NFL Playoffs 2015: Updated Postseason Picture and Divisional-Round Scenarios

Wild Card Weekend has concluded, and just like that, four teams have officially been eliminated from Super Bowl contention.

On Saturday, the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers became the first two playoff teams to fall. Sunday saw the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions join the ranks of eliminated teams. Now, we head into the divisional round with only eight teams remaining.

Before we know it, only the conference championship games will stand between two teams and a berth in Super Bowl XLIX, so here's the burning question: Which squads are in the best position to advance through to the big dance? Well, looking at some divisional-round scenarios will help shed some light in that area.

Here's an updated look at the 2015 postseason picture, a brief review of Wild Card Weekend and a look ahead at the divisional round of the playoffs.

Updated Postseason Picture

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
Saturday, Jan. 10	4:35 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots	NBC
Saturday, Jan. 10	8:15 p.m.	Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks	Fox
Sunday, Jan. 11	1:05 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers	Fox
Sunday, Jan. 11	4:40 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos	CBS

Wild-Card Review

Home	Score	Away
Carolina Panthers	27-16	Arizona Cardinals
Pittsburgh Steelers	17-30	Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts	26-10	Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys	24-20	Detroit Lions

The Carolina Panthers kicked off the weekend with a win over the Cardinals. Carolina's defense was red hot down the final stretch of the regular season, and that trend continued against Ryan Lindley and Arizona's sluggish offense.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly and Co. stepped up in a big way, forcing three turnovers, allowing eight first downs, an average of 1.7 yards per play and just 78 total yards of offense, which set a new postseason record, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

While Cam Newton and the Panthers offense weren't overly spectacular, they did enough to come away with a win. Running back Jonathan Stewart stole the show on the offensive side of the ball, tallying 123 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

The AFC North took center stage on Saturday night, as the Steelers played host to the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh was without star running back Le'Veon Bell, and that showed in the team's offensive production, as the remaining running backs accumulated just 46 of the team's 68 rushing yards.

Still, Pittsburgh had more issues than a missing running back, as its defense couldn't get off the field on third down, and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco came away with some big plays en route to 259 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. That helped the team to its first postseason victory over the Steelers, via SportsCenter:

The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Bengals to begin Sunday's action, and despite some late-season struggles, Andrew Luck and Co. finally appeared to get their groove back. The team continued to deal with some missed opportunities and dropped passes, but it did rack up 482 yards of offense against Cincinnati.

As for the Bengals, they couldn't quite overcome a bevy of injuries, as wide receiver A.J. Green and tight end Jermaine Gresham missed the game, and linebacker Rey Maualuga and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick were lost during the contest. Cincinnati's defeat extends its postseason losing streak to seven games, according to ESPN's Trey Wingo:

Wingo also mentioned the Lions in his tweet, and following a close contest on Sunday evening, Detroit's streak continues as well. The Lions got off to a fast start, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter; however, its defense just couldn't contain a Dallas Cowboys offense that knows how to get points on the board.

Three turnovers doomed the Lions on Sunday, and it was only fitting the team's final giveaway halted its last-gasp effort to march down the field on a game-winning drive. Dallas had a bit of a playoff drought prior to Sunday, but this team is no stranger to postseason wins, according to SportsCenter:

Sunday's victory marks the first time the Cowboys notched a playoff win since a 34-14 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles back in January 2010.

Divisional-Round Scenarios

Home	Away	Pick
New England Patriots	Batimore Ravens	Patriots
Seattle Seahawks	Carolina Panthers	Seahawks
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys
Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	Colts

The Ravens kick off the divisional round against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. These two teams are no strangers to postseason meetings, as the last time they faced off in the playoffs, Baltimore came away with a huge road win in the AFC Championship Game and went on to win Super Bowl XLVII.

Chris Wesseling of Around the NFL tweeted the playoff series record for these teams:

If the Patriots can flip the script this time around, they will remain at home for the AFC Championship Game and play the winner of the Denver Broncos and Colts. Since the Ravens were a wild-card team, they would remain on the road with a win, no matter which AFC opponent they would face.

Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks will see their first action of the playoffs against Newton and the Panthers. These teams are extremely similar, as they both excel at running the football, have mobile quarterbacks and play very stout defense. There may not be many points scored in this one.

Although, according to Will Brinson of CBS Sports, Seattle is already heavily favored:

Since Seattle owns the No. 1 seed, it will remain at home with a win and play the victor of the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Although, if the Panthers were to emerge victorious, they would remain on the road despite being a division winner since the remaining teams are seeded higher.

Aaron Rodgers will be looking to remain perfect at Lambeau Field against the Cowboys. The prolific quarterback has thrown 25 touchdown passes and zero interceptions at home this season; however, Dallas comes into town with a potent offense of its own. There's a strong possibility we'll see an exciting shootout in this one.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweeted the last time these squads faced off at Lambeau in the playoffs:

If the Packers notch a win, they would either travel to Seattle or host Carolina in the NFC Championship Game. Given Green Bay's success at home this year, we should expect them to be rooting heavily for the Panthers. Dallas is in the same situation. Ranked No. 3 in the NFC, the Cowboys would either head to Seattle or go back to Dallas to host an NFC Championship Game against the Panthers.

The divisional round concludes with a rematch between Peyton Manning and Luck. The Broncos and Colts met in Week 1 in Denver, and Manning's squad emerged with a 31-24 victory despite a strong late-game push by Luck and Co. It will be entertaining to see what's changed since then for each team.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, this will be the first time these quarterbacks meet in the postseason:

If the Broncos pull out a win, they would travel to Foxborough to take on the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. However, if Baltimore can top New England, Denver would remain at home to host the Ravens. If the Colts defeat the Broncos, they would be in the same situation as Denver, traveling to New England or hosting Baltimore in the AFC's final clash.