NFL Playoffs 2015: TV Coverage and Predictions for All AFC, NFC Divisional Games
Reserve a spot on your couch now because you aren’t moving from it all weekend.
The NFL playoffs have reached the divisional round, and there is a double-header of action on both Saturday and Sunday. Heck, you can’t even come up for air Monday because the college football national championship will be on your television.
It is much easier to plan your viewing if you are armed with a schedule. Here it is, along with some predictions. Now plan accordingly.
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| Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots | Saturday, Jan. 10 | 4:35 p.m. | NBC | Patriots |
| Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks | Saturday, Jan. 10 | 8:15 p.m. | Fox | Seahawks |
| Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers | Sunday, Jan. 11 | 1:05 p.m. | Fox | Packers |
| Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos | Sunday, Jan. 11 | 4:40 p.m. | CBS | Broncos |
Critical Matchup to Watch: Andrew Luck and Colts Offense vs. Denver Broncos Defense
The showdown between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos may feature star quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning, but Luck noted they aren’t really going head-to-head, according to STATS LLC, via ESPN.com:
"It's not the quarterback versus quarterback thing. We're not on the field at the same time. I have a lot of respect for (Manning), what he does, what he still does is amazing. He's a stud. I'll worry about the Denver defense, that's what I worry about."
The performance of the Colts offense is so important in this one because the Broncos are going to score some points.
Running back C.J. Anderson led the league with 648 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the last six games, and now he gets to face an Indianapolis defense that allowed 126.2 rushing yards a game in its last five contests and finished 18th in the league against the run and 19th in scoring defense.
That’s not even mentioning the passing attack with Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas (who scored three touchdowns against the Colts in the season opener) and Emmanuel Sanders.
That means Luck and the Colts offense need to outscore the Broncos if they hope to walk away with an upset victory on the road.
That could prove difficult against a Denver defense that forced 13 turnovers in its last six games. In fact, the Broncos defense only gave up more than 17 points once in its final five games and finished second in the league against the run and ninth against the pass.
It is worth pointing out that the Colts will start the same five offensive linemen in back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 7 and 8. However, Luck was only sacked 27 times all year, which was the lowest total of his career. How the Colts offensive front responds Sunday will be crucial with DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller attacking Luck on almost every snap.
If Indianapolis is going to win, it will be on the back of its passing game. Luck is fresh off a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals where he threw for 376 yards and a touchdown, and he led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes.
Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton finished with 1,345 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches, receiver Reggie Wayne put up a workmanlike 779 receiving yards and tight end Coby Fleener emerged as a legitimate weapon down the stretch with 556 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the final eight games.
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com noted how effective Hilton has been in his early career:
It is really no wonder Indianapolis was first in the league in passing offense with all those weapons, but the Broncos defense is stingy.
The potential emergence of a threat at running back in Daniel “Boom” Herron makes the Colts even more dangerous. Herron ran for 56 yards and a touchdown and added 85 receiving yards against the Bengals. He could make the Denver defense pay if it focuses too much on the lethal Colts passing attack.
The Colts put up 408 total yards against the Broncos even in defeat in the season opener. Still, that number is a bit misleading because Indianapolis fell behind 31-10, and the Denver defense responded by playing a bit softer in zone coverage down the stretch with the lead.
The Colts offense has to put up points if they hope to knock off the Broncos in Denver. That is much easier said than done against a Denver defense that is coming together at the right time.
Indianapolis will find the end zone on multiple drives with its passing attack, but it won’t be enough to overcome the points Manning and company put up against the vulnerable Colts defense.
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