NFL Playoff Scenarios 2014-15: Wild-Card Picture, Postseason Bracket and Odds

After 17 weeks of intense action involving all 32 NFL teams, the 12 teams comprising the postseason have been set. Even though the schedule of games drastically decreases, the ferocious nature of the games increases in the quest to win a Super Bowl. 

Even though there are teams that will garner more fanfare in the postseason because of how they looked during the regular season, January football is when weird things happen.

For the second time in four years, a team under .500 made the playoffs. Last time that happened, Marshawn Lynch introduced the world to "Beast Mode." The NFC South was a joke in the regular season, but none of that matters now. 

The next five weeks will provide more drama than any movie released in 2014. Enough talking about why it's important to love the postseason; here is how the playoff bracket looks and the wild-card picture stands with only one game left on the Week 17 schedule. 

Team	Odds
Seattle Seahawks	5/2
New England Patriots	5/2
Green Bay Packers	5/1
Denver Broncos	6/1
Dallas Cowboys	10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers	18/1
Indianapolis Colts	25/1
Detroit Lions	30/1
Arizona Cardinals	50/1
Cincinnati Bengals	60/1
Baltimore Ravens	75/1
Carolina Panthers	100/1

Postseason Breakdown

In looking at the current Super Bowl odds, it's surprising to see that Seattle, Green Bay, New England and Denver are so far ahead of the pack. There's little doubt that the Seahawks and Patriots are the two best teams in their respective conferences, but both have flaws that can be exposed in the postseason. 

It would be nice to see Seattle actually face a quality quarterback again, something that one could argue hasn't happened since Cam Newton in Week 8 or Eli Manning in Week 10.

Since November 16, the Seahawks defense has faced Alex Smith, Drew Stanton, Colin Kaepernick (twice), Mark Sanchez, Ryan Lindley and Shaun Hill. Name one quarterback in that group who legitimately scares opposing defensive coordinators. 

That sounds like a denigration of what Pete Carroll's team has accomplished, but it isn't meant to. As noted by Jason Churchill of 1090 The Fan, Seattle has been on an incredible run over the past three years:

However, before we go proclaiming this Seattle defense better than last year's unit, let's give them a test in the playoffs and see what has to happen if the offense is forced to score 24 or 27 points to win a game. 

Green Bay has been vulnerable away from Lambeau Field, posting a 4-4 record, so the Week 17 win over Detroit to clinch the NFC North was a critical step for the team. The health of Aaron Rodgers will be worth monitoring. He left for a short time in Week 17 against Detroit before returning. 

If there were any lingering effects for Rodgers, his numbers certainly didn't reflect it, via ESPN Stats & Info:

If that's what Rodgers is doing on one leg, imagine what he can do with two weeks to heal. The Packers quarterback will have his work cut out for him, as the NFC is more than just Green Bay and the Seahawks. 

How are the Cowboys not getting more love in the odds? There must still be a stigma with them that's hard to get over, because this is a team with all of the ingredients to make a deep run. Offensively, Jason Garrett's team is as diverse as any still standing. 

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing during the regular season, but it's the performance of Tony Romo that has changed this Dallas team. 

As noted by ESPN's Todd Archer, Romo has been consistent playing away from home for the past five years:

The Cowboys have been just as good of a team on the road, at least in 2014. They are the only team in the NFL to go 8-0 away from home. That will be critical in the playoffs, as Dallas is only guaranteed one home game in the Wild Card Round, and it has already won at Seattle this season. 

Another NFC team to watch in the Wild Card Round is Carolina. It's strange to think that a 7-8-1 team will do damage in the playoffs, but the Panthers have been playing much better football lately. 

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Ron Rivera's team ended the year on a four-game winning streak after defeating Atlanta, tied with Dallas for the second-longest streak in the NFC to close the season. 

As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noted on Twitter during the Panthers game, they were playing good, physical football early:

Cam Newton looks healthy and more like the quarterback we saw in 2013, though he was "only" an efficient 10-of-16 for 114 yards with one passing touchdown against Atlanta. The Panthers quarterback did show off his legs, running for 51 yards and another score in the win. 

Jonathan Stewart has been running like a man possessed since Week 13 with 437 yards in the previous four games, though he was limited to 49 yards on 13 carries against Atlanta.

The defense may not be as dominant as it was last year, but it certainly looks like a formidable unit in the NFC after allowing 43 points during this winning streak. 

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

On the AFC side, Pittsburgh looks like the biggest threat to New England. With respect to the Broncos, until Peyton Manning stops throwing floating ducks and the offense looks like it did in the first half of the year, they are going to struggle. 

The Steelers are the AFC version of Dallas. They don't have a great defense, but their ability on offense can hide a lot of other scabs. Antonio Brown was arguably the league's best wideout in 2014, needing just two catches against Cincinnati for the second-most in a single season, via NFL.com's Gil Brandt:

Le'Veon Bell entered Week 17 as the second-leading rusher in the NFL with 1,341 yards. The second-year star summed up the Steelers offense nicely, telling F. Dale Lolley of The Observer-Reporter it's basically "pick your poison" if you load up to stop the run or pass because the other will beat you. 

In an era where offense rules the NFL, Dallas and Pittsburgh have the necessary ingredients to make a deep playoff run and are the best of the non-favorites to keep a close eye on. 

At the very least, Dallas and Pittsburgh will be able to show what those offenses are capable of doing in next week's Wild Card Round. 

Stats via ESPN.com 

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