NFL Playoffs 2017: Wild-Card Format, Updated Bracket and Known Schedule

There are a handful of knowns heading into Week 17, the last of the 2016 NFL regular season.

The AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers are locked into the No. 3 seed. The Houston Texans, AFC South champs, are the No. 4 seed. The New England Patriots will finish with a bye, but they're playing for home-field advantage.

The Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, have clinched a first-round bye with the top record in the NFC. The road to the Super Bowl runs through AT&T Stadium.

The only other team concrete in its playoff position is the only one to beat the 'Boys this season: the New York Giants. Big Blue is the No. 5 seed regardless of its matchup with the fellow NFC East foe Washington Redskins.

Now, let's talk unknowns.

Current Bracket

AFC	NFC
Dolphins (6) @ Steelers (3)	Lions (6) @ Seahawks (3)
Chiefs (5) @ Texans (4)	Giants (5) @ Packers (4)
Bye: Patriots (1), Raiders (2)	Bye: Cowboys (1), Falcons (2)

Note: This is going into Week 17. This bracket is likely to change after the conclusion of the regular season.

AFC

Who needs what to happen?

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

The playoff teams in the AFC are set. There's much room for shuffling, though.

The Raiders, sans Derek Carr, are fighting for a first-round bye against the Denver Broncos. Having an extra week to prepare backup Matt McGloin is invaluable, though as Elias Trejo of Raider Nation Times pointed out, the career second-stringer is unlikely to get out-classed by rookie Paxton Lynch or hot-and-cold Trevor Siemian:

If the Raiders win or the Chiefs lose, Oakland wins the AFC West. If the opposite happens—Chiefs win against the San Diego Chargers, Raiders lose—Kansas City gets the No. 2 spot. If the Raiders win and Patriots lose, Oakland gets home-field advantage.

New England gets the No. 1 seed with a win against Miami or a Raiders loss.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Dolphins should play with extreme motivation, as a win and a Chiefs loss give first-year head coach Adam Gase the No. 5 seed, which means a first-round bout with the Texans instead of the Steelers.

The incentive there is obvious.

NFC

Who's still alive?

Corey Perrine/Getty Images

Unlike the AFC, the NFC has eight teams alive. In addition to the six listed in the playoff bracket above, the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a pulse.

For the Skins, it's strong one—like, if you just went for a brisk walk.

For the Bucs, it's faint—like, last rites time.

Here's the breakdown on Tampa Bay sneaking into the postseason, via CBSSports.com:

"

1) TB win + WAS tie + GB loss + TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over GB

(Note: TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over GB if all of the following teams win: TEN, IND, DAL and SF)

"

Don't hold your breath, Bucs fans.

For Washington, the outlook is much brighter. The Redskins need to win. There's a murky scenario where if they tie, the Packers lose and the Buccaneers lose or tie, they're in. Luckily, we'll have Washington's result before either of the NFC North studs:

In that case, head coach Jay Gruden and Co. don't control their own destiny. A victory, combined with a team winning in the Packers-Lions game—as in, it doesn't end in a tie—will result in a playoff berth for Kirk Cousins' team.

But wait...

Improbable? Sure. But with a playoff spot on the line, it's impossible to rule anything out.

Check out CBSSports.com's playoff breakdown for more on tiebreakers and playoff seeding.