NFL: Back Panthers, Steelers, Colts and Cowboys in wildcard acca

The Ravens’ passing defense ranked just 23rd out of 32 teams in the NFL this season, while the Pittsburgh passing attack was the second-best in the league – Pittsburgh’s passing offense would therefore appear to be key to deciding this contest in their favour. Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown could profit, and is 4/6 to score anytime.

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts
No team had a better passing offense than Indianapolis this season, and that could be enough to win them the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck had a stellar 2014, passing for 4761 yards and assisting 40 touchdowns. Eight of those touchdown passes were caught by tight-end Coby Fleener, who is 11/8 to score anytime against the Bengals.

Cincinnati have doubts over their own quarterback Andy Dalton, who is gaining an unfortunate reputation for putting in his worst performances in his team’s most important games.

Dalton has led the Bengals to the playoffs three times, and on all those occasions they have fallen at the first hurdle. He has recorded just one touchdown against six costly interceptions in those three playoff appearances.

These two sides have already met this season in October, when Indianapolis thrashed Cincinnati 27-0 at home. That performance would indicate that it is unlikely to be fourth time lucky for Dalton and the Bengals in the playoffs this time around.

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys
NFC East champions Dallas can win their first playoff game since 2010 against Detroit at AT&T stadium on Sunday night.

In the Lions, they face the league’s third-best defense. However, this is a Cowboys side that has already beaten the NFL’s number-one ranked defense (Seattle) this season, so they are certainly capable of breaking through tough defenses.

Behind the league’s best offensive line, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has had a season to remember. Meanwhile, star running back DeMarco Murray rushed for a team-record 1845 yards in 2014. Murray is 1/2 to score anytime for the Cowboys.

Detroit come into this contest on the back of a disappointing away performance at Green Bay last time out, a defeat that cost them the chance to win the NFC North title.

For some observers, the loss serves as further evidence that the Lions are not equipped to beat the best teams, in particular when playing those teams on the road. Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford has, astonishingly, never won an away game against a team with a winning record in his six-year career.

Like Green Bay, Dallas are a tough opponent with a winning record, and the Cowboys should be capable of taming the Lions here.