2014-15 NFL Playoff Schedule: Preview, Viewing Info for Wild Card Weekend
For all the talk about "winning the big one," making the playoffs is a noteworthy accomplishment in itself. Only Major League Baseball takes a lower percentage of its teams to the postseason among the United States' four major sports.
We may rightfully clown the Carolina Panthers for their 7-8-1 record, but only one NFC team (the Philadelphia Eagles) has a rightful gripe.
The four above-.500 teams in the AFC that did not make the playoffs might have a claim if we eliminated the conference system. That's just not the way professional sports in the U.S. works. For whatever reason, we like our conferences—logic and modern travel advances be damned.
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So, congrats to you, Carolina. You not only get the right to host a playoff game with a losing record, but also land one of the worst wild-card opponents in recent memory.
That the Panthers are a four-point favorite over any other playoff team, per Odds Shark, is a miracle. That the Panthers and Arizona Cardinals were thrown in the Saturday afternoon slot—annually given to the game the NFL knows will do worst in the ratings—is the single most predictable thing to happen in history.
Yes, even more predictable than The Interview being terrible after all that hubbub.
Nevertheless, the Cardinals, Panthers and all 10 of the other teams deserve credit for making it this far. Let's check in on the eight teams in action this weekend and see if they'll be able to take the next step.
| Saturday, Jan. 3 | 4:35 p.m. ET | Arizona at Carolina | ESPN | Watch ESPN |
| Saturday, Jan. 3 | 8:15 p.m. ET | Baltimore at Pittsburgh | NBC | NBC Sports Live Extra |
| Sunday, Jan. 4 | 1:05 p.m. ET | Cincinnati at Indianapolis | CBS | CBSSports.com |
| Sunday, Jan. 4 | 4:40 p.m. ET | Detroit at Dallas | FOX | Fox Sports Go |
Arizona Cardinals (11-5) at Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)
Let's be clear: The Cardinals, when healthy, are a good football team.
Carson Palmer is at worst an average NFL starting quarterback, Andre Ellington is a versatile (albeit flawed) running back and what Arizona's receiving corps lacks in superstar talent—no, Larry Fitzgerald does not count—it makes up for in depth.
Coupled with one of the NFL's best defenses, there's a sleeper Super Bowl contender here.
Except the Cardinals' already-shaky offense has been depleted by injuries. Palmer and backup Drew Stanton are out of commission following knee injuries. Ellington is on injured reserve.
The receivers are mostly healthy, but that doesn't much help when Ryan Lindley is tasked with throwing them the football.
Arizona has not scored more than 20 points in a game in nearly two full months. This is, without question, one of the worst offensive teams to make the postseason in recent memory.
Which makes Bruce Arians' coaching job more impressive and casts a shining light on the Cardinals defense. The Cardinals held the Chargers, Cowboys, Giants, 49ers, Lions and Eagles to 20 or fewer points. Their underlying numbers are far better than the counting stats, which would have you believe they're the ninth-worst defense in football.
That's not the case. But it's also unlikely to make a difference against a Carolina team that's coming together at the perfect time.
Cam Newton has shown no ill effects after his car accident, returning to the lineup and not missing a beat. Newton has a rushing touchdown in each of his three December appearances and has thrown five scores against one interception in that span.
Jonathan Stewart has become an effective NFL running back again all of a sudden. Kelvin Benjamin clinched a rare 1,000-yard season for a rookie wide receiver despite finishing with one catch Sunday.
With that said, the real improvement has come on defense, where Carolina has recaptured its 2013 magic.
The Panthers, who allowed 30 or more points six times this season, gave up a grand total of 43 in December. While two of those games came against below-average units in Cleveland and Tampa Bay, holding the division rival Saints and Falcons to a combined 13 points is impressive.
Carolina sacked Matt Ryan six times and picked him off twice in Sunday's 34-3 shellacking.
Lindley may have been able to beat the Panthers defense in October. This isn't the same team.
Prediction: Panthers 17, Cardinals 6
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
No need to adjust your Internet. Yes, this is still 2014. Yes, the Ravens and Steelers are still located in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. And, yes, they are once again meeting in the playoffs.
Saturday night will be the third time since 2008 that Pittsburgh and Baltimore meet in the postseason. It's the third time in the last four seasons that both have made the postseason.
You almost expect the Ravens to unearth Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, while Hines Ward finally escapes Bane's wrath to make a trip to Pittsburgh.
But these Ravens and Steelers do not subscribe to the styles of their mid-2000s predecessors. Pittsburgh has spent all season being carried by an elite offense that has perhaps the NFL's best three-headed monster.
Ben Roethlisberger set or matched career highs in passing yards (4,952), touchdowns (32), completion percentage (67.1) and QBR (72.5). Antonio Brown finished 2014 with the second-most receptions in NFL history with 129, emerging as arguably the most complete receiver in football.
Le'Veon Bell's breakout campaign was somewhat overwhelmed Sunday night when he suffered a hyperextended knee, but the team doesn't believe it's anything serious.
"We'll gather more significant information as we proceed through the week," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters. "We're thankful that it's not anything major."
