NFL Playoff Standings 2014-15: Week 15 Matchups with Biggest Postseason Impact

Time is running out for NFL teams to make their move into the playoff race. Some teams are securely in the postseason, though where they slot in is still to be determined. Others are one bad day away from falling off the map. 

What's making things so hard to figure out is how deep the conferences are now. There are 10 NFC teams fighting over five spots, which doesn't included the mess in the NFC South. That looks simple compared to the AFC, in which 12 of 16 teams are over .500 and vying for six spots. 

Week 15 could bring some resolution to the postseason chase. The New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos all have a shot to win their divisions, while the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals can lock down playoff spots with wins and some help. 

There are also teams that don't have a chance to clinch this weekend but can go a long way toward securing their playoff spot with a win. Here are the updated playoff standings and a look at the key Week 15 matchups that will help settle the postseason race. 

Rank	NFC (Week 15 Opponent)	AFC (Week 15 Opponent)
1	Arizona Cardinals (at St. Louis -Thursday)	New England Patriots (vs. Miami)
2	Green Bay Packers (at Buffalo)	Denver Broncos (at San Diego)
3	Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Dallas)	Indianapolis Colts (vs. Houston)
4	Atlanta Falcons (vs. Pittsburgh)	Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland)
5	Seattle Seahawks (vs. San Francisco)	Pittsburgh Steelers (at Atlanta)
6	Detroit Lions (vs. Minnesota)	San Diego Chargers (vs. Denver)

Key Week 15 Matchups

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

It's still strange to think the Atlanta Falcons, owning a 5-8 record, are not only in the playoff race but control their destiny in the NFC South. They have games with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers in the final two weeks. 

However, before the Falcons can arrive at that point, they have to host a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is impossible to figure out. One week after letting the New Orleans offense walk all over them, the Steelers bounced back with an impressive 42-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

As things stand, the Falcons would host a playoff game, and the Steelers would play Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round. 

Even though it would be easy to dismiss the Falcons in this spot, they do have one thing that's given Pittsburgh's defense problems: big-play wide receivers. 

When the Saints beat Pittsburgh two weeks ago, Kenny Stills went off with 162 yards on five catches. Last week, even in a victory, the Black and Yellow let A.J. Green rack up 224 yards on 11 catches. The Steelers pass defense ranks 23rd in the league, allowing 248.5 yards per game. 

Thomas Maney of Pro Football Focus noted in his weekly grades that Troy Polamalu got victimized by two big plays in the second quarter against Cincinnati:

"

Breakdown: Polamalu was involved in two big second quarter plays for the Bengals, and not in a positive way. He first allowed A.J. Green deep for a 56-yard gain, and later in the quarter bit hard on an option fake that allowed Andy Dalton to go untouched for a 20-yard score.

Signature Play: The aforementioned Dalton touchdown run came at 3:03 of the second, and while he wasn’t the only Steeler defender to look foolish on the play, it was an inexcusable mistake for Polamalu as the last line of defense.

"

Enter: Julio Jones. 

The Steelers may catch a break by missing Jones altogether or getting a version that's less than 100 percent. After injuring his hip against Green Bay on Monday, Jones didn't practice on Wednesday, though Falcons coach Mike Smith said the star receiver didn't need the warm-up to play, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

That would be welcome news to Pittsburgh, as Jones leads the NFL with 1,428 yards and had 259 against the Packers. 

Even with a healthy Jones, the Falcons will have a hard time winning this game. He's been great all year, yet the defense doesn't support this team at all. Atlanta has by far the worst pass defense in the NFL with 288 yards allowed per game, 21 more per game than 31st-ranked Baltimore. 

The Steelers have their own big-play threat in Antonio Brown, who has been as consistent as any player in the league this season, as this stat tweeted out by the Steelers shows:

Pittsburgh's offense is also supported by one of the best running backs in the league. Le'Veon Bell averages 5.1 yards per carry and has 1,231 rushing yards this season. Combine that with Ben Roethlisberger's 4,055 passing yards, and it's going to be a long day for the Falcons defense. 

