NFL Playoff Scenarios 2017: Wild-Card Picture, Postseason Bracket and Odds

The NFL playoffs are set, and the 2016 regular season is officially in the rearview mirror.

The Green Bay Packers closed things out with an NFC-North clinching victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, although Detroit will still be in the playoffs because the Washington Redskins fell to the New York Giants.

Seed	Team	Record	Clinched
1	New England Patriots	14-2	AFC East; Home-Field Advantage
2	Kansas City Chiefs	12-4	AFC West; First-Round Bye
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	11-5	AFC North
4	Houston Texans	9-7	AFC South
5	Oakland Raiders	12-4	Wild-Card Berth
6	Miami Dolphins	10-6	Wild-Card Berth

Seed	Team	Record	Clinched
1	Dallas Cowboys	13-3	NFC East; Home-Field Advantage
2	Atlanta Falcons	11-5	NFC South; First-Round Bye
3	Seattle Seahawks	10-5-1	NFC West
4	Green Bay Packers	9-6	NFC North
5	New York Giants	11-5	Wild-Card Berth
6	Detroit Lions	9-6	Wild-Card Berth

The NFL shared a look at the playoff bracket, and SiriusXM NFL Radio passed along the initial postseason schedule:

As expected, the Patriots are the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LI, with the Cowboys boasting the second-best odds, according to OddsShark.

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	19-10
Dallas Cowboys	13-4
Pittsburgh Steelers	8-1
Seattle Seahawks	11-1
Green Bay Packers	11-1
Kansas City Chiefs	11-1
Atlanta Falcons	11-1
New York Giants	20-1
Oakland Raiders	28-1
Houston Texans	50-1
Miami Dolphins	50-1
Washington Redskins	66-1

New England couldn't have asked for a better road to Houston for the Super Bowl. The team has home-field advantage throughout the postseason, and three of the six playoff teams in the AFC are playing their backup quarterbacks.

The Oakland Raiders are the biggest victim of an injury bug that has bitten teams late in the year. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that Derek Carr is an "extreme long-shot" to play in the Super Bowl after suffering a broken fibula.

Coincidentally, Oakland is an "extreme long-shot" to win the AFC with Carr out. Matt McGloin filled in for Carr in the Raiders' Week 17 loss to the Denver Broncos, and Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier tweeted that McGloin remains a below-average NFL quarterback in his fourth season:

The Broncos won a title despite their quarterback issues, but Denver had one of the best defenses in the league. The Raiders don't have that luxury, and McGloin's performance Sunday will do little to allay fans' fears about the postseason.

Oakland's loss means a date with the Houston Texans looms in the Wild Card Round. Considering the Texans' quarterback situation is even worse, the Raiders have a good chance to advance to the divisional round. Getting to the AFC championship game will be a bridge too far, though.

In the NFC, the Cowboys' quest for a sixth Super Bowl ring doesn't look quite as easy as New England's, but Dallas is the clear front-runner in its conference.

David Helman of the team's official website tweeted how clinching home field will seriously cut down on the team's travels:

The Atlanta Falcons will be the Cowboys' biggest threat for NFC supremacy.

History will likely weigh heavily on Atlanta in the playoffs. Between 1966 and the present, the Falcons have reached three conference championships in 12 postseason appearances. They're 1-4 in the playoffs with Matt Ryan at quarterback.

Atlanta will also have to worry about its suspect defense. Entering Week 17, the Falcons were 23rd in total defense (364.4 yards per game) and 25th in scoring defense (24.9 points per game). Football Outsiders ranked the team 27th in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

Between Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones and Tevin Coleman, the Falcons are blessed with talented playmakers. In the playoffs, a good defense trumps a good offense more times than not, though. Should Atlanta meet the New York Giants or Seattle Seahawks, it could be in trouble.