NFL Playoffs 2016: Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Saturday Divisional Games

Saturday's NFL playoff slate, featuring the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, will go a long way toward deciphering the validity of several recent blowouts. 

In Green Bay's trip to Arizona on Dec. 27, the Packers suffered a 38-8 obliteration at the hands of the Cardinals. But in Arizona's very next outing, it found itself on the wrong end of the blowout, suffering a 36-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

The late game's road team, Kansas City, dismantled the Houston Texans on their home turf in the Wild Card Round, emerging with a 30-0 shutout victory.

To this point, the NFL postseason has proved wildly unpredictable. Any or all of these lopsided outcomes could have no bearing on the results of Saturday's action. They could also be indicative of performances to come. 

In preparation for that, here is the schedule and odds for the upcoming preliminary contests. 

Matchup	Time	TV	Odds
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals	8:15 p.m.	NBC	Arizona -7
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots	4:35 p.m.	CBS	New England -4.5

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Packers at Cardinals

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Prediction: Cardinals 31, Packers 21

Much has occurred since Arizona's Week 16 rout of Green Bay to detract from that particular result. 

After the Cardinals' convincing loss to the Seahawks the following week, Seattle turned around and filed a performance against the Minnesota Vikings that should have resulted in a loss.

From the Green Bay angle, the Packers have since dropped a one-touchdown result to the Vikings and subsequently picked apart the Washington Redskins in the NFC Wild Card Round. 

Green Bay's 35-18 victory in Washington is the most recent sample to base projections off. And it did suggest we'd see a better version of Aaron Rodgers on this trip to Arizona than the one who could only manage eight points at the end of December. 

After taking a safety and punting twice in their first three drives, the Packers scored on their next five drives to pull away from the Redskins. Rodgers finished with 21 completions in 36 attempts, amassing 210 yards and two touchdown passes without throwing an interception. 

After an underwhelming season by his standards, the reigning MVP's renaissance in Washington occurred when Green Bay increased its offensive pace.

"When I was watching the game Sunday, those guys were moving extremely fast, the fastest I've seen all year," Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson said, via Bob Baum of the Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports).

Thanks in large part to Peterson, Arizona held Rodgers to 15 completions and one touchdown in their first meeting. That performance was representative of a regular season in which the Cardinals defense allowed the sixth-lowest completion percentage in the league.

The question ahead of the rematch is whether Aaron Rodgers has rediscovered enough of his traditional dominance to overcome that suffocating Arizona defense.

X-Factor: CB Justin Bethel

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

In the last meeting between the sides, Bethel recorded a team-high eight tackles. That wasn't a testament to his nose for the ball as much as it spoke to the Packers' nose for him. 

Since throwing in the direction of Peterson would be an extremely unwise decision for a football team to make, the prospect of targeting Bethel on the other side of the field is enticing to Arizona's opponents. ESPN's Josh Weinfuss found a way to quantify that phenomenon.

"In Bethel’s last two games, Weeks 16 and 17, both of which were starts as [Jerraud] Powers moved to slot corner to replace [Tyrann] Mathieu and Bethel started at outside corner, Bethel was targeted a league-high 22 times," Weinfuss wrote.

Bethel intercepted Rodgers in the Cardinals' Week 16 win over Green Bay, but he also allowed seven completions. 

As Rodgers' preferred victim, Bethel's performance in the divisional round will go a long way toward deciding Arizona's postseason fate. 

Chiefs at Patriots

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Patriots 17

The last 11 teams to face Kansas City have been unable to stop the red-hot Chiefs. But none of those 11 teams won the Super Bowl last season. 

The reigning champions, the Patriots, represent the latest and most viable threat to Kansas City's winning streak. But they host the Chiefs following the most impressive of Kansas City's 11 straight wins, a 30-0 annihilation of the Texans.

Both teams carry watered-down versions of themselves into the meeting, with New England sporting a 17-person injury report and the Chiefs listing 12 players on theirs.

The outcome of this game will be determined largely by which players listed as "questionable" ultimately suit up. Notables in that category include New England's Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. Kansas City's list includes Tamba Hali, Jeremy Maclin and Justin Houston. 

The reason the Patriots fell to the second seed in the AFC was two consecutive losses to end the season, so they're not riding the Chiefs' level of momentum entering this matchup. But momentum is often optional when you have Tom Brady on your team and Bill Belichick orchestrating it. 

Ahead of this meeting, the question is twofold: Which team enters the game in the healthiest position or, all things equal, which outfit is better equipped to withstand an injury-related disadvantage?

X-Factor: WR Chris Conley

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Maclin's availability is questionable in every sense of the word. The high ankle sprain he sustained against the Texans leaves him leaning in the direction of neither probable nor doubtful. 

In the event Maclin does suit up on Saturday, the possibility still exists that he'll be limited. Therefore, the performance of his backup, Conley, will be instrumental to a Chiefs victory. 

Maclin's eight touchdowns were more than the rest of Kansas City's receiving corps combined, but Conley managed to find the end zone in relief of Maclin against Houston. And following that performance, the Kansas City Star's Vahe Gregorian is convinced Conley is capable of pulling much of Maclin's weight.

"Conley can’t suddenly morph into Maclin, a seven-year veteran versed in this intricate offense who led the team with 87 catches," Gregorian said. "But tremendous athletic measurables, a keen mind and an inspired work ethic say the understudy has plenty to offer."

Tight end Travis Kelce is probable for Saturday, so Conley won't be the only viable option for Alex Smith. But he will be instrumental whether or not Maclin takes the field.