The Steelers will solidify their standing in the AFC playoff picture, possibly moving atop the AFC North if Johnny Manziel can lead the Cleveland Browns to an upset over Cincinnati, while putting a dent in Atlanta's hopes for a division title. 

Steelers 37, Falcons 27

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

At what point is it fair to start asking what is wrong with Peyton Manning? Wrong may be a relative term considering the quarterback situations for a lot of teams, but the five-time MVP has been trending down as the season has gone on. 

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com shined a light on some of Manning's recent issues following Denver's win over the Buffalo Bills:

We can credit Denver for winning those two games as well as for how impressive the running game has been lately. The Broncos are averaging 182.7 yards per game on the ground over the last three weeks. 

Another possible explanation for Manning's struggles is they came against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that's second against the pass and a Buffalo defense that's fifth in the same category. But that's rarely stopped him from dominating before. 

San Diego is another defense that ranks in the top 10 against the pass, so let's see what Manning can do. This game is more critical for the Chargers, who lost last week to New England are tied with Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens at 8-5. 

The good news is the Chargers' win over Baltimore gives them the advantage in the event of a tie, but there's still little margin for error. 

If you recall, the Chargers went to Denver in Week 15 last year when the Broncos were rolling and won 27-20 to really jump-start that late-season playoff surge. 

The key to this year's playoff push for San Diego, if there is going to be one, looks like Ryan Mathews. The Chargers were trying to find a running game most of the year. Then Mathews came back from injury and has provided the spark. 

Unfortunately, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Mathews wasn't able to practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury:

Mathews has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over the last four games, giving the Chargers some production on the ground. He still hasn't had more than 16 carries in a game, but that's more of the way San Diego runs its offense. 

If the Chargers are going to beat Denver, their best formula is the one that worked last year. Hold the ball for nearly 39 minutes and don't let the Broncos run the ball. That's how John Fox's team has had to win the last two weeks because Manning has been mortal. 

This seems like a spot for the Broncos to fall before the season ends. 

Chargers 24, Broncos 17

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Depending on your perspective, this is the game Dallas Cowboys fans have been waiting for or dreading since Thanksgiving. Based on the franchise's recent history in December, it's probably the latter. 

There are reasons to be optimistic, despite Philadelphia's 33-10 win on November 27. That game was at AT&T Stadium, which is about the worst place for the Cowboys to play in 2014. They are a below-average team (3-4) in Jerry Jones' multibillion dollar facility and a perfect 6-0 on the road. 

The Eagles have also been erratic stopping the run this season, though one of their better games of the season came against DeMarco Murray two weeks ago. He was held to 73 yards on 20 carries, though he did find the end zone in the second quarter. 

The other reason for optimism is just how much the Cowboys and Eagles are mirror images of each other this season, as this graphic from StatMilk illustrates:

No one thinks the Eagles are 23 points better than the Cowboys. That looks like one of those anomalies that happens in the NFL from time to time. It was a bad time to happen to Jason Garrett's team, but it bounced back with a nice win over the Detroit Lions. 

Don't underestimate Dallas having two additional days off to prepare for the Eagles. That's huge this time of year, as players get to rest their bodies and absorb more information about a team's tendencies. 

It's also important to note the Eagles are still rolling with Mark Sanchez at quarterback. He did have a good game in the win over Dallas with 217 yards and one touchdown, but there have been just as many bad days (vs. Green Bay and the Seattle Seahawks). 

We can call the Seahawks game an anomaly because that defense is beating up everyone right now. Yet that doesn't explain what happened to Sanchez against the Packers or his mediocre career numbers, via Sports & Entertainment Senior Group Manager Robert Raiola:

The key for Dallas' defense this time around will be stopping LeSean McCoy. Shady had his best game of the year in that win with 159 rushing yards. That opened up everything else on the offense, so expect the Cowboys to stack the box, forcing Sanchez to beat them. 

You'll forgive me if I am still skeptical that Sanchez is able to throw a team to victory in a playoff race, even against a defense that has shown holes recently. The Cowboys will get their revenge and a leg up in the NFC East race. 

Cowboys 34, Eagles 27

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