NFL Playoff 2014-15 Schedule: When Wild Card Weekend's Top Games Kick off

Each of the NFL's 12 playoff teams faced a grueling 16-game schedule throughout the regular season and was faced with a bevy of challenges along the way. Well, none of that matters now, as every squad enters the postseason with a clean slate.

We can argue that this year's favorites to reach the Super Bowl are the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. After all, both are No. 1 seeds and have been extremely dangerous in their respective home stadiums this season.

Wild-card teams have made some noise in recent years, though. The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2007 New York Giants and the 2011 Green Bay Packers all have something in common: They were wild-card teams that went on to win the Super Bowl. Of course, their impressive runs began on Wild Card Weekend.

So, which wild-card squad is most likely to make it to the Super Bowl this year? Before answering that question, let's take a look at the full schedule for what promises to be an action-packed weekend on the gridiron.

Wild-Card Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
Sat., Jan. 3	4:35 p.m.	Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers	ESPN
Sat., Jan. 3	8:15 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers	NBC
Sun., Jan. 4	1:05 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts	CBS
Sun., Jan. 4	4:40 p.m.	Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys	Fox

Wild-Card Favorite

It's difficult for a wild-card team to blaze a path to the Super Bowl, due to the sheer difficulty of winning three consecutive road games against playoff teams. To make it to the championship game, a team must have a strong running game, a resilient defense and a quarterback who takes care of the football. Of course, getting hot at the right time helps as well.

So, which wild-card team meets those criteria? That would be the Detroit Lions.

Detroit missed out on the NFC North title after suffering a loss to the Packers in Week 17. The Lions put up a good fight, but they were defeated by Aaron Rodgers and Co. 30-20. The loss dropped Detroit to the NFC's No. 6 seed, but there were still positive takeaways.

The team's defense remained stout against the run. Packers running back Eddie Lacy accumulated 100 yards on the ground, but it took him 26 carries to do so, an average of 3.8 yards per rush. Holding a bruising ball-carrier to that total in the cold weather of late December is no easy feat.

Rodgers came away with a solid day passing, completing 17 of his 22 attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but prolific wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were held relatively in check, as neither amassed more than 86 yards receiving.

Quite possibly the most impressive feat from the game was Detroit's goal-line stand in the first quarter. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com summed up the team's efforts:

On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Matthew Stafford completed only 20 of his 41 passing attempts, but he did throw for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Detroit rushed for 111 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry as a team, and lead back Joique Bell carried 13 times for 60 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per rush, creating a balanced attack.

Why was Stafford's performance Sunday a good sign for the Lions? Take a look at what he's done this season against playoff teams, via Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse:

While those numbers look good for Detroit, the team hasn't been a one-hit wonder in those departments. It finished the year as the league's stingiest team against the run, Bell has averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry in each of his last five games, and Stafford was interception-free in four of his final five games.

So, here's the key trend Detroit must continue to find success in the playoffs: Stopping the run should be priority No. 1.

This team has a difficult challenge against the red-hot Dallas Cowboys right off the bat during Wild Card Weekend. However, Detroit's run defense can be a big advantage in this contest. NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray has been the key for Dallas' offensive success this season, and limiting his production severely hurts the team's balance and the efficiency of quarterback Tony Romo.

The Philadelphia Eagles were the last team to defeat the Cowboys in this manner. They held Murray to 3.7 yards per carry, forcing Dallas into more passing situations. Romo had trouble finding passing lanes as a result and ended his day completing 18 of 29 passing attempts for 199 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

It all starts up front in the trenches, and Detroit has the talent to accomplish the same feat against the Cowboys. A big victory in Dallas would give this team the momentum necessary to march into Seattle in the divisional round and give the Seahawks a run for their money.