NFL Playoff Schedule 2015: When and Where to Find Each Divisional Round Matchup

Four teams will get one step closer to Super Bowl XLIX this weekend.

Wild Card Weekend didn't provide too many shocks. The matchups in the divisional round are a little more even, increasing the chance that one of the title favorites will be packing its bags early.

Football fans won't need any additional motivation for tuning in on Saturday and Sunday. The two storylines below, however, add a little more intrigue to a couple of featured attractions.

Time (ET)	Away	Home	Spread	TV Info	Live Stream
Saturday
4:35 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	New England Patriots	NE -7	NBC	NBC Sports Live Extra
8:15 p.m.	Carolina Panthers	Seattle Seahawks	SEA -11	FOX	Fox Sports GO
Sunday
1:05 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	GB -6	FOX	Fox Sports GO
4:40 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts	Denver Broncos	DEN -7	CBS	CBSSports.com

Top AFC Storyline

Is This the Year Andrew Luck Ascends to the Throne?

USA TODAY Sports

Eventually, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will move aside to let Andrew Luck run the league. Whether that day has arrived will be answered in this year's playoffs.

Luck entered the playoffs having set career highs in completion percentage (61.7), yards (4,761), touchdowns (40) and passer rating (96.5). His 16 interceptions were a bit of a concern. However, the 25-year-old is likely prone to a few more turnovers until the Indianapolis Colts finds a steady running game.

In 2014, it felt like Luck moved beyond promising quarterback and into the category of the game's top passers. He's never been any closer to potentially surpassing guys like Brady and Manning in the NFL's hierarchy of QBs.

Former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel said on The Coaches Show that Luck could be the best ever by the time he hangs it up (via NFL.com's Chris Wesseling):

"

He'll go down as the greatest quarterback of all time. The numbers he has already put up as a young quarterback, far superior to anybody else that came in the league in their first four, five or six years the numbers he's put up. If he keeps at that pace ... Whoa!

"

One thing that Luck doesn't have yet is that transcendent playoff run. He engineered a great comeback over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round last year but followed with a disappointing performance in a loss to the New England Patriots.

Here's a look at the stats from his first four playoff games.

Round	Opponent	Comp./Att.	Yards	TD	INT
2012
Wild Card	Baltimore Ravens	28/54	288	0	1
2013
Wild Card	Kansas City Chiefs	29/45	443	4	3
Divisional	New England Patriots	20/41	331	2	4
2014
Wild Card	Cincinnati Bengals	31/44	376	1	0

Of course, you have to put those numbers into perspective. How long did Manning go until he shed the perception that he couldn't win the big one? And for the most part, Brady didn't need to throw it 45-50 times a game in the postseason.

ESPN Stats & Info also illustrated how impressive Luck's early stats have been:

It would be unfair and inaccurate to lay all of the blame/praise at Luck's doorstep whatever the result of Sunday's game. He isn't solely responsible for his team's performance.

With that said, it's impossible to not see the symbolism of Luck and the Colts potentially facing off against two of the best QBs/teams in the league. By upending the Denver Broncos and possibly the Patriots, he and Indianapolis would emphatically show that the future is now.

Top NFC Storyline

How Real is the Carolina Panthers' Strong Run?

USA TODAY Sports

Let's first say that holding any NFL team to 78 yards over an entire game is an impressive accomplishment. Doing it in the playoffs is ridiculous:

"

#Panthers allowed NFL playoff record 78 yds vs AZ. Fewest yds allowed (incl. Reg season) since 12/12/10 Rivera-led SD defense held KC to 67

— Panthers PR Dept. (@PanthersPR) January 4, 2015"

With all due respect to the Carolina Panthers, though, the task is much easier when the opponent is starting Ryan Lindley at quarterback. Lindley was so bad that the father of backup QB Logan Thomas wasn't afraid to sound off about the Arizona Cardinals' futility:

Still, the way in which the Panthers closed out the regular season provided more than enough evidence that they could be a serious contender in the NFC. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman wrote after Carolina's Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons that the defense alone could carry the team:

"

What makes the Panthers special is that defense is portable. It can function in the cold of Green Bay or the rain of the Pacific Northwest. They don't care about the Cardinals' narrative—that these are the "new Cardinals." The Panthers are mean and disrespectful. It's a beautiful thing.

They torched (Falcons QB Matt Ryan), who is overrated anyway. They absolutely annihilated him, both physically and mentally. By the end of the third quarter, the Panthers had three takeaways, accounting for 21 points, and four sacks. The second Ryan pick-six was one of the worst throws of the day. Ryan floated it, and if you do that against this defense, it will make you pay.

"

Panthers players know full well the adversity they're about to face in the divisional round. Rather than being nervous about what will be a raucous Seattle crowd, tight end Greg Olsen is instead welcoming the challenge and embracing the occasion, per ESPN.com's David Newton:

"

It's hard to really describe it to people. Playoff game coming off the Super Bowl, I can only imagine it's probably even more so than when I was there a couple of years ago. But it's great. It's what you would expect. It's the atmosphere you would want for a playoff game, and I think for guys that are experiencing it for the first time, it'll be an experience that they'll remember for a long time.

"

The Panthers have some issues on offense, especially when matched up against a team as good defensively as the Seattle Seahawks. They're far from the perfect team and probably about sixth or seven in the playoff power rankings at the moment.

But Carolina's defensive strength can't be overlooked, and should the team go into CenturyLink Field and beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Panthers would be sending a resounding message to the rest of the playoff field.

Note: Stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference, and spread info is courtesy of Odds Shark.