NFL Playoffs 2015: TV Coverage, Predictions, Odds for Wild Card Weekend

Early January is quite a time to be a football fan these days. The inaugural College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday were a rousing success, with the games perhaps made all the more sweeter for omnivorous consumers of gridiron glory by virtue of the NFL playoffs starting just two days later.

Since college football decided to take over Thursday night, a stronghold for the NFL, the pros are filling up the Saturday schedule in return.

The Arizona Cardinals kick off the action on Saturday on the road against the Carolina Panthers, and the Wild Card Weekend wraps up on Sunday night with a potentially high-scoring clash between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.

Baltimore-Pittsburgh and Cincinnati-Indianapolis take care of the interim, and all four games should serve as a reminder why the NFL is the dominant league in American sports right now. Good times to be a football fan, indeed.

Here is a look at the television coverage for the weekend slate, along with odds and predictions for all four contests. 

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 11-10, Pittsburgh 10-13	PIT 28-24 BAL
Jan. 4	1:05	Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-3.5)	CBS	Cincinnati 10-11, Indianapolis 10-11	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

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Saturday, Jan. 3 at 4 a.m. ET.

Is Kerwynn Williams the Key to Arizona's Playoff Hopes? 

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

It may be hard to believe, but the 11-5 Cardinals are underdogs on Saturday to the 7-8-1 Panthers, just the fourth team ever to make the playoffs with a losing record. 

The reasons behind their underdog status can likely be summed up in two words: Ryan Lindley.

The 25-year-old out of San Diego State will be making his 10th NFL appearance on Sunday, and at this point, isn't yet ready to play on NFL Sundays—but who knows, maybe the Saturday kickoff will inspire him to play like he did as an Aztec.

He's going to need help from the rushing game if the Cards are to split open the Panthers' stingy defense. Cue Kerywnn Williams.

The diminutive 23-year-old has provided a much-needed spark in Arizona's running game over the past month or so. He racked up 100 yards on just 19 carries in a win over Kansas City on Dec. 7, and put in solid efforts against both the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers down the home stretch of the season.

Lindley's thrown just two touchdowns against 11 picks in his career, and those two scores didn't come until Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out it took him a while to put up a pass TD:

He's going to need a running game in this contest, and it would help if said rushing attack shows some capability of breaking out a big run or two, in order to draw more defenders into the box. 

Andre Ellington led the Cards in rushing this year with 660 yards, but his 3.3 yards per carry doesn't exactly conjure a sense of foreboding in any NFL defense. He's even worse in the second half, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry, via Pro-Football-Reference.com. Stepfan Taylor isn't much better, with his own 3.3 yards-per-carry average.

If there is an area for Ellington to make himself useful, it's the passing game. Lindley will likely be checking down quite a bit in this game, and Williams poses no threat as of yet as a pass catcher.

Arizona's best course of action then might be to use Williams on early downs and bring in Ellington as the third-down back. Coach Bruce Arians has noted that Williams also needs refinement as a pass blocker, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss: 

Williams' ability to ping-pong his way through the defense and establish some semblance of a running game will be crucial for Lindley. If Luke Kuechly and the Panthers simply shut down the ground game, it could be a long day for Arizona fans. 

Prediction: Carolina 20-14 Arizona

Which Version of Matthew Stafford Will Show Up in Dallas?

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

The Detroit Lions have a robust defense, ranking second in the league in yards allowed and third in points allowed. Still, Tony Romo and his brigade of All-Pro teammates on offense will likely put up a fair amount of points at home this weekend. 

Matthew Stafford has been the bane of Detroit's existence this season, playing generally mediocre football for much of the first half of the season before alternating excellent and unsightly performances down the home stretch.

To be fair, Stafford had to play several games without all-world wideout Calvin Johnson, but it's still been a rocky season for a player who can make all the throws on the field and threw 41 touchdowns back in 2011.

Head coach Jim Caldwell insisted back in late December that Stafford doesn't get the credit he deserves at times.

"I think there's a lack of appreciation for him around here, I think, at times," Caldwell said on Dec. 22, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "Let me just tell you something: He's a man's man. He's a tough guy. He gets hit out there every single ballgame, he hangs in there, and there may be one he'd like to have back, but then there's a couple others, or one other that's probably not all his fault."

Stafford could have limited opportunities to put forth his best self on Sunday. The Cowboys rank second in the league with 31 takeaways, 18 of which were interceptions. Quarterbacks posted just an 88.5 rating against Cowboys in 2014, per ESPN.com.

Dallas did give up 4,031 passing yards this season on 7.5 attempts, although those numbers could be a bit skewed as they were often protecting leads this season.

Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen provided a rundown of the type of throws Stafford can (and should) make against the Cowboys on Sunday: 

"

Looking specifically at the matchup on Sunday versus the Cowboys, there will be throwing windows given the coverage schemes Dallas has shown on tape, along with the technique outside the numbers against the cornerbacks.

Johnson can win on the releases and run the slant, skinny post or dig. In the red zone, look for the tight ends (or Johnson, if he aligns inside) to run the seam versus Cover 2. Three-deep? That’s going to be four verticals. And we will see some 7 (corner) routes to hit the deep hole between the cornerback and safety.

"

Detroit's running game is in good hands (legs?) with Joique Bell, Theo Riddick and Reggie Bush all lending their myriad talents. If Stafford can get the passing game online, the Lions have a chance in this one—although this could very well be the week that allows Romo to shed his reputation as a big-game choke artist.

Prediction: Dallas 31-24 Detroit