NFL Playoff Schedule 2015: Updated Bracket, TV Info for Divisonal Round

After three Wild Card Round games ended with double-digit margins of victory, the Dallas Cowboys breathed life into the 2014-15 NFL playoffs, rallying to score 17 consecutive points and defeat the Detroit Lions 24-20 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in a thrilling contest that came down to the final possession.

Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence nearly had the game won with just under two minutes to go when he recovered a Matthew Stafford fumble after a sack by Anthony Spencer, but the 22-year-old put the ball on the ground himself and gave Detroit another shot to win the game.

Lawrence, perhaps fueled by the fear that he would have to go into hiding should the Cowboys lose that game, sealed the win nine plays later with another fumble recovery after he knocked the ball loose from Stafford on fourth down.

A reversed pass interference call on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens that altered the course of the game will likely be a major point of contention in the aftermath of this one.

However, Dallas still deserves credit for putting together a complete game on both sides of the ball.

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Earlier in the day, the Indianapolis Colts handily defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-10. Playing without star wideout A.J. Green (concussion), the Bengals managed just 254 yards of total offense and were shut out in the second half by a resolute Colts defense.

These results, followings wins by the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers on Saturday, now set the stage for the 2015 NFL divisional round.

Here is a look at the updated playoff bracket and television schedule for the divisional round, followed by an early preview of the upcoming matchups.

A complete look at the playoff picture can be found at NFL.com.


Early AFC Preview

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Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the divisional round is the Denver Broncos-Indianapolis Colts contest, which pits the incomparable Peyton Manning against his old team and heir to the quarterback throne in Indy, Andrew Luck (40 touchdowns, 16 picks in 2014).

Manning, for all of his numerous all-time records, still catches flack for his lackluster postseason record.

His acolytes will point to the Colts' 2006 Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears and figure the conversation ends there, but the postseason ledger shows an 11-12 overall record with an 89.2 quarterback rating, which is well below his career regular-season mark (97.5).

There is a decent chance Luck actually outperforms Manning in this one. He threw for 376 yards against an elite Bengals pass defense on Sunday.

Manning, who is as prolific as they come, threw just five touchdowns against six interceptions over the Broncos' final five regular-season games.

But who knows? Maybe the Broncos can hunker down and turn into a running-based team against the Colts. The Bengals averaged 5.2 yards per carry on Sunday, which is good news for Denver tailback C.J. Anderson, a former third-stringer who racked up 648 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over the final six games of the regular season.

Unheralded and relatively unheard of until November, Anderson could be all that stands between Manning and the avalanche of vitriol and schadenfreude that should come from his detractors should the Broncos lose.

The New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, Jan. 10. This could be capstone season for the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady dynasty. The Pats overcame a 2-2 start to win 10 of their final 12 games and post a plus-155 point differential.

Brady transcended his early-season struggles to turn in an MVP-caliber campaign, throwing for 4,109 yards and 33 scores against just nine picks.

He should have a field day at home against the Ravens' middling pass defense, although Baltimore did put in a solid effort against the Ben Roethlisberger in its 30-17 win on Saturday, notching two interceptions and five sacks.

The front seven will be key to protecting the Ravens' thin secondary and harassing Tom Brady before all-world tight end Rob Gronkowski (82 catches, 12 scores) can get downfield.

USA Today's Chris Strauss singled out Terrell Suggs as one to watch in this contest:

"

The Ravens linebacker, who helped seal Baltimore’s Wild Card win over Pittsburgh by intercepting a pass with his knees, has been quite loquacious about his dislike of the Patriots quarterback over the years. For The Win noted prior to last year’s 41-7 Week 16 New England win over Baltimore just how many different reasons Suggs has found to dislike Brady since the pair tangled in a 2009 game. Suggs was uncharacteristically quiet before the 2013 regular season matchup, but we’ll see if the playoff atmosphere brings out any trash talk before or during the game.

"

Brady will win the majority of quarterback matchups, but Joe Flacco could make this an interesting duel.

The Ravens signal-caller notched career highs in touchdown passes (33) and passing yards (3,986) this season and was excellent against the Steelers, posting a 114.0 quarterback rating with two scores and no picks.

Still, he will have to be mindful of cornerback Darrelle Revis, one of New England's three All-Pros this season.

Early NFC Preview

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers—7-8-1 in the regular season, in case you forgot—might just have the toughest assignment in the divisional round.

Their five-game win streak may finally come to an end at CenturyLink Field against a Seattle Seahawks team that ended the season in a peerless run of form that has them poised to become repeat Super Bowl champs.

The Seahawks allowed just 39 points over the final six weeks of the regular season, all of them leading to victories.

Cam Newton and company skated by the Arizona Cardinals 27-14 on Saturday behind a dominant defensive display of their own, albeit one they are wholly unlikely to repeat.

Ryan Lindley managed a microscopic 2.9 yards per attempt in that game and threw two late interceptions. However, Lindley is to Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3,475 yards passing, 845 rushing) as flint rock is to a flamethrower.

Scott Eklund/Associated Press

Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly will be key to spying the rambling, scrambling Wilson while also dropping back into coverage on occasion as he did against the Cards.

Diminutive running back Kerwynn Williams racked up just 2.3 yards per carry against the Panthers "D," but he's nothing compared to the sentient Mack truck that is tailback Marshawn Lynch (1,306 yards, 13 scores).

Both teams feature depleted wide receiver corps, so running will be key to this one.

Lynch should do quite well in the divisonal round, but he could be matched by Panthers back Jonathan Stewart, who is in the form of his life and has topped the 100-yard mark in three of his last five games.

Look for the Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary to be the deciding factor in this one. If it can shut down Kelvin Benjamin and force Newton to check down more often than not, the Seahawks should be able to put together enough offense to win this one.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Romo finally got his second ever playoff win, but it's going to be exceedingly tough for him to snag a third on the tundra of Lambeau Field against the second-seeded Green Bay Packers.

There is hope for the 'Boys, however, as Packers head coach Mike McCarthy told ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers (38 touchdowns, five picks) might not practice until late in the week due to a calf injury.

"We'll do the same tomorrow, and I really don't see him getting on the practice field until Thursday probably at the earliest," McCarthy said Friday, per Demovsky.

Rodgers, the best pure passer in the league, can do more with just a couple days of preparation than most quarterbacks could do with a year of dedicated practice, but this calf injury could prove troublesome.

The Cowboys would be wise to dial up the pass rush if Rodgers' mobility becomes an issue, although that would likely only slow—rather than shut—down Green Bay's passing attack.

Dallas forced three turnovers against the Lions on Sunday and has been generally good at forcing opponents into mistakes all season, but those opportunities may not come against the Packers.

Rodgers didn't throw a pick all year at home and lead running back Eddie Lacy (1,139 yards, eight scores) put the ball on the ground three times in 288 touches this season, losing two.

Dallas' best bet in this one will be to commit the ground game with DeMarco Murray against the league's 23rd-ranked rushing defense and try to establish an early advantage—and then hold on for dear life.