healthy all season and doesn't appear to be slowing down. Over the final four games of the year, Nelson averaged 100 yards per week and three total touchdowns.

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel passed along how historic Nelson's season was for the Packers:

Not to mention the fact that Eddie Lacy will also have a full week of rest before making the playoff push. While Green Bay will likely have to go through Seattle again to make the Super Bowl, it is a completely different team than the one that played the Seahawks in Week 1.

As for the Packers' future opponent in Arizona, Rodgers and Co. will match up with yet another legendary quarterback in Tom Brady. The Patriots followed a similar path as the Packers, but their 12-4 record was good enough to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

New England also just so happens to have one of the best quarterbacks in January during his career. Brady's numbers were shared by ESPN Stats & Info heading into the crucial month:

Cam Newton closed that gap last week with a win over the Atlanta Falcons, but Brady can lengthen his lead with a late run this January.

Part of the reason for the Pats' run to close out the season was due to finding new weapons and players getting back to full health. Two perfect examples of that are Brandon LaFell (953 receiving yards, seven touchdowns since Week 3) and Rob Gronkowski (1,124 yards, 12 TDs).

Another huge reason has been the offensive line play, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe points out:

The biggest thing both teams have in common is a wealth of players on both sides of the ball who can make a difference. Having a stable of LeGarrette Blount and Jonas Gray for New England is nearly the equivalent of having one healthy Lacy for the Packers. 

Both teams still have a long road ahead, with myriad teams looking to knock them down a peg. However, with two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, the Pats and Pack will eventually fight for the Lombardi Trophy.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.