Bell's health arguably holds the key to the entire matchup. The Steelers lack running back depth after releasing LeGarrette Blount earlier this season. Backups Josh Harris and Dri Archer had a combined 13 career carries coming into last week.
While Harris broke a long run that was called back by a hold, it'd be a stretch to expect the combo to approach Bell's skill level.
Should Bell be able to suit up, Pittsburgh will have the core of an offense that blew the doors off Baltimore in Week 9. Roethlisberger threw for 340 yards and six touchdowns in a 43-23 victory, the Pittsburgh quarterback's second straight game with six scores.
Bell was held largely in check both times the teams played this season, but merely having him on the field is an advantage.
It's therefore entirely too early to toss up a score prediction. The Ravens on both sides of the ball have struggled on the road this season, so I'm inclined to pick Pittsburgh regardless of Bell's status.
But I'll feel better about that once we have more information.
Prediction: Subject to Le'Veon Bell's Status
Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) at Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
Here are two teams I trust about as much as over-the-counter medication infomercials that run at 2 a.m.
The Bengals have built up four solid years of distrust in big games. Their yearly first-round ousting has become something of a tradition. Two of the last three years have seen Cincinnati lose playoff games by more than two touchdowns, and the third was an ugly affair that saw them gain 198 total yards.
It only takes one magical run for a quarterback to change his reputation—see: Flacco, Joe—but Andy Dalton sure seems to lack a sense of the moment.
On 123 postseason pass attempts, he's thrown one touchdown and six interceptions. The Bengals have not scored more than 13 points in a playoff game with Dalton under center.
If we want to extend this to coach Marvin Lewis, it wouldn't be that hard. Lewis is 0-5 in playoff games as a head coach. His teams have never scored more than 17 points in a postseason contest. Mitigating factors can be cited in each of those losses, but it's hard to trust a team that's been burned so many times.
The Colts aren't exactly world-beaters against top competition, either. Their defense allowed 196 points (39.2 per game) in their five losses, all of which came against teams that finished above .500.
Indianapolis was blown out in the final three of those defeats, including a 42-7 loss to the Cowboys in Week 16.
Fun fact: The Colts' lone two wins against playoff teams were against Baltimore and Cincinnati. Their 27-0 win against the Bengals in Week 7 should serve as a blueprint to Sunday.
Andrew Luck threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns while Indy's shaky defense made Dalton's life a living hell. The Red Rifle managed 126 yards on 38 pass attempts, amounting to a very Dalton-in-the-playoffs-like 3.3 yards per attempt.
The biggest change for both teams since has been at the running back position, where Cincinnati found its answer while Indianapolis still searches.
Jeremy Hill has been a monster since taking the starting job from Giovani Bernard and has rushed for triple-digit yards in three straight weeks.
The Colts still employ Trent Richardson and give him the football in real life for some reason. It almost never goes well.
The Colts also employ Daniel Herron, who is better at football in nearly every aspect but is still consigned to splitting carries. Herron also hasn't looked sterling of late, which may make Indianapolis one-dimensional heading into the postseason.
Odds are that will be exposed in Round 2. For Round 1, the Colts' home-field advantage and Cincy's recent postseason struggles make it hard to call the upset.
Prediction: Colts 28, Bengals 14
Detroit Lions (11-5) at Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
Week 17 was full of bad news for the Cowboys. Not only were they unable to secure a first-round bye, but the Cardinals leapfrogged the Lions to take the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
That wiped away what looked like an easy road to the divisional round.
A boneheaded decision from Ndamukong Suh should help alleviate some of the Cowboys' stress. The NFL announced Suh has been suspended for Sunday's game after stepping on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Suh appeared to back onto Rodgers' injured calf and ankle following a fourth-quarter completion to Jordy Nelson, which the league determined was a malicious act.
"You did not respond in the manner of someone who had lost his balance and accidentally contacted another player who was lying on the ground," NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks said in a letter, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. "This illegal contact, specifically the second step and push off with your left foot, clearly could have been avoided."
Suh's suspension will be subject to appeal. The NFL should expedite the process so that the Lions know by the end of the week whether he'll make the trip to Dallas.
If the suspension stands, Detroit is losing its best defensive player in a game against the NFL's hottest offense.
The Cowboys averaged 41.25 points across their four December wins, holding leads of 21 or more points in each contest. Tony Romo's near-flawless month pushed him into the MVP conversation, DeMarco Murray smashed all kinds of single-season rushing records and Dez Bryant has earned himself Scrooge McDuck money.
The Cowboys defense remains an issue, but their offense is so good it almost doesn't matter. They can move between a grind-it-out style and Chip Kelly-level speed within the same game thanks to their league-best offensive line. Romo, Murray and Bryant are as good as any three-man trio in the world.
And, for the purposes of this week, Dallas gets a Detroit offense that just isn't very good. The Lions have scored 20 or fewer points in six of their last eight games. Calvin Johnson's return to the lineup has not given Matthew Stafford the boost most expected, and their running game is one of the league's worst.
A world-beating defense equipped with top-level pass-rushers and a burgeoning secondary nearly carried them to their first division title since 1993.
With Suh suspended and Nick Fairley injured, the result is starting to feel preordained.
Prediction: Cowboys 31, Lions 17
Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter @tylerconway22.
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