NFL Playoffs 2015: Full Divisional Round Schedule and Predictions

Coming on the heels of an ugly Wild Card Weekend, the NFL playoffs will hopefully get a shot of adrenaline in the divisional round.

Things certainly look better on paper as Seattle, Green Bay, New England and Denver get their first moment in the spotlight.

Those four teams will be joined by Carolina, Dallas, Baltimore and Indianapolis after each had a successful turn last weekend. In that group, the Ravens played the most complete game against Pittsburgh. The good news is nothing that happened last week carries over—as there was a lot to forget from those victories.

As each week passes, the intensity skyrockets. If you follow trends, at least one upset is guaranteed this weekend. It's been 10 years since the top two seeds in both conferences met on Championship Sunday.

Of course, trends end all the time in sports. With that in mind, here are picks for the divisional round after looking at the schedule for this weekend's games.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

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Next to the Ravens playing the Steelers, which they did last week, it's only fitting New England would fall on the schedule. The Ravens and Patriots have built a strong playoff rivalry dating back to 2010, when Baltimore ran all over Gillette Stadium en route to a 33-14 win.

In fact, the Ravens have won two of the last three playoff matchups against the Patriots. The only loss was in the AFC Championship Game three years ago, which Baltimore had a chance to win if Lee Evans holds on to the ball in the end zone.

However, things are different than the last time these two met in 2013. Rob Gronkowski will be on the field. New England's star tight end missed that AFC Championship Game after re-injuring his arm against Houston the previous week.

Eric Wilbur of The Boston Globe noted that Tom Brady should be perfectly at ease against Baltimore's secondary:

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Do the Ravens present specific problems for the Patriots to deal with? Yes, and Suggs’ presence against New England’s schizophrenic offensive line is near the top of the list.

But Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ought to be able to pick apart the Ravens’ decimated defensive backfield like Roethlisberger could not do on Saturday night, provided that Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell are healthy enough to contribute as offensive weapons along with Gronkowski.

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The Ravens did get a boost on defense last week with the return of Haloti Ngata, but Le'Veon Bell's absence skewed the complexion of Pittsburgh's offense.

Now, Baltimore has to game plan for a balanced New England offense. The Patriots' running game has improved with LeGarrette Blount, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry since returning to New England. 

One thing the Ravens can take advantage of is their speed on the outside against New England's man-to-man coverage. Darrelle Revis can overpower Steve Smith, but if Smith gets off the jam, then he can do what Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams did in Week 13.

Joe Flacco isn't afraid to take chances down the field and will have to hit on a few to keep Baltimore in this game. The Ravens always make things interesting, but the Patriots are healthy and better equipped to handle them this time around.

Patriots 27, Ravens 20

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks

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If you look at opponents that have multiple games against Seattle dating back to last year, there's an argument that no one has performed better than Carolina. Even though the Panthers don't have a win in two matchups, they've lost by a combined score of 25-16.

These games are ugly, physical and not for the faint of heart.

In their Week 8 matchup this year, Kelvin Benjamin posed problems for Seattle's vaunted secondary. He had four catches for 94 yards, including a 51-yarder.

There's no denying Benjamin's big-play ability, but consistency has been an issue for the rookie. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Florida State standout had a bad case of the drops in the regular season that cropped up last week against Arizona:

Carolina has the right formula to beat Seattle. Newton can beat teams with his arm or legs, the defense is allowing 17 or fewer points in the last five games and a Jonathan Stewart has revived the running game.

However, the Panthers have the unenviable task of going into Seattle.

Carolina's defense stifled Arizona's offense—only allowing 27 rushing yards—but Marshawn Lynch is light years better than anyone who took a handoff for the Cardinals last week.

ESPN's John Buccigross showed this stat about the leading rushers since Week 9, with Lynch up near the top:

The Panthers will undoubtedly sell out to stop the run, which is the smart move given how Seattle's offense operates, but Russell Wilson is going to find openings in the passing game and get loose for at least two big runs.

The game will be closer than you think based on regular-season records, but the Panthers won't be able to do enough against the Seattle defense to win.

Seahawks 20, Panthers 13

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers

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Even though the marketing will be about Tony Romo vs. Aaron Rodgers, the real story of this game will be Dallas trying to piece together a defense that was shredded at times last week against Detroit.

Rolando McClain is dealing with concussion-like symptoms and neck pain, via Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News; defensive tackle Henry Melton is out for the playoffs with a knee injury.

Without those two key cogs in the middle of Dallas' defense, imagine what Rodgers can do if Matthew Stafford was able to move the ball up and down the field.

There's also the question of Romo, who came through late against Detroit but looked erratic and made some of the boneheaded plays that left him susceptible to criticism in the past.

Some of Romo's skittish behavior was likely caused by having so many Lions in his face, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

The Packers don't have the same kind of defensive line that Detroit does, but the Lions only had one more sack in the regular season. Clay Matthews is excellent in pass coverage or running after the quarterback, so expect plenty of blitz packages with him involved.

There's going to be a lot of points scored because both teams are loaded on offense, but Rodgers is the best quarterback in football and playing at home in January. He will make the big play late in the game that sends Green Bay to the NFC Championship.

Packers 31, Cowboys 27

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos

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Speaking of marquee quarterback matchups, it's time for Andrew Luck vs. Peyton Manning III. Each has one home win under his belt in the series. By that logic, the Broncos are a good bet to win this time around.

With no running game, a bad offensive line and a speed defense that will struggle outdoor, Indianapolis is the most flawed team still in the playoffs.

However, don't be so quick to dismiss the Colts.

Luck has been able to elevate the team higher than anyone could have anticipated in his first three years. Even though the playoff results haven't always been stellar, ESPN Stats & Info noted no one has more yards through for postseason starts than Luck:

Of course, Manning is no slouch. He's coming off what many say is a down year by his standards, yet he still threw for 4,727 yards and 39 touchdowns. There does seem to be a sense that age is catching up to the reigning MVP, as whatever arm strength was left seems to have evaporated late in the year.

Manning threw 15 interceptions this year, his most since 2010. Six of them came in two December games against Buffalo and Cincinnati.

Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said Manning is "doing fine," via Mike Klis of The Denver Post.

However, it does seem something is off with Manning, which will be determined Sunday afternoon against Indianapolis.

If there is a problem, the Colts are going to keep this game close.

Luck has won games on his own in the past and won't be overwhelmed by this stage, having been on it last year against New England. That game turned out to be a disaster for Indianapolis but did provide a good learning opportunity.

Unfortunately for the Colts, they also have to stop the run. They did it last week against Cincinnati, but the Bengals were forced to be one-dimensional because A.J. Green was out with a concussion. The Broncos have Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker at wide receiver. 

There's also the emergence of C.J. Anderson at running back that has allowed Denver to throw less in the second half of the year.

Per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Anderson finished tied for third in rushing yards over the regular season's last five weeks:

The Colts have been pedestrian defending the run and pass this season. As tempting as it is to pick Indianapolis in this spot because of what Luck brings, the Broncos have too many weapons for Chuck Pagano's defense to contain.

Broncos 31, Colts 23