NFL Playoff Picks 2015: Updated Odds and Predictions for Wild Card Weekend

Speculation remains abundant heading into Wild Card Weekend. After a long regular season filled with unexpected outcomes and a bevy of twists and turns, fans of the 12 playoff teams are yearning to know who will ultimately hoist the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

Well, before we can begin to predict which team will remain standing following February's championship tilt, we must first delve into some predictions for the wild-card teams. After all, just four seasons ago, the Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV as the NFL's No. 6 seed.

The first step to predicting the winner of Super Bowl XLIX is determining which teams will continue on to the divisional round of the playoffs. So as we await the return of these squads to the gridiron, here's a look at the updated odds and predictions for every game on Wild Card Weekend.

Wild-Card Odds and Predictions

Home	Away	Spread	Pick
Carolina Panthers	Arizona Cardinals	CAR -6.5	Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	PIT -3	Ravens
Indianapolis Colts	Cincinnati Bengals	IND -3	Bengals
Dallas Cowboys	Detroit Lions	DAL -6.5	Cowboys

All game odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of December 31.

Pick Analysis

Rarely do we see a team struggling to decide which quarterback to start in its first playoff game, but that's exactly the case when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals. Since the season-ending injury to starter Carson Palmer, Arizona's offense has been on a constant decline due to the ineptitude under center.

Drew Stanton was the first to take over at the position, and while he struggled greatly with accuracy, he managed to accumulate a couple of wins and get some points on the board. However, when he was injured Ryan Lindley took over and has continued to provide mediocre performances since.

Now, it's come to the point where Arizona would be willing to start Stanton even if he was able to practice just once before the team's impending contest against the Carolina Panthers, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Well, through Wednesday, he has yet to practice.

Still, it may not make much of a difference who is under center for the Cardinals, as Carolina's defense has been playing its best football of the year over the past four weeks. It's difficult to imagine either of Arizona's quarterbacks putting enough points on the board to come away with a road win here.

Surprisingly enough, the Baltimore Ravens may wind up with the better backfield upon entering their clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Running back Le'Veon Bell's status is up in the air after hyperextending his knee in Week 17, and he gave some mixed responses to concerns about his injury, via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com:

"

Just talked to #Steelers RB LeVeon Bell. Twice said "I feel great." But also said, "I'm just going to take it day by day."

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 31, 2014"

While Bell's absence would make Pittsburgh more one-dimensional on the offensive side of the ball, Baltimore would still be able to rely on the prolific Justin Forsett. The journeyman veteran has been a revelation this season, rushing for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns on 235 carries while averaging 5.4 yards per rush. A viable receiver out of the backfield, he's also amassed 44 receptions for 263 yards.

In these AFC North slugfests, a running game is absolutely necessary. Wearing down the opposing defense while controlling the clock is the key to success within this division, and right now, the Ravens appear to be the more likely team to get that done.

The last time the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts met, the Bengals were handed their worst loss of the season, as their offense was shut down and they were defeated 27-0. Although, here's the big difference between then and now: Running back Jeremy Hill received all of four carries in that game. Over the last three weeks of the regular season, the rookie carried at least 22 times in each contest.

With a run-first offensive scheme now utilized in Cincinnati, the Bengals need to rely much less on Andy Dalton and the passing game, cutting down on turnovers while keeping their defense rested and opposing offenses off the field in the process.

Indianapolis has struggled against the run this season, ranking 18th in the league in that category. Now, the Colts must attempt to slow Hill down against Cincinnati's fifth-ranked run-blocking offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Bengals will control the clock, and that will keep Andrew Luck on the sidelines and out of rhythm. This same tactic was employed against Peyton Manning in Week 16, and the future Hall of Famer tossed four interceptions to Cincinnati's ball-hawking secondary. Luck may be in line to suffer the same fate.

A clash between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will really end Wild Card Weekend with a bang. After all, it's not often we get to see the NFL's rushing leader go up against the league's stingiest run defense. With Ndamukong Suh's suspension lifted, the Lions will be at full strength up front as well.

However, containing Murray hasn't been easy for any team this season. He played the third-ranked run defense of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6 and came away with 115 yards and a touchdown, adding six receptions for another 31 yards. This prolific ball-carrier may be matchup-proof.

With Tony Romo and Dez Bryant residing on the same team, the Cowboys hold one of the NFL's most well-balanced offensive attacks, as Romo has thrown for 3,704 yards and 34 touchdowns this season, while Bryant has accumulated 1,320 yards and 16 scores.

Expect the Cowboys to get a fair amount of points on the board, even against a stingy Detroit defense. The Lion's haven't had much success on the ground this season, and their passing game has been inconsistent, as quarterback Matthew Stafford hasn't eclipsed 300 yards passing over his last three games. That doesn't bode well for Detroit's chances of being able to keep up with Dallas.