NFL Playoffs 2015: Predictions and TV Coverage for Sunday's Wild Card Games

There are few things more compelling than the NFL playoffs. 

The win-or-go-home format is unlike anything we see in any of the other major American sports, and it typically makes for some undeniably entertaining football. 

That's not always the case—thanks a lot, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers—but more often than not, postseason football is must-see TV. 

Let's take a look at what awaits Sunday. 

Schedule and Viewing Info

Away	Home	Time (ET)	TV Info
Bengals	Colts	1:05 p.m.	CBS
Lions	Cowboys	4:40 p.m.	FOX

No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 4 Indianapolis Colts

Don Wright/Associated Press

Andy Dalton vs. Andrew Luck in the playoffs. That's not a sentence—or even a fragment of a sentence—that likely invokes a lot of confidence in Cincinnati Bengals fans. 

Let's take a look at how the pair of quarterbacks match up in their career postseason stats:

Andy Dalton	Stat	Andrew Luck
0-3	W-L	1-2
70/123	Com/Att	77/140
56.91	Com Pct.	55.0
239.3	Pass Yards/Gm	354
5.84	Yards/Att	7.59
1/6	TD/Int	6/8

Luck hasn't exactly been a model of efficiency, but he sure hasn't been on Dalton's frighteningly low level, either.

He showed during last year's unforgettable Wild Card Round win against the Kansas City Chiefs that he is capable of doing special things on the biggest stages, and more importantly, he continues to get better. In just his third season, he threw for 4,761 yards and a league-best 40 touchdowns, entrenching himself in the Colts' record books:

In a terrific article about Luck's evolution by The Indianapolis Star's David Woods, one particular quote stands out: "Just tell me what I need to do to get better," Luck once told Shannon Turley, Stanford's director of football sports performance. 

That's Luck—a special football player whose talent is matched by his work ethic. 

Dalton, meanwhile, is just a guy. The fourth-year pro has shown glimpses of being a great player, but with that has come painful inconsistency. Moreover, he'll be without star wide receiver A.J. Green, whose absence against the Colts in October produced some ugly results for Cincy, per Fox Sports' Peter Schrager:

The Bengals lost that game 27-0. While the increased usage of explosive rookie running back Jeremy Hill should help them stay closer this time around, there's little chance Dalton, without Green, can keep up with the Colts' explosive attack. 

Cincinnati 20, Indianapolis 28

No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys

Richard Lipski/Associated Press

DeMarco Murray and the Dallas Cowboys offensive line have been steamrolling opponents all season, but the Detroit Lions have the personnel to make things interesting.

Ndamukong Suh, no matter how you may feel about his run of controversial plays, is an absolute game-changer on the interior.

“If you do not have a game plan for Ndamukong, he will wreck the game," said fellow defensive tackle C.J. Mosley, via Sports Illustrated's Peter King. "I have seen it.”

The Lions are first in the NFL in yards per carry allowed and first in Football Outsiders' rush defense rankings. They will likely be without Nick Fairley, who is listed as doubtful, but they are still incredibly stout against the run.

Of course, even if the Cowboys struggle to move the ball on the ground, they boast one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

In the month of December, Tony Romo completed 83 of 111 throws (74.8 percent) for 987 yards (246.8 per game), 12 touchdowns and one interception. It was a historically effective month of football, via NFL.com's Gil Brandt:

With Romo playing some of the best football of his career and Dez Bryant proving mostly unstoppable, the Cowboys have enough offensive weapons to advance, whether or not their efficient running game is clicking. 

Detroit 27, Dallas 34