NFL Playoff Bracket 2014-15: Scenarios and Predictions for Postseason Picture

Only 12 NFL teams remain in contention to earn a berth in the Super Bowl, and four of them will already be eliminated by Sunday night. It's a long, arduous road to get to the playoffs, but hopes of getting to the big dance can be dashed in an instant.

We may have an idea of which teams are most likely to advance to the Super Bowl, but there's no such thing as a lock at this time of year. After all, since the league's realignment in 2002, only three No. 1 seeds have won the Super Bowl. Adding to the insanity, the same amount of wild-card teams have achieved that same feat.

Well, that won't stop an abundance of speculation as we all impatiently await the commencement of one of the most exciting times of the year—the NFL playoffs. With that in mind, here's a look at the current playoff picture, followed by predictions for the entire postseason.

Updated Playoff Picture

Postseason Predictions

Wild Card Round

Home	Away	Pick
Carolina Panthers	Arizona Cardinals	Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	Ravens
Indianapolis Colts	Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals
Dallas Cowboys	Detroit Lions	Cowboys

The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals are heading in completely opposite directions right now. While Carolina's defense has been resurgent and its offense has gained efficiency, Arizona's defense continues to collapse and its offense remains stagnant.

According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com, quarterback Drew Stanton may play if he can practice once this week, but he's not enough of an upgrade to defeat the Panthers.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team hasn't ruled out running back Le'Veon Bell following his knee injury, but signing ball-carrier Ben Tate, via ESPN's Adam Schefter, isn't a good sign:

Adding to the team's woes, the Baltimore Ravens will have the dangerous Haloti Ngata back from suspension, and he should be expected to give the Steelers fits, especially without Bell's ability to help in pass protection.

The Cincinnati Bengals didn't have the recipe for success against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7, but they do now. Ranked 18th in the league against the run, the Colts have struggled in that department this season. Meanwhile, rookie Jeremy Hill has been torching opposing defenses for the Bengals. Expect the ball-carrier to keep Andrew Luck and Co. off the field, leading to the first Bengals postseason victory since 1991.

With Ndamukong Suh winning his appeal and having his suspension lifted, via NFL on ESPN, the Detroit Lions have a much better chance of defeating the prolific Dallas Cowboys:

However, even Detroit's defense won't contain Tony Romo and Co. for a full 60 minutes, and the Lions offense has been far too inconsistent to keep pace with one of the league's hottest teams.

Divisional Round

Home	Away	Pick
New England Patriots	Baltimore Ravens	Patriots
Seattle Seahawks	Carolina Panthers	Seahawks
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys
Denver Broncos	Cincinnati Bengals	Broncos

The New England Patriots will be well rested following a bye week, and they'll continue their dominance at Gillette Stadium over a Ravens team that is battered in the secondary. Expect a huge game from Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Co. as New England rolls in this one.

Carolina may surprise many onlookers in this contest, because this team is good enough to keep pace with the Seattle Seahawks. However, with Seattle coming off a bye and playing in front of its home crowd, it's difficult to see the Panthers come away with a road win here.

Both the Green Bay Packers and Cowboys contain two very prolific offenses, and this contest could be one of the most exciting of the postseason. However, expect Dallas to come away with a win due to a superior run defense and uncertainty surrounding how healthy Aaron Rodgers will be by game time. Here's an update, via Around the NFL:

The Bengals rode Hill and a ball-hawking secondary to a victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 16; however, one of Peyton Manning's best traits is his ability to make adjustments. Expect the future Hall of Famer to do just that and come away with a home victory in the playoffs.

Conference Championship

Home	Away	Pick
Seattle Seahawks	Dallas Cowboys	Seahawks
New England Patriots	Denver Broncos	Patriots

Dallas' offense may have been able to circumvent an inconsistent Packers defense, but that won't happen against Seattle. The Seahawks are big, strong and fast on the defensive side of the ball and may be the one team capable of slowing down a very good Cowboys offense right now. Seattle advances to the Super Bowl in a very close contest.

The AFC gives us a rematch of a Week 9 clash between the Patriots and Broncos. In that game, New England's defense picked Manning twice, as Denver's signal-caller attempted a whopping 57 passes. Brady attempted 53 passes of his own but had four touchdowns to show for it.

C.J. Anderson should help the Broncos keep this one closer, but it's tough to see Denver's secondary faring any better against Brady in this situation.

Super Bowl

It appears as though we're going against history, as a No. 1 seed will win Super Bowl XLIX. Both the Patriots and Seahawks have been incredibly impressive this season, especially in their respective home stadiums. Although, which will emerge victorious in a neutral environment?

Both of these teams have few weaknesses, but the Seahawks bring something to the table the Patriots haven't had to deal with this season—a mobile quarterback. Russell Wilson hasn't been afraid to run this year, and he's averaging 7.2 yards per carry. His versatility makes Seattle the all-around most dangerous team in the NFL and repeat Super Bowl champions.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Patriots 23