NFL Playoffs 2015: Schedule and Predictions for Postseason Matchups

This week will be heaven for football fans. After the first-ever College Football Playoff kicks off on New Year's Day, the NFL's second season begins Saturday.

Wild Card Weekend will ensure the gridiron remains the primary focus in American sports through Sunday. Here's a look at the schedule and predictions for the four games on tap. Just beneath the table is a closer look at the matchups.

Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
Matchup	Time	TV	Prediction
Saturday's Games
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	8:15 p.m.	NBC	Pittsburgh
Arizona at Carolina	4:35 p.m.	ESPN	Carolina
Sunday's Games
Detroit at Dallas	4:40 p.m.	FOX	Dallas
Cincinnati at Indianapolis	1:05 p.m.	CBS	Indianapolis

Detroit Will Fall to Dallas

The Detroit Lions' hopes of beating the Dallas Cowboys got a boost with the news that Ndamukong Suh will play after winning his appeal of a suspension levied against him for stomping on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Even with Suh available, the Lions are heading into battle against the most balanced offense in the NFL. Not only will Suh and the Lions be facing the league's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray, but Detroit must also find a way to slow down a red-hot Tony Romo.

Romo is in the running for league MVP after a season that saw him finish with a higher quarterback rating than Rodgers, per ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins:

Rather quietly, Romo has had perhaps the best season of his career, and the Cowboys are dangerous.

The Dallas defense is vastly improved from last season, and Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford hasn't exactly been sharp in the last two games. Dallas will make the requisite plays on defense, and Detroit will struggle to slow the Cowboys offense.

Look for Dallas to win and move on.

The Hot Panthers Will Burn the Reeling Cardinals

John Bazemore/Associated Press

We can laugh at the fact that the Carolina Panthers are in the postseason with a 7-8-1 record, but the Panthers did win four in a row to earn their division title. This team is hot and confident.

The Arizona Cardinals can't be feeling the same these days. Having lost two straight and three of the last five, the Cardinals are in dire straits. Third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley will get the start against the Panthers, and that's worrisome.

While Lindley showed some improvement in Week 17, there's still concern he is in way over his head.

Per Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said this after the team's 20-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday: "Obviously, we're all much more comfortable with Ryan after his performance today."

What else was he going to say? Arians is doing the right thing in showing confidence in the only healthy quarterback he's got, but Lindley isn't good enough to engineer a playoff win on the road. The Panthers will win and take on the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional playoff round.

Pittsburgh Will Best Its Rivals

USA TODAY Sports

For the third time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Baltimore Ravens. The teams split two regular-season meetings. The third battle will carry the highest stakes, as the winner will advance to the divisional playoff round. 

The Ravens will get back stud defensive lineman Haloti Ngata. He was suspended for the Ravens' final four games of the regular season for violating the league's substance abuse program. Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun, Ngata acknowledged his mistake and is ready to get back on the field.

He said, “I did make a mistake. I'm glad the team was able to get us in the playoffs, and hopefully I can help them with this playoff run. I'm just excited and thankful the team was able to get us into the playoffs so I can play again.”

Even with Ngata back, the Ravens will have a hard time slowing down the Steelers offense. It is clicking on all cylinders, and the patchwork secondary has stepped up big. Those units proved to be the difference when Pittsburgh took down the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.

Against the Ravens, the key will be to protect the ball and run it effectively. That could be difficult if Le'Veon Bell can't play, due to a hyperextended knee.

NFL.com's Aditi Kinkhabwala's report doesn't present a promising situation for the second-year back:

Even if Bell is unable to go, a mixture of Josh Harris and lightning-fast Dri Archer should be a dynamic change of pace. Also, the Steelers have signed veteran Ben Tate, per their Twitter account:

That should give Pittsburgh the production it needs out of the backfield. Down the stretch, Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense were less than impressive.

That won't cut it against this Steelers team.

Cincinnati's Playoff Problems Will Continue

We all know Andy Dalton has never won a playoff game. As the Bengals head into a Wild Card Weekend battle with the Indianapolis Colts, it seems that streak will continue.

Bengals star receiver A.J. Green suffered a concussion after being stripped of the ball in the fourth quarter of the team's Week 17 loss to the Steelers. That play will prove to be the most costly of the season for Cincinnati.

Not only did the fumble seal the Bengals' fate and hand the Steelers the division, but the hit will also, at the very least, ensure Green isn't at 100 percent for the team's playoff game. Per Pro Football Talk, Green is in the NFL's concussion protocol system:

We don't know for sure, but it seems fair to say there's a strong possibility he won't play against the Colts. Even if Green played, it would be hard to bet on Dalton in such a big game.

His track record doesn't suggest this is the type of game he'll shine in. Take away his best weapon, and consider tight end Jermaine Gresham was hobbled as well in Week 17, and the Bengals are headed for more postseason disappointment.