NFL Playoff Schedule 2014-15: Schedule and Predictions for Wild Card Round

The NFL postseason always creates impeccable drama because of its one-and-done format, but the parity in this year's league should make the 2014 playoffs especially thrilling.  All the top contenders have shown vulnerabilities this year, while many of the dark horses playing on Wild Card Weekend have exhibited the ceiling necessary to make a surprise Super Bowl run.

For the first round, the AFC and NFC brackets have decidedly different feels.  The former showcases a pair of regular-season rematches between playoff veterans, while the latter features matchups between four of the most enigmatic teams in the league.

Regardless, with three of the past four champions having come from the Wild Card Round, someone will establish themselves as top threats to break up the four-team hegemony among the first-round bye squads.  Check out the full Wild Card Weekend schedule below, as well as an early forecast on what may be in store for the upcoming weekend.

Date	Time	Matchup	Watch	Stream
Saturday, Jan. 3	4:35 p.m. ET	Arizona at Carolina	ESPN	Watch ESPN
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

Best Game: Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The biggest strength-on-strength matchup this weekend will occur in Arlington, where the Cowboys' sixth-ranked rushing game will face off against the Lions' top-ranked run defense, based on Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted DVOA metrics.  Both units have predicated their successes this season on establishing the line of scrimmage and winning early downs, so it's not a stretch to say that this matchup will determine the game's outcome.

An obvious monkey wrench for Detroit could be Ndamukong Suh's availability.  The always irascible Suh again made headlines for the wrong reason when he dubiously stepped on Aaron Rodgers' ankle on Sunday.  Though it's almost impossible to determine intent by video alone, Suh's checkered history has many doubting that he'll receive the benefit of the doubt from the league:

If the Lions lose their best defensive player, Matthew Stafford and the offense must exploit a suspect Dallas secondary.  When Detroit faced the Cowboys last season, Calvin Johnson exploded for 329 yards on 14 receptions.  Brandon Carr is unlikely to solely shadow the Lions' top target again, but with slot corner Orlando Scandrick likely to follow Golden Tate, it's possible that Carr and some combination of J.J. Wilcox or Barry Church will attempt to bracket the irrepressible Megatron.

There's also the intriguing quarterback storyline, as Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford have faced varying levels of big-game scrutiny in the past.  Though it's tough to make an individual statistical argument against either (particularly Romo), the Cowboys and Lions rank 17th and 27th, respectively, in winning percentage against opponents with winning records since 2011, per Pro-Football-Reference.

Quite simply, the wins haven't been there in the biggest games.  One of these snakebitten teams will get a chance to rewrite that narrative, though, as these two squads stand out as the likeliest upset bids against the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers in the next round.

Top Underdog: Baltimore Ravens

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

Though they needed help on Sunday to reach the playoffs, advanced metrics suggest that the Ravens deserved their postseason bid all along.  Rankings from the likes of Football Outsiders and Advanced Football Analytics have portrayed Baltimore as a top-10 team overall all season, and among the likeliest threats to the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.

Of course, even a first-round win is no given, as the Ravens will travel to Heinz Field, where they have lost three consecutive postseason games.  In the Joe Flacco-John Harbaugh era, the Ravens are 3-6 overall at Pittsburgh, though just one of those losses came by double-digits.

The Ravens could receive an obvious boost if potential All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell is unable to suit up.  Bell injured his right knee Sunday night on an ugly-looking hit, and though the team announced a hyperextension during the game, his status will be dubious at best early on:

Regardless of Bell's status, Pittsburgh still holds a big advantage over Baltimore in the vertical passing game.  Ben Roethlisberger tossed for 340 yards and six touchdowns in their last meeting, eviscerating a Ravens secondary that had just lost Jimmy Smith.  Baltimore has since lost four more rotational defensive backs, leaving the likes of Rashaan Melvin and Lardarius Webb playing critical roles in containing Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant downfield.

Still, Joe Flacco also has the weapons to exploit a Steelers secondary that has hemorrhaged big plays the second half of the season.  Thus, a rivalry that has been characterized by defensive struggles could turn into an unfamiliar shootout.  The Steelers are deserved home favorites, but don't overlook the Ravens' potential in making another deep postseason run from a wild-card slot.

Biggest X-Factor: Carolina Panthers Defense

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Last season, Carolina cruised to a 12-4 campaign behind a defense that ranked in the top five in virtually every conventional and advanced stat category.  Though that unit largely disappeared amid the Panthers miserable start, the defense has since recaptured its 2013 form during the Panthers' season-saving four-game winning streak.

Skeptics will point out that the Panthers did not play a winning team during that streak and benefited from cushy games against pitiful Cleveland and Tampa Bay offenses.  But shutting down offenses at the Superdome and Georgia Dome is no small feat, and the numbers suggest that the Panthers have indeed been one of the league's elite defenses over the last month:

	Pts/G	Yds/Play	Pass Yds/Att	Rush Yds/Att
Weeks 1-13	27.6	5.67	7.0	4.4
Weeks 14-17	10.0	4.91	5.1	5.3

Moreover, the insertions of rookie defensive backs Bene Benwikere and Tre Boston, as well as Philly Brown at wide receiver, suggest that tangible changes have spurred the winning streak.  After allowing 37 pass plays of 20 or more yards over the first 12 weeks, tied for 13th-most in the league, Carolina has allowed the third-fewest such plays (seven) since then, per Pro-Football-Reference.

At Charlotte, the Panthers hold a big advantage over the likely Ryan Lindley-led Cardinals offense.  Reports late in the week were ominous about Drew Stanton's potential postseason availability, and during Lindley's three games (Weeks 15-17), the Cardinals' 3.8 yards-per-play average ranked dead last in the league.

Even if Carolina pulls out a win, it's difficult to imagine them traveling to Lambeau or Century Link Field and emerging with a massive upset.  Nevertheless, given how the Panthers have played defense, it would be foolish to dismiss that possibility entirely.