NFL Playoff Picks 2015: Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Wild Card Round

With college football wrapping up its season, the NFL is set to take over the entire weekend as the league kicks off the 2015 NFL playoffs on Saturday afternoon with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers.

There are four games to watch during Wild Card Weekend, and each has something unique to offer NFL fans.

The Panthers and Cardinals are a battle of dark-horse candidates, while Pittsburgh and Baltimore offer the added intensity of a division rivalry matchup on Saturday.

Sunday starts off with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a pivotal game for Bengals fans, as the "Who Dey" brigade was ousted from last year's playoffs in this round by the San Diego Chargers. Another futile effort from quarterback Andy Dalton could have huge repercussions in Cincinnati. 

The weekend concludes with the Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions matchup. This is perhaps Tony Romo's best chance at a Super Bowl run, as he no longer has to carry the offense with all-world running back DeMarco Murray in the backfield.

Here is a look at the weekend schedule, latest odds and my picks for Wild Card Weekend.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup (spread)	TV	Odds	Prediction
Jan. 3	4:35	Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (-6)	ESPN	Arizona 1-1, Carolina 5-6	CAR 20-14 AZ
Jan. 3	8:15	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)	NBC	Baltimore 21-20, Pittsburgh 20-33	PIT 28-24 BAL
Jan. 4	1:05	Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-3)	CBS	Cincinnati 21-20, Indianapolis 20-23	CIN 27-24 IND
Jan. 4	4:40	Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (-7.5)	FOX	Detroit 4-5, Dallas 21-20	DAL 31-24 DET

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Friday, Jan. 2 at 4 a.m. ET.

Matchup Preview: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers, holders of a 7-8-1 record in the regular season, are actually hosting a playoff game by virtue of the league's playoff structure over the 11-5 Arizona Cardinals. Skim the surface, and Carolina looks like the ultimate "happy to be here" team. 

And yet the Panthers—a Super Bowl dark horse so dark, they're Vantablack—are actually favored to win this contest, and for good reason.

Cam Newton and friends won their final four games of the regular season to rise to the admittedly low peak of the NFC South. They demolished the Atlanta Falcons 34-3 in Week 17, a win-or-go-home situation. 

The Cardinals, on the other hand, limped into the playoffs. They went 2-4 over their final six games of the season and will be starting Ryan Lindley at quarterback, a 25-year-old with two touchdowns against 11 picks in nine career appearances who wasn't even on an NFL team until November 11, when the Cards needed another body in the wake of Carson Palmer's season-ending knee injury.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Lindley is essentially a third-string quarterback playing well before he is ready, and NFL teams don't tend to stock third-stringers the way Ohio State apparently does.

This doesn't bode well for Arizona's prospects. Carolina ranked ninth in defensive efficiency against the pass in 2014, per FootballOutsiders.com. Lindley won't have much in the way of backup from the rushing attack either. Andre Ellington, the team's leading ball-carrier, averaged a measly 3.3 yards per carry this season.

Kerwynn Williams impressed down the stretch with his quickness and agility, but he's unproven over the long run and had trouble against a stout San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 17, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. Still, the 2013 seventh-round pick appears to be the team's best bet to open things up for Lindley. 

Linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, who combined for 15 tackles for loss this season, make the Panthers a very tough team to run against.

Lindley's two touchdowns came in a Week 17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but he was hardly prolific and made some costly mistakes, as CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora pointed out:

The wideout trio of Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd will have to be at its best on Saturday if the Cards are to have a chance in this one.

The Panthers should be thankful they don't have QB issues of their own, especially after Newton's involvement in a rollover car accident in early December.

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Newton certainly had a down season, throwing for just 18 touchdowns against 12 picks—not terribly surprising when the team's most consistent wide receiver is a rookie (Kelvin Benjamin, if you haven't heard) who has a problem with drops—but his athleticism and guile should be enough to get the team through this contest. In fact, Newton appears to thrive in the face of adversity, as this tweet from ESPN Stats & Info points out:

The health of the Panthers running back corps has been key to their resurgence. Jonathan Stewart racked up 401 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the final four weeks of the regular season. However, the Panthers coaching staff has yet to name Stewart the starter for the playoffs, as the quick-footed DeAngelo Williams is set to return from a hand injury. 

"Whatever the offensive coordinator (decides) and whatever the plan is for the game, that’s how we run things,” Stewart said, via The Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones. “You just do your part and just worry about that."

Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert have both been solid in mop-up rushing duty. The Cards defense does pose a tough challenge to the running game, however, with excellent play from defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Frostee Rucker in recent weeks.

The Panthers offense won't blow anyone's doors down, especially those of an Arizona defense that has carried the team throughout the season. Still, it's difficult to see Lindley conjuring up enough solid drives to keep up with whatever Newton is able to put up on the scoreboard. 

Prediction: Carolina 20-14 Arizona