NFL Playoff Picks 2017: Updated Super Bowl Odds, Wild Card Round Analysis
The Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in Week 16, so they had nothing left to play for when they took the field at Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Head coach Jason Garrett used the opportunity to rest many of his regulars, and the Cowboys lost, 27-13.
The New England Patriots had clinched the AFC East several weeks ago, but they went into their season finale on the road against the Miami Dolphins in need of a win to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC Championship Game.
Bill Belichick played all his regulars, and the Patriots rolled to a 35-14 victory over the Dolphins.
| New England Patriots | +190 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +325 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +800 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1,100 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +1,100 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +1,100 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +1,100 |
| New York Giants | +2,000 |
| Oakland Raiders | +2,800 |
| Detroit Lions | +5,000 |
| Houston Texans | +5,000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +5,000 |
Those two teams had different philosophies and needs going into the final weekend of the regular season, but they are the two favorites to win the Super Bowl. According to OddsShark, the Patriots are at the top of the list with plus-190 odds, while the Cowboys are plus-325 to raise the Lombardi Trophy.
The Patriots, Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons will have time off to heal their bumps and bruises and hone their game plans.
In the AFC, the Wild Card Round will see the fifth-seeded Oakland Raiders travel to Houston to face the fourth-seeded Texans and the sixth-seeded Miami Dolphins travel to Pittsburgh to play the third-seeded Steelers.
In the NFC, the Wild Card Round will start off with the sixth-seeded Detroit Lions playing on the road against the third-seeded Seattle Seahawks, and then the fourth-seeded Green Bay Packers host the fifth-seeded New York Giants.
The matchup between the Raiders and the Texans lacks quarterback luster, as Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula in Week 16 and his backup Matt McGloin left Oakland's regular-season finale with the Denver Broncos with a shoulder injury.
Tom Savage took over late in the season from Brock Osweiler for Houston, but he had to leave the Texans' Week 17 game against Tennessee with a concussion.
| Oakland at Houston | Jan. 7 | 4:35 p.m. | ESPN/ABC |
| Detroit at Seattle | Jan. 7 | 8:15 p.m. | NBC |
| Miami at Pittsburgh | Jan. 8 | 1:05 p.m. | CBS |
| N.Y. Giants at Green Bay | Jan. 8 | 4:40 p.m. | Fox |
The rookie Connor Cook took over for McGloin, while Osweiler went back into the lineup for the Texans. Neither of those quarterbacks appears capable of lighting up the scoreboard, and the team that makes the least mistakes Saturday will most likely have the advantage.
The Lions had a chance to win the NFC North title in the Week 17 Sunday night game, but they dropped a 31-24 decision to the Packers. Green Bay finished its season with a six-game winning streak, and after a midseason four-game skid left them with a 4-6 record, the Packers turned their season around. They have to be considered a dangerous team as the postseason gets underway.
That is not the case for the Lions, who dropped their last three games to the Giants, Cowboys and Packers. While the offense had been sharp earlier in the season, Detroit averaged just 17 points per game during the losing streak, and quarterback Matthew Stafford missed a number of open receivers in those three games.
Stafford has an injured middle finger on his passing hand and has been less effective since suffering the injury.
Seattle won the NFC West, but the Seahawks lost at home in Week 16 to the Arizona Cardinals and barely beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. Russell Wilson and Co. are not at the top of their game, but they will have home-field advantage against the Lions.
That may be enough to get the Seahawks through to the divisional round.
The Steelers may be the most dangerous team in the playoffs, as they have won their last seven games. They clinched the AFC North title in Week 16 when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 31-27 on a last-second touchdown reception by Antonio Brown, and their Big Three of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Brown are capable of scoring with any team in the postseason.
The Steelers lost to the Dolphins early in the season, but that 30-15 defeat was in South Florida and took place in Week 6, which was well before the Steelers hit their stride. The Dolphins have a strong running game featuring Jay Ajayi and could have quarterback Ryan Tannehill (knee sprain) back in the lineup.
Even though the Dolphins previously defeated the Steelers, it would be somewhat shocking if Pittsburgh lost at home Sunday.
The Giants earned their playoff spot largely because of their defense, which improved dramatically in the course of a year. The Giants ranked 32nd in yards allowed per game last year but turned that around this season to rank 10th.
They also have two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning and dangerous wideout Odell Beckham Jr. on offense. Those two will have to step up if the Giants are going to match the production of Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams.
This should turn out to be the best of the wild-card matchups, and look for the Packers to come out on top.
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Rams' Post-Draft Presser 😐")
