NFL Playoff Schedule 2014-15: TV Info, Predictions for AFC and NFC Matchups

There are just two weeks remaining in the NFL regular season. When it's all said and done, 11 elite teams—and the NFC South champion—will begin the NFL's final tournament that culminates with Super Bowl XLIX.

As of the end of Week 15, we know the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots are all in, but their positions in the postseason are still undecided.

The playoffs begin on Jan. 3 and conclude with the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. You can view the entire schedule on FBSSchedules.com. The AFC Championship Game will be televised by CBS, while the NFC title game will be broadcast by Fox. The Super Bowl telecast belongs to NBC.

Now that we know how to watch the postseason, here's a look at who I predict will occupy each spot in both conferences.

NFC

First-Round Byes (*predicted record in parentheses)

No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

About four weeks ago, almost no one would have guessed the Seahawks would be finishing as the NFC's No. 1 seed. Now, Seattle is perhaps the most feared team in the league again.

Russell Wilson and Co. should win their final two games over the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. That would give the defending champions a 12-4 record, and they would own the tiebreaker over the Cards and the Green Bay Packers.

No. 2 Green Bay Packers (12-4)

Green Bay stumbled on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but the Packers are still one of the best teams in the conference. With a road game against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a home game against the Lions remaining, the Packers should finish 12-4 and second in the NFC.

Wild Card Round

No. 6 Dallas Cowboys (11-5) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

The Eagles and Cowboys just battled in Week 15, and the division rivals also met in Week 13. A rubber match looks to be on the horizon during the Wild Card Round.

I predict the Eagles will go on to win the division despite Sunday night's 38-27 loss. If both teams finish with the same record, the Eagles would still likely have a better division record, and they split with Dallas head-to-head.

The Detroit Lions will lose their last two games of the season, thus the Cowboys will snag the last playoff spot in the NFC.

No. 5 Arizona Cardinals (12-4) at No. 4 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Should things play out this way, this could be a very winnable game for the Panthers. Playing at home and potentially rallying behind Cam Newton against a mangled Cardinals offense, you never know what could happen. 

Arizona will likely finish 12-4, but after presumably losing to Seattle in Week 16, the Cards would lose tiebreakers to the division champs and the Pack.

The Panthers are the fastest turtles in the NFC South. The team has won two straight games. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Newton's availability the rest of the season, per Conor Orr of NFL.com, it has enough to win the woeful NFC South.

That should become even more practical after the New Orleans Saints lose to the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

AFC

First-Round Byes (*predicted record in parentheses)

No. 1 New England Patriots (13-3)

Yes, the Pats lost to the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 13. Truth be told, there may not be a team in the NFL capable of taking down Green Bay at home. The fact that New England only lost by five—and because it has reeled off two straight wins since the loss—proves how good the Pats are.

With the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills left on its schedule, the Pats won't lose another game this season. A 13-3 record and head-to-head wins over the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts should ensure New England has home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

No. 2 Denver Broncos (13-3)

That 43-21 loss to New England in Week 9 will likely be the difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 spot for the Broncos. The second spot seems like a lock for Denver, because even if it splits its last two games (at the Cincinnati Bengals and home against the Oakland Raiders), the Broncos would still own the tiebreaker over the Colts.

Wild Card Round 

No. 6 San Diego Chargers (10-6) at No. 3 Indianapolis Colts (12-4)

Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Indy has a tough Week 16 matchup against the Cowboys, but it finishes the season with the pitiful Tennessee Titans. I have the Colts winning both games and coasting into the third spot in the conference.

San Diego's path is far more stressful. It will need help to get the final spot. The Bolts will have to win back-to-back road games at the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, but Philip Rivers is at his best when his team is in must-win situations.

Despite the team's current two-game losing streak, Bleacher Report's Bryn Swartz lauds Rivers' record in December:

Pulling out those wins will push the Chargers to 10-6 and ahead of a Cincinnati Bengals team that will rue the day it had to settle for a tie against the Panthers back in Week 6.

That draw will leave the Bengals at 9-6-1 after Cincy drops its final two games against the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. Mark Cambareri of ESPN also anticipates the tie coming back to bite the Bengals:

No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) at No. 4 Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

Pittsburgh needs a win over the Bengals and a loss to the Chiefs to get to the predicted 10 wins. The Steelers will have fewer conference losses than San Diego, thus it gets the fifth seed.

The Ravens have the weakest remaining schedule with a road game against the Houston Texans and a home date with the Cleveland Browns. Bank on them running their current win streak to four games and winning the AFC North.

The bitter Pittsburgh-Baltimore rivalry will get another chapter added this postseason.