NFL Playoff Schedule 2014-15: Bracket and Viewing Info for First Slate of Games

Injuries, suspensions and coach firings rule the NFL as Wild Card Weekend approaches. 

So much for a happy holiday season.

Such is life in the NFL now that all but 12 teams are out of the picture. Those left behind turn their attention toward improvement while those still alive look to recover in time for their biggest games of the season. 

In order to best keep up with the most important nuggets that surround the postseason, below is a look at the entire bracket, viewing info and major storylines.

2014-15 NFL Playoffs Bracket

Wild Card Weekend Schedule

Date	Time	Matchup	Watch	Stream
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

Storylines to Watch

Lions Without Suh

USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions had a difficult task at hand on the road against the Dallas Cowboys without bad news beforehand.

Things got much worse Monday when the league announced star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had been suspended for stepping on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 17:

The league's top run defense no longer looks very formidable.

As ESPN Stats & Info illustrates, opposing offenses average almost a full yard more per carry with Suh on the sidelines:

Now, keep in mind that Dallas ranks second in the league in rushing thanks to the efforts of DeMarco Murray, who has 1,845 yards and 13 scores on the year.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Detroit struggled last week against the rush, as Eddie Lacy found room for 100 yards. That came with Suh on the field, but some of the issues go to the defense allocating more resources than usual to stop Rodgers.

That is a luxury the Lions can no longer afford if they hope to stop Murray, which will also open things up for Tony Romo through the air.

Less pressure up the middle and more men in the box mean the underrated Romo will have a field day. Underrated because it is easy to forget that Romo has completed 69.9 percent of his passes this year for 3,705 yards and 34 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

Regardless of an observer's stance on the suspension, it is impossible to ignore what the lack of Suh does to the Lions.

Le'Veon Bell's Impact

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in serious trouble as they head into their third matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Le'Veon Bell, who has 1,361 yards and eight scores on the ground and 854 yards and three scores through the air, sounds as if he will be unable to suit up for the game on short notice.

ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news a day after Bell took a wicked shot to his knee during a win over the Cincinnati Bengals:

"We'll gather more significant information as we proceed through the week," coach Mike Tomlin said, per ESPN.com's Scott Brown. "We're thankful that it's not anything major."

Interestingly enough, Bell did not play a major role against the Ravens in the season series, which wound up as a split. 

In a 26-6 loss, Bell rushed 11 times for 59 yards. In a 43-23 win, he rushed 10 times for 23 yards.

The point is, Bell's impact is deceptive—his value against an elite Baltimore defense comes in his pass-blocking ability. Over at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bell ranks as the fourth-best blocking back in the league.

One only has to flip on last weekend's win over Cincinnati to see rookie Dri Archer being destroyed in pass protection, which led to a Ben Roethlisberger interception.

At the very least, the Steelers need to hope that Bell can suit up to act as a blocker and decoy. If not, the season may be over.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).