NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: AFC, NFC Postseason Dates, TV Schedule for Each Round

For the first time since 2003, the NFL playoffs will not feature either of the Super Bowl participants from the previous year, as the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers each missed the postseason.

However, some familiar teams will be in the playoff mix, including four (and potentially five, if the Green Bay Packers find their way in) who have won the Super Bowl within the last eight full seasons.

Those familiar faces will mesh with new ones, as the Oakland Raiders (who haven't made the playoffs since a Super Bowl XXXVII appearance 14 years ago) and the Miami Dolphins (one lone postseason appearance since 2001) make their returns.

The mix of old and new should make for an interesting NFL postseason.

While playoff TV times and scheduling won’t be official until the unofficial NFC North title game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions is decided on Sunday Night Football, here is a look at the projected playoff schedule, as well as a glance at the Super Bowl contenders and playoff picture from each conference.

NFL Playoff Schedule 2017

Wild Card Round	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Saturday, Jan. 7	Oakland at Houston	4:35 p.m.	ESPN/ABC
Saturday, Jan. 7	Detroit at Seattle	8:15 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Jan. 8	Miami at Pittsburgh	1:05 p.m.	CBS
Sunday, Jan. 8	New York Giants at Green Bay	4:40 p.m.	Fox
Divisional Round	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Saturday, Jan. 14	Low AFC seed at New England	4:35 p.m.	CBS
Saturday, Jan. 14	High NFC seed at Atlanta	8:15 p.m.	Fox
Sunday, Jan. 15	High AFC seed at Kansas City	1:05 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Jan. 15	Low NFC seed at Dallas	4:40 p.m.	Fox
Conference Championship Round	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, Jan. 22	NFC Championship Game	3:05 p.m.	Fox
Sunday, Jan. 22	AFC Championship Game	6:40 p.m.	CBS
Super Bowl LI	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, Feb. 5	AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion	6:30 p.m.	Fox

Information via Sports Media Watch. The times are projections based on previous seasons. Per the site, ESPN/ABC will feature one Wild Card game, while NBC will show one Wild Card game and one Divisional game. 

AFC Playoff Picture and Super Bowl Contenders

Elise Amendola/Associated Press/Associated Press

Football fans may look at the AFC playoff picture from this season and reminisce about the 1970s, as three powerhouses from that decade (Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers) and a Super Bowl winner from 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs) are vying to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, along with the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

New England seems like the clear-cut favorite to return to the site (Houston) where it beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Since Tom Brady returned from his four-game suspension, the Pats have gone 10-1, including eight wins by at least 11 points.

Furthermore, their 170-point differential through Week 16 is far and away the best mark in the AFC; the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs sit second and third in the conference, respectively, with 69- and 68-point differentials, both more than 100 points behind the Pats.

Pittsburgh is the biggest threat to New England making its seventh Super Bowl appearance this century. The Steelers have the best quarterback-running back-wide receiver combination in football, as the Killer B's of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are a difficult challenge for any NFL defense.

In fact, the Steelers are 8-3 in games this year in which all three have played (and 2-2 with one of them out)—Bell missed three games to suspension at the beginning of the year, and Roethlisberger sat during a loss against New England due to injury.

Kansas City, meanwhile, just finds ways to win thanks to electric playmaker Tyreek Hill, arguably the best tight end in football (Travis Kelce) and a stout defense led by safety Eric Berry, who almost singlehandedly won two games this year thanks to a few pick-sixes (against Carolina and Atlanta) and a pick-two (Atlanta again).

Their problem is the potential loss of superstar pass-rusher Justin Houston, who is out for today's game against San Diego and has no timetable for a return, per Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star.

The Oakland Raiders have played fantastic football all season, sporting a 12-3 record as of this writing, but it's difficult seeing backup Matt McGloin, who replaced Pro Bowler and MVP candidate Derek Carr after the latter suffered a broken leg against the Indianapolis Colts, leading the Silver and Black deep into the playoffs. Houston and Miami simply don't have the offensive firepower to overcome the explosive Patriots and Steelers and make it to the Super Bowl.

NFC Playoff Picture and Super Bowl Contenders

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press/Associated Press

Like the AFC, the NFC has a clear Super Bowl contender. The Dallas Cowboys are rolling behind the best offensive line professional football has seen in decades, along with two rookie superstars in quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. They have the second-highest point differential in the NFL (129 points), only sitting behind the aforementioned Patriots.

Dallas is also 13-0 against teams not named the New York Giants, and their two losses to the G-Men came by a combined four points. As long as the running game continues to rumble in Jerry's World, it's difficult to see Dallas falling before the Super Bowl.

The Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants will join Dallas in the playoffs. 

Atlanta's offense is nothing short of explosive this year. The Falcons have scored 502 points in 15 games led by a resurgent Matt Ryan, All-Pro Julio Jones and the two-headed running back monster of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. However, their defense is suspect, especially with their best cornerback (Desmond Trufant) done for the season with a pectoral injury.

Seattle will have a rough road back to the Super Bowl with safety Earl Thomas sidelined and a run game that has struggled all season, but it's unwise to ever count the Seahawks out. They've been to the Super Bowl twice in the past three seasons, winning once and coming one terrible play call away from potentially taking a second.

Russell Wilson is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman are two of the most dominating defensive presences in football. Their problem is that the road to Houston will not go through Seattle, where their home-field advantage is second to none, this year.

The Giants have won games this year due to Odell Beckham taking five-yard slants to the house and a dominating defense led by free-agent pickups Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Damon "Snacks" Harrison. The defense can hang with any team in the league and somehow held Dallas to only seven points in their last meeting on Dec. 12, which is difficult to do against any team in football, let alone the Cowboys.

The Giants' issue is that their offense goes through one player in Beckham, and if he is shut down, then the offense is too. New York simply hasn't done well in running the football save for a few games, and the complementary receivers outside of Beckham have been hit and miss. Still, if the offense finds a way to click in January, the Giants will be a dangerous dark-horse contender for the Super Bowl.

The remaining two spots are up for grabs. The winner of the Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game will take one of the berths and host a Wild Card game. Green Bay is rolling right now, winners of its last five games, while Detroit is reeling following two straight losses.

The game is in Detroit, however, and divisional games can never be taken for granted, so expect that game to be a competitive affair. If Green Bay wins this one and keeps its hot streak alive, no team will want to face superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the postseason.

The Redskins are assured of a playoff spot if they beat the Giants at home and the Packers-Lions game does not end in a tie. Expect both to happen. The Giants have nothing to play for, as they have the No. 5 seed locked up, and it's safe to assume numerous starters won't be playing the entire game in order to rest for next week. Meanwhile, Washington will go all out to take this game and clinch its second straight postseason berth, something it has not done since 1992.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still mathematically alive, per Scott Smith of buccaneers.com, but they need seven games to go their way, including the Giants-Washington matchup ending in a tie.