NFL Wild Card Weekend 2015: Schedule, Predictions for Playoff Showdowns
You know the NFL Wild Card Weekend stories. In fact, you have been seeing them on your television the past couple of days in the playoff commercials.
The Tennessee Titans winning on the “Music City Miracle,” Steve Young hitting Terrell Owens in the final seconds against the Green Bay Packers and even some quarterback named Tim Tebow leading the Denver Broncos to an overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now football fans get to watch this season’s playoff teams add to that legacy Saturday and Sunday in the latest edition of the Wild Card Weekend. Here is a look at the schedule and some predictions for each game before digging into the matchups to watch.
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| Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers | Saturday, Jan. 3 | 4:20 p.m. | ESPN | Panthers |
| Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers | Saturday, Jan. 3 | 8:15 p.m. | NBC | Steelers |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | Sunday, Jan. 4 | 1:05 p.m. | CBS | Colts |
| Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys | Sunday, Jan. 4 | 4:40 p.m. | Fox | Cowboys |
What to Watch
Cardinals vs. Panthers: Carolina Run Game Against Arizona Run Defense
Arizona won a lot of games this season on the back of its defense, but the Cardinals were gashed for 473 yards on the ground against the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers the last two weeks. What’s more, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick combined for 151 rushing yards in those two contests.
Carolina finished seventh in the league in rushing yards per game and has a mobile quarterback of its own in Cam Newton. Newton ran for 539 yards on the season and is finally starting to get somewhat healthy.
Arizona coach Bruce Arians discussed the matchup with Newton, according to ESPN.com: "He presents different problems than Colin and Russell. He's more of a combination of both those guys. He can really throw the football extremely well from the pocket. It presents a multitude of problems for us."
If the Cardinals do slow Newton down, they will still have to deal with running back Jonathan Stewart, who topped 120 yards rushing in two of the final four games and could find some holes against a suddenly reeling Arizona front seven.
Steelers vs. Ravens: Antonio Brown Stepping Up
Superstar running back Le’Veon Bell hyperextended his knee in Pittsburgh’s Week 17 victory, which means someone else may have to step up for the Steelers.
That someone could be wide receiver Antonio Brown, who caught 129 passes for a league-best 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those 129 catches were second most in the history of the NFL for one season, and now he gets to go against a Baltimore Ravens secondary that was a porous 23rd in the league against the pass.
Brown put up 144 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches against Baltimore in a November matchup, so we have seen this movie before. The Ravens are going to need an impressive performance to keep him in check.
Bengals vs. Colts: Andrew Luck vs. Cincinnati Secondary, Part Two
The Indianapolis Colts start and stop with quarterback Andrew Luck, and he turned in one of his finer games of the season in a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He threw for 344 yards and a couple of touchdowns in that one and finished the season with a league-best 40 touchdowns, 4,761 yards and a 61.7 completion percentage. He has developed into one of the brightest stars in the league and will be a central component in any playoff game the Colts play this season.
The Bengals will counter with a defense that was 20th against the pass at 243 yards allowed per game. However, they were opportunistic with 20 interceptions, so this game could come down to turnovers.
Luck will look for weapons Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Coby Fleener. If Cincinnati cannot force a couple of turnovers, it could be a long day for the Bengals secondary.
Lions vs. Cowboys: DeMarco Murray vs. Detroit Defense
The Detroit Lions are no longer the Calvin Johnson aerial show and everybody else.
The defense was the most important unit on the team this season and held opponents to a league-best 69.3 rushing yards per game. What’s more, the Lions racked up 133 tackles for loss, which was also the best in the league.
Next up for the Lions is a postseason date with DeMarco Murray and his NFL-leading 1,845 rushing yards. NFL on ESPN noted that Murray was the best running back in the NFL this season, but his production did return to human-like levels down the stretch:
Cowboys fans are looking for the superhuman type of numbers in the playoffs.
With Murray and a ridiculously massive offensive line, Dallas is a joy to watch for those who love power-running attacks. The Cowboys were second in the league in rushing offense, but they will get their biggest test of the season against the dominant Detroit defensive front.
Strength vs. strength matchups is what makes the playoffs so enjoyable in the first place.
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