NFL Playoffs 2015: Updated Postseason Picture and Bracket Scenarios for Sunday
Just like that, only 10 teams remain in contention for a coveted berth in Super Bowl XLIX.
Postseason action kicked off Saturday, and it didn't take long for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens to establish themselves as legitimate threats going forward, as both came away with decisive victories over the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively.
The Panthers won 27-16, and the Ravens were victorious 30-17; incredibly enough, the final score in each contest was a safety. This marked the first time in 15 years two such scores were recorded in the playoffs on the same day, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
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With Arizona and Pittsburgh officially beginning their offseasons and Carolina and Baltimore through to the divisional round, let's take a look at the updated postseason picture, look back on Saturday's events and glance at Sunday's bracket scenarios.
Updated Playoff Picture
| Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers | Panthers, 27-16 | at SEA or GB |
| Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers | Ravens, 30-17 | at NE |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | Sunday | Winner at DEN |
| Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys | Sunday | DET at SEA or DAL at GB |
Saturday Recap
Carolina began the playoffs with a victory over Arizona in a rather sloppy game.
The Cardinals offense fell flat on its face immediately, gaining just two first downs in the first quarter while watching the Panthers march down the field twice, resulting in a 47-yard field goal from Graham Gano and a 13-yard touchdown scamper by Jonathan Stewart.
Luck briefly struck for Arizona late in the first quarter, as a short Cardinals punt bounced off returner Brenton Bersin and was recovered by the Cardinals. The end result was third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley finding Darren Fells for a one-yard touchdown strike.
Shortly after, Arizona's luck continued, as Gano missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt. Two possessions later, a miscommunication between Cam Newton and Jerricho Cotchery led to an Antonio Cromartie interception. That would give Lindley another short field, and this time, running back Marion Grice would score on a short plunge.
Grice fumbled on the play, but it was reviewed and upheld. SportsCenter tweeted a still shot of the score:
On the following drive, Carolina marched down the field once again. This time, Gano atoned for his previous miss by connecting on a 39-yard field goal shortly before the half. At that point, Arizona were clinging to a 14-13 lead.
That wouldn't last long, however, as Carolina struck with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Newton connected with Fozzy Whittaker on a 39-yard catch and run, while Mike Tolbert bulldozed his way into the end zone from one-yard out soon after.
The fourth quarter concluded with an intentional safety, as Carolina punter Brad Nortman attempted to kill the clock and ran out of the back of the end zone.
Stewart had a great day running the football for the Panthers, gaining 123 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Newton struggled with accuracy throughout the game, completing 18 of his 32 passing attempts for 198 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, adding 35 rushing yards. However, the quarterback's ankle may be a concern going forward, via Pro Football Talk:
As for the Cardinals, well, Kerwynn Williams was their leading rusher with 23 yards, Lindley managed to complete 16 of his 28 passing attempts for 82 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and John Brown led the receiving corps with 34 yards.
In fact, following a 20-yard loss on the final play of the game, Arizona's offense finished with a total of 78 yards—the fewest by a team in postseason history, according to ESPN's David Newton:
Saturday's second contest was just about as competitive. We had a very close game through the half, but things became more one-sided following the break.
Pittsburgh was the first team to strike on Saturday night, as Shaun Suisham connected on a 45-yard field goal late in the first quarter to put the Steelers on the board. That lead didn't last long, thanks to some nifty running by Justin Forsett, which helped Bernard Pierce cap off a eight-play, 80-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown scamper to begin the second quarter.
For the remainder of the quarter, Baltimore and Pittsburgh took turns sustaining long scoring drives. However, neither team was able to punch it into the end zone, as the Steelers settled for two field goals and the Ravens kicked one.
Baltimore entered the half up 10-9.
The third quarter began in the same fashion, as a nine-play drive by the Ravens resulted in a 45-yard Justin Tucker field goal. Soon after, Baltimore's passing game came alive, as Joe Flacco connected with Steve Smith for a 40-yard strike and completed the drive with an 11-yard touchdown to Torrey Smith five plays later.
Baltimore appeared to have all the momentum heading into the fourth quarter. However, a fumble by Forsett quickly gave the Steelers new life. Just one play after recovering the running back's loose ball, Ben Roethlisberger hooked up with Antonio Brown on what looked like a 45-yard touchdown strike. The play was reviewed, though, and the receiver was eventually ruled down at the one-yard line.
Following a false start, Roethlisberger hooked up with Martavis Bryant on a six-yard touchdown pass. After a failed two-point conversion, the Steelers found themselves five points behind the Ravens.
That was short-lived, as Tucker connected on a 52-yard field goal—a heroic feat at Heinz Field—to give Baltimore an eight-point lead. Things only got worse for the Steelers, as a deflected Roethlisberger pass was intercepted by Terrell Suggs—the linebacker basically caught the ball between his knees. Here's a look, via NFL on ESPN:
Just one play later, Flacco connected with backup tight end Crockett Gillmore on a 21-yard touchdown strike with eight minutes left in the game, putting the Ravens up by 15 and the game virtually out of reach for Pittsburgh.
With a last-gasp effort, Roethlisberger attempted to find a well-covered Brown in the end zone, but the signal-caller was picked by Darian Stewart. Oddly enough, the second safety of the day ensued, as a Sam Koch punt was blocked out of the back of the end zone, resulting in our final score of 30-17.
According to SportsCenter, this conclusion marked a first for the Ravens:
The absence of running back Le'Veon Bell appeared to hurt the Steelers in a multitude of ways. As a team, Pittsburgh averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, rushing for 68 yards on 19 attempts. Without the running back to help in pass protection, Roethlisberger found himself under plenty of pressure, as he was sacked five times and briefly knocked out of the game with concussion-like symptoms.
Pittsburgh's signal-caller finished the game completing 31 of his 45 passing attempts for 334 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Josh Harris was the team's leading rusher with 25 yards, and Brown reeled in nine catches for 117 yards.
Flacco was very efficient for Baltimore, completing 18 of his 29 attempts for 259 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Forsett carried 16 times for just 36 yards and lost one fumble, which should be slightly concerning, as the team will be heading north to face the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
Sunday Bracket Scenarios
Before we dig into the bracket scenarios for Sunday, let's quick go over how the matchups are determined. It's actually very simple: The lowest seed plays the highest seed in each conference.
That said, the AFC picture is already very clear. Since the No. 6 Ravens emerged victorious on Saturday, they are locked in as No. 1 New England's opponent in the divisional round. In this scenario, the winner of Sunday's contest between the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals will travel west to face the Denver Broncos in the next round.
Since the NFC's No. 6 seed (the Detroit Lions) doesn't play until Sunday, the conference's matchups for the divisional round are still well up in the air.
If the No. 3 Dallas Cowboys win, they will move on to face the No. 2 Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. This is because the No. 4 Panthers would then be the lowest seed and would have to face the No. 1 Seattle Seahawks.
However, if the No. 6 Lions upset the Cowboys on Sunday, it would be Detroit heading out to Seattle as the lowest seed, meaning the Panthers would then head to Green Bay to take on Aaron Rodgers and Co.
Stay tuned, because the excitement is just getting started.
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