NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: AFC, NFC Bracket, TV Coverage and Super Bowl Picks

The 2016-17 NFL regular season is now a thing of the past, and the pending postseason picture has been set. Beginning on Saturday, January 7, the real race for the Super Bowl will begin.

It took every single game the regular season had to offer to set the current conference brackets. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions in the last game of the regular season to clinch the NFC North and the No. 4 seed in the conference.

The Oakland Raiders were knocked from the AFC's No. 2 seed all the way to the fifth seed earlier in the day. The New England Patriots, meanwhile, locked up the top seed in the AFC on the final day of the regular season.

The Patriots—along with the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs—will spend the opening week of the postseason on bye.

We're going to take a look at the full schedule for Wild Card Weekend. We'll also be examining the latest buzz entering the playoffs and making our predictions for the opening four games as well as the Super Bowl.

Wild Card Weekend

Day, Time (ET)	Game	National TV	Proj. Winner
Sat. 4:35 p.m.	Oakland at Houston	ESPN	HOU
Sat. 8:15 p.m.	Detroit at Seattle	NBC	SEA
Sun. 1:05 p.m.	Miami at Pittsburgh	CBS	PIT
Sun. 4:40 p.m.	NY Giants at Green Bay	Fox	GB

Storylines to Follow

Quarterback Injuries

One of the biggest stories heading into the postseason is the recent rash of injuries plaguing the AFC. The Raiders have lost Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr to a broken fibula. The Miami Dolphins lost Ryan Tannehill to ligament sprains, though there is a chance he may be able to return.

"I have to ask the doctors where he’s at," Dolphins head coach Adam Gase explained, per James Parks of CBSSports.com. "I don’t even know where he’s at. I have to get a lot of information. I have to feel really good about it."

Carr is done for the year, which is a shame for fans of strong quarterback play. Pro Football Focus rates Carr sixth overall among all quarterbacks for the regular season.

Unfortunately for Oakland, Carr's replacement suffered an injury of his own in the season finale against the Denver Broncos. Matt McGloin suffered a shoulder injury and was replaced by rookie Connor Cook.

"I wanted to play out there tonight," McGloin said, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. "If I'm not 100 percent healthy, that's not what this team needs. I plan on being 100 percent healthy [against the Houston Texans]."

When the Raiders do take on the Texans, Houston might not have its quarterback either. Starter Tom Savage suffered a concussion in the Texans' season finale against the Tennessee Titans.

If Savage cannot get himself cleared before the weekend, though, the Texans will again be relying on Brock Osweiler.

Fading Raiders

Oakland had one of the best seasons of any team this year, and the turnaround the franchise has made must be commended. However, the past couple of weeks have placed a black cloud over the Black Hole. Not only has the team lost its starting quarterback, but it's also likely lost any chance to host a playoff game.

Without Carr and on the road, the Raiders were wholly outclassed by the Broncos on Sunday. The team's defense—which had shown improvement for much of the season—was gashed for 24 points by a Denver offense that had failed to top 10 points in its last three games.

The Raiders offense—which is rated eighth overall by Pro Football Focus for the season—was listless with the combination of McGloin and Cook at the helm.

If the Raiders cannot figure out how to move the ball more effectively next week against the Texans, their stellar season is going to come to an abrupt end. The way things have gone over the past two weeks, though, a quick end might seem merciful.

Projected Super Bowl Participants

If we're using momentum as a determining factor, then it's difficult to go against the Packers in the NFC right now. Yes, Green Bay immediately faces a tough test in the New York Giants. Yes, the Packers will then have to travel to face either the Atlanta Falcons or Dallas Cowboys—two teams that defeated Green Bay in the regular season.

However, the Packers have already battled back from a 4-6 start to the season and the brink of disaster. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is playing at an MVP level, and the team has rallied around him in a big way.

On Sunday, the Packers completed their in-season turnaround with a big win over the rival Lions.

"That was a fun win there," head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game, per Mike Spofford of the team's official website. "I just want to tell you how proud I am of my football team. I think today was a great picture inside of what it’s been like all year. Resiliency, time and time again."

The Packers appear capable of matching points with anyone in the NFC right now, and the wave of momentum they are currently riding makes them dangerous.

Over in the AFC, it's hard to pick against the Patriots, especially considering the state of the teams that could possibly face New England in the divisional round. The list of quarterbacks New England's defense—rated third overall by Pro Football Focus—could face is a bit underwhelming.

The real challenge for New England will likely come in the AFC title game, and our guess is the team will see either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Chiefs there.

Ultimately, we'll pick the Patriots and the Packers for what could be one of the greatest quarterback duels in Super Bowl history.