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

Let the NFL postseason games begin.

Four months of regular-season action has finally led to the playoffs, where a dozen teams embark on a single-elimination tournament, with glory and a Super Bowl trophy waiting at the end. Four squads will feel the wrath of football's win-or-go-home format this weekend, where a quadrant of first-round slates kick off the festivities.

While the NFC is represented by each division in the conference's two slates, three AFC North squads dominate the opening round's showdown on the other side. Let's take a closer look at all four games.

Playoff Picture

Playoff Picks

Date	Home	Away	Time (ET)	Odds*	Pick
Saturday, Jan. 3	No. 4 Carolina Panthers	No. 5 Arizona Cardinals	4:35 p.m.	CAR -4	CAR
Saturday, Jan. 3	No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers	No. 6 Baltimore Ravens	8:15 p.m.	PIT -3	PIT
Sunday, Jan. 4	No. 4 Indianapolis Colts	No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals	1:05 p.m.	IND -4	IND
Sunday, Jan. 4	No. 3 Dallas Cowboys	No. 6 Detroit Lions	4:40 p.m.	DAL -8	DAL

All odds, courtesy of Odds Shark, are accurate as of Monday, Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. ET

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Carolina Panthers went two full months without a victory. They host the Arizona Cardinals, who started 9-2 with both defeats at the hands of last year's Super Bowl representatives.

Even at 7-8-1, the Panthers are favored to best the 11-win Cardinals, and this makes perfect sense. Football is weird.

Since losing quarterback Carson Palmer in Week 10, the Cardinals have averaged 11 points per game with subpar quarterback play and a ground game producing a measly 3.3 yards per carry. The secondary continues to regress, and a once formidable rushing defense has allowed 473 yards on the ground through the closing two games.

All great news for the Panthers, who went 4-0 in December while allowing just 43 combined points. Even with the win, they enter the postseason with a losing record, a rare football feat put into perspective by ESPN Stats & Info.

The Seattle Seahawks memorably won a playoff game, showing that records fly out the window in an elimination bracket. Carolina looks more like last year's elite defense, vaulting all the way up to No. 11 in passing defense due to a sensational finish.

They'll win an ugly bout by stifling Arizona's offense.

Prediction: Panthers 20, Cardinals 13

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

These AFC North rivals are meeting again under different circumstances. While the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens usually trade three-point victories, they each topped the other by 20, keeping the feud even in their own roundabout way.

Despite closing the season at 10-6 with a plus-107 point differential, the Ravens are hardly gallivanting into 2015. They're 1-6 against winning teams, and they needed a late rally to upend Connor Shaw's Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Pittsburgh closed out the season's final 10 games at 8-2, scoring 31.2 points per game over that stretch. A prime component to its offensive renaissance, running back Le'Veon Bell exited Sunday night's AFC North title clash against the Cincinnati Bengals with a knee injury.

Per the NFL Network, head coach Mike Tomlin offered an uncertain prognosis after the game, although it certainly could be worse.

If there's a team the Steelers can beat without Bell, it's Baltimore, who shut down the run but open the door for opposing aerial attacks. Losing a star who exceeded 2,000 yards from scrimmage hurts, but Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown could overcome his absence for one weekend.

Prediction: Steelers 20, Ravens 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Although the Bengals have reached the playoffs four times in the past five years, they have not won a playoff game since 1991. During the last trio of first-round exits, they scored a combined 33 points.

Andy Dalton's shortcomings during those defeats are especially well-documented.

Season	Opponent	CMP/ATT	Pass YDs	TDs	INTs
2011	@HOU	27/42	257	0	3
2012	@HOU	14/20	127	0	1
2013	SD	29/51	334	1	2

On the bright side, the Indianapolis Colts' middling defense could offer a reprieve from those letdowns. Unfortunately, Andrew Luck and Co. are thinking the same thing. Cincinnati's defense is not what it used to be, ranked No. 22 in total yards allowed. 

This is the toughest contest to call, as neither team shines as a beacon of consistency. The Bengals are especially prone to stretches of brilliance and ineptitude alike, with their nadir prompted by a shutout at Indy's hand earlier this season.

Ending 2014 with a plus-21 point differential, the Bengals once again aren't strong enough to exorcise their postseason demons. 

Prediction: Colts 27, Bengals 23

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys

With apologies to everyone else, the Dallas Cowboys are by far the NFC's biggest threat playing this weekend.

At 12-4, Dallas outscored opponents 165-79 during four December victories. Remarkable play from all of the offense's big names led to several record revisions, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions finished the season 1-4 against winning teams after suffering a 30-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. As noted by ESPN's Ed Werder, they don't have a strong track record facing stout competition on the road.

Away they go to face the soaring Cowboys, who had to be encouraged by Eddie Lacy grinding out 100 rushing yards against the top-ranked rushing defense. If he can poke holes in the unit, so can NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray.

While Detroit looks like the product of a favorable schedule, Dallas is a club nobody wants to face right now.

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Lions 17