NFL Wild Card Schedule 2015: Dates, Times, AFC and NFC Playoffs Preview

Entering Sunday's Week 17 NFL action, only one spot was available for the upcoming playoffs. What needed to be determined were multiple division winners and the order of the majority of seeds ahead of the Wild Card Round.    

The New England Patriots have again established themselves as the class of the AFC and will have home-field advantage as they try for a fourth Super Bowl in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. A tight NFC race has the defending champion Seattle Seahawks as the NFC's top seed.

Those two teams could very well meet to battle for the Lombardi Trophy, but anything can happen in the one-and-done postseason format. This coming Saturday marks the kickoff of postseason action, with two games on both Saturday and next Sunday.

Below is an overview of the current playoff picture, along with analysis and an overarching preview of the postseason for each conference.

Saturday, January 3	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, January 4	Time (ET)	TV
Arizona Cardinals (5) vs. Carolina Panthers (4)	4:35 p.m.	ESPN
Baltimore Ravens (6) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (3)	8:15 p.m.	NBC
Cincinnati Bengals (5) vs. Indianapolis Colts (4)	1:05 p.m.	CBS
Detroit Lions (6) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3)	4:40 p.m.	FOX

AFC Playoff Preview

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

It's hard to find a more complete team than the Patriots. With Brady under center and Belichick patrolling the sidelines, New England has been a most consistent winner.

Despite a loss to Buffalo to cap the regular season, the AFC East winners are still in the best possible position in the standings. Brady reflected the likely mindset of the team afterward, per the team's official Twitter feed:

Peyton Manning's waning arm was on display in the Denver Broncos' loss in Week 16 at Cincinnati, and it has to be a lingering concern.

No matter how well he played Sunday against the lowly Oakland Raiders, Manning has been turnover-prone as of late, per the NFL on ESPN:

That doesn't bode well for Denver's chances to emerge as the AFC's representative for the Super Bowl for a second straight year.

On the bright side, C.J. Anderson's rise to stardom in the Broncos backfield, combined with a defense that entered Week 17 third in Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency rating ahead of Seattle, gives Denver hope.

Mike Klis of The Denver Post observed how productive Anderson has been as Manning has slumped with turnovers:

Speaking of carelessness with the football, that has been the one knock on Manning's successor in Indianapolis, talented Colts young star Andrew Luck. The 2012 top overall draft pick has essentially put Indy on his back in leading the team to three straight seasons of double-digit wins to start his career.

As much of a penchant as Luck has shown for big plays, comebacks and eye-popping throws, he's had a discouraging number of errors, with 16 interceptions and double-digit fumbles this year.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora highlights the underlying issue that's plagued Luck, who doesn't have a dependable running game to lean on:

If Luck can take care of the football, there's no telling how far the Colts can go. It would be hard to envision them getting by an opportunistic team like New England should Luck continue to be generous with giveaways, though.

The Baltimore Ravens became the final playoff team with a win over the Connor Shaw-led Cleveland Browns and unheralded Kansas City signal-caller Chase Daniel defeating the San Diego Chargers for the necessary help. ESPN Stats & Info noted the Ravens win and provided Flacco's fourth-quarter stats:

Clutch play at the end from Ravens QB Joe Flacco helped Baltimore into the postseason. NFL Network's Albert Breer weighed in on the Ravens' chances moving forward:

Neither Cincinnati nor Pittsburgh has been consistent all year, be it due to injuries or a failure to execute on both sides of the ball. The AFC North may have half of the conference's playoff teams, yet none of them are truly reliable.

That only fortifies the case for New England to remain where it is right now: atop the AFC. Look for the Patriots to get to the Super Bowl, avenging last year's loss in the conference title game and beating Manning's Broncos in Foxborough to get there.

Projected Super Bowl Participant: New England Patriots

NFC Playoff Preview

The Legion of Boom swagger is back in full force, Russell Wilson is playing as well as any QB in the league and the Seahawks' repeat campaign is legitimate.

It took quite a rally to recover from a tenacious, physical NFC West tangle with the St. Louis Rams in Week 17, but Seattle took its division rival's best shot, came back from a 6-0 halftime deficit and won with 20 unanswered points.

Despite many preceding years of mediocrity, it could be America's Team that has the best chance to derail Seattle. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys, on the strength of a red-hot offense and a perfect 8-0 road record, have to have the best shot at going to CenturyLink Field and pulling out a victory.

Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram accentuates how great the Cowboys have been at putting points on the board:

As much credit as NFL leading rusher DeMarco Murray and Dallas' excellent offensive line deserves for the NFC East champions' success, Tony Romo has been superb under center, as SportsCenter noted:

NFL's Director of NFC Football Communications Randall Liu notes how the Cowboys' superb road mark bodes well for their Super Bowl outlook:

Dallas defeated Washington 44-17 on Sunday and has arguably the best complementary offense in football.

One big area where the Cowboys could have the edge is in the red zone. Entering Sunday, Seattle had scored touchdowns on just 50.85 percent of red-zone trips, ranking 22nd in the NFL, while Dallas was second at a 68.09 percent TD clip, per TeamRankings.com.

But with how deep the NFC is, there are two other legitimate contenders from the NFC North. The Detroit Lions' stout defense and passing-game combination of Matthew Stafford and receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate gives them a puncher's chance against anyone.

Another big-time threat is the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers has enjoyed a competent ground game, thanks to big-bodied ball-carrier Eddie Lacy, and the Dom Capers-coordinated defense has shown improvement.

However, Rodgers re-aggravated his calf injury on Sunday, and ESPN.com's John Clayton provided the details:

Former NFL head team physician David J. Chao offered his opinion on the matter:

Even with a calf injury slowing Rodgers down, Lacy gives Green Bay hope that it can deliver another championship to Titletown. The question is whether Rodgers can continue playing at an MVP-caliber level with a potentially bad wheel.

Although the Lions had Football Outsiders' top-rated defense prior to Sunday, their cornerback depth is suspect, which was on display in Week 17's loss at Lambeau Field.

It's a group Dallas' deep receiving corps can create separation against, especially with a stud like Dez Bryant on the outside and a gifted running back in Murray pounding the rock.

Stafford has had his issues away from home, too, per Fox6 sports director Tom Pipines:

The NFC South was won by the Carolina Panthers, who didn't have a winning season but will play a home game versus the Arizona Cardinals in what may not be a one-and-done scenario for the 7-8-1 hosts.

The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre alluded to the favorable circumstances that could see them advance to the divisional stage:

As long as QB Cam Newton is healthy and can lead the offense, Carolina has a shot to defeat a flawed Arizona team in Charlotte. Since the Cardinals are down to Ryan Lindley at quarterback, they can't be considered a threat beyond the wild-card stage—or even in it, perhaps.

Lindley did play better in Week 17, but he's hardly playoff-ready no matter what brilliant game plan Cardinals coach Bruce Arians draws up. That was evident in his three interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers.

Unless the Cowboys or Packers can solve the riddle of the Seahawks in Seattle, the reigning champions figure to have as good of a shot as anyone in this era of NFL parity to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

Projected Super Bowl Participant: Seattle Seahawks