NFL Playoff Schedule: 2015 Bracket Matchups and Wild-Card Picks

With the regular season finally out of the way, the focus shifts to the 2014 NFL playoffs, specifically next week's Wild Card Round.

The pairings are all set, with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers meeting in one half of the NFC bracket and the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys clashing in the other. Over in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts, while the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers take their AFC North rivalry into the postseason.

Below is the full schedule for the round, followed by the biggest storyline surrounding each of the four games.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV Info	Pick
Sat., Jan. 3	4:35 p.m.	Arizona at Carolina	ESPN	CAR
Sat., Jan. 3	8:15 p.m.	Baltimore at Pittsburgh	NBC	PIT
Sun., Jan. 4	1:05 p.m.	Cincinnati at Indianapolis	CBS	IND
Sun., Jan. 4	4:40 p.m.	Detroit at Dallas	FOX	DAL

Top Storylines

The Health of Le'Veon Bell

USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers beat the Bengals and won the AFC North on Sunday night, but they might have lost Le'Veon Bell in the process. Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson hit Bell in the knee, knocking the running back out of the game, per NBC Sports:

Bell's absence was felt a few plays later when his replacement, Dri Archer, failed to provide Ben Roethlisberger with adequate protection. The pocket broke down quickly, and Roethlisberger threw an interception.

It's no coincidence that the Bengals started storming back in the second half after Bell exited. The 22-year-old is a major part of Pittsburgh's offense. According to ESPN Stats & Info, 33 percent of the Steelers' total yards entering Week 17 came from Bell:

The good news is that the injury doesn't appear to be too serious. After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin said that the initial tests didn't find any structural damage, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

After the game, Bell walked out of the Steelers' locker room without the need for crutches or a knee brace, which is also an encouraging sign, per Scott Brown of ESPN.com:

As long as Brown is healthy, Pittsburgh shouldn't have much trouble putting away the Ravens. It beat them by 20 points at home back in Week 9, with Big Ben throwing for six touchdowns.

The Steelers' makeshift secondary continues chugging along, and the combination of Roethlisberger and Bell will be hard to stop.

Do the Arizona Cardinals Even Stand a Chance at This Point?

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The Arizona Cardinals have lost Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton and Andre Ellington. They're limping into the playoffs off of two losses. Ryan Lindley's the starting quarterback for crying out loud.

Before Palmer went down, the Cardinals looked like Super Bowl contenders. Before Stanton went down, Arizona fell off a little bit but still looked capable of winning a game or two and maybe challenging for an NFC title. Now, it's a dead team walking.

Bleacher Report's Sean Tomlinson doesn't see how the Cardinals can get past the Carolina Panthers with Lindley under center. Tomlinson argues that the third-stringer simply lacks the experience to handle any in-game situation thrown his way:

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The Lindley experience features sprinkles of optimism promptly wiped away by a split-second lapse in judgement. It’s not his fault, because all Ryan Lindley can be is Ryan Lindley. He’s true to himself while playing like a desperate, emergency option plucked off a practice squad in early November and seeing his first extended NFL action since 2012. That’s who he is and who he’ll keep being.

The third-string quarterback's identity is rooted in survival. Barring something truly miraculous, that’s their goal on every snap. The Lindleys of the NFL haven’t logged nearly enough snaps to navigate exotic blitzes and coverages. They have the talent and—in Lindley’s case specifically—the arm to execute certain throws and move an offense. But when confusion grips them, so does inconsistency.

"

With the Panthers entering the playoffs as one of the NFC's hottest teams, Arizona doesn't look long for the postseason.

Will the Detroit Lions Live Up (or Down in This Case) to Their Reputation?

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The Lions made it somewhat interesting late against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, but it was yet another big game in which they fell short on the road. According to FoxSports.com's Ross Jones, Detroit's winless in 16 games against winning teams on the road under Matthew Stafford:

In addition, the last time the team won a road playoff game was 1957, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Lions are a good team, but as NFL Network's Rich Eisen highlighted, losing to the Packers was a hammer blow to their postseason chances:

The Cowboys go into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak and have won five of their last six games. Two weeks ago, they bludgeoned the Colts, 42-7. Dallas has built a reputation over the years for collapsing late in the season, but this year's team is bucking that perception.

Does Another Wild Card Round Exit Await the Cincinnati Bengals?

Don Wright/Associated Press

Speaking of teams with playoff stigmas, the Bengals tripped over their own shoelaces at the finish line, losing to Pittsburgh and watching a potential AFC North title disappear into thin air.

Andy Dalton was 27-of-38 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His second interception was particularly frustrating because it left A.J. Green hanging over the middle of the field just asking to be clocked by a Steelers defender. It was a sequence similar to last week when Green took a big hit and injured his arm.

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb joked that Green fears nothing more than seeing a Dalton pass sail high of the mark:

The Bengals have lost in the Wild Card Round in each of the past three seasons, and Dalton's a big reason why. He's thrown one touchdown to six interceptions. He's simply an average to sometimes above-average quarterback, and that's never going to change.

Cincinnati doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt in the playoffs, even after that big win over the Denver Broncos. Until the Bengals actually win a playoff game with Dalton, it's hard to envision it happening.

Making matters worse, Green suffered a concussion, so his status for the game is up in the air, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Jeremy Hill's strong play offers promise, but not enough to make the Bengals favorites over Indianapolis.