The Divisional round of the 2015 NFL playoffs is in full swing after an action-packed Wild Card round. The Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts all won their games to survive the first round and move on.
NFL playoffs 2015 schedule: Packers vs. Cowboys, Broncos vs. Colts set for Sunday
The Divisional round of the 2015 NFL playoffs is here, and Sunday features two excellent matchups.
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Baltimore wound up taking on the New England Patriots, while Carolina took on the Seattle Seahawks Saturday. But we're here to talk about the matchups Sunday, which include both of the No. 2 seeds in the playoffs hosting their first games of the postseason.
First, the Green Bay Packers will host the No. 3 seeded Cowboys in the NFC, then the Denver Broncos will host the No. 4 seed Colts in the AFC. Both games should be entertaining, even if both home teams are heavy favorites to win it. Let's take a look at them both below:
NFC Divisional Game 2: (2) Green Bay Packers vs. (3) Dallas Cowboys
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Online: Verizon NFL Mobile
The Cowboys may not be favored over the Packers, but there is one thing going for them: their perfect 8-0 record on the road this season. Few teams pull that off, but the Cowboys suffered all four of their defeats at home this season. Lambeau Field is one of the toughest places to play in the league, and the Packers didn’t lose a game there this season, but home-field advantage won’t be as big a deal in this game as it could be in others.
When it comes to the actual matchup on the field, it will likely come down to which offense makes fewer mistakes. Typically, that's been the Packers, as Aaron Rodgers commits fewer turnovers than Tony Romo. That said, Romo and Rodgers are actually the top two quarterbacks in the league in quarterback rating this year, so it should be a good one.
AFC Divisional Game 2: (2) Denver Broncos vs. (4) Indianapolis Colts
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
Time: 4:40 p.m.
TV: CBS
Online: Verizon NFL Mobile
Peyton Manning vs. Andrew Luck and his former team is always worth a headline. Luck has a long, long way to go until he's on Manning's level, but Luck has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league this year, for what it's worth. Manning and the Broncos haven't looked as good on offense as last season, but then again, it's hard to exceed expectations when your team broke all of the important offensive records a season ago.
Indianapolis’ biggest issue is that Denver actually has a decent defense this time around, and the Colts are very one-dimensional. The Colts simply don’t even try to run the ball at this point, meaning Luck will have to put up more points than Manning. He failed to do that when these teams played in Week 1, but he’s also improved a lot since then.
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