NFL Playoff Picture 2017: Examining Latest Scenarios and Top Bracket Busters

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the key game in their season when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16.

That victory allowed them to clinch the AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff structure. The Steelers may be the team that has the best chance of keeping the top-seeded New England Patriots from reaching the Super Bowl.

They are clearly the healthiest and most dangerous of the four AFC teams playing during the Wild Card Weekend. They are hosting the Miami Dolphins Sunday, and Miami head coach Adam Gase will likely have to play Matt Moore at quarterback once again.

Starter Ryan Tannehill has been throwing on the sidelines as he recovers from a knee sprain, but he has yet to participate in a full practice for the Dolphins. If he can return, that would improve the Dolphins' chances.

It's difficult to see the Dolphins stopping the Steelers at this point. Pittsburgh has won seven games in a row, and the victory over the Ravens in Week 16 was an epic NFL moment with wideout Antonio Brown stretching the ball over the goal line to give his team the victory that clinched the AFC North title.

Brown caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards with 12 touchdowns, and he may be the best receiver in the NFL. He has demonstrated that he can make the biggest plays at the most important moments, and that's the kind of characteristic that will help a team bust through the AFC bracket and possibly get to the Super Bowl.

Brown is joined by teammates Le'Veon Bell at running back and Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback as players who are also at or near the pinnacle when it comes to position play.

Bell has a unique running style that allows him to wait for his blockers to execute their blocks before accelerating through the opening. He has rushed for 1,268 yards while averaging 4.9 yards per carry and pounding the ball into the end zone seven times in 12 games.

The Saturday afternoon wild-card matchup between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans has the least luster of this weekend's games.

The Raiders played brilliant football through their first 14 games, but they suffered a cruel blow when they lost superb starting quarterback Derek Carr to a broken fibula in Week 16. As they enter the playoffs, they can't even count on backup Matt McGloin to line up under center.

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McGloin suffered a trapezius injury in the season-ending loss to the Denver Broncos, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, and his availability to play against the Texans is in doubt. If he can't go, rookie Connor Cook would get the start after completing 14 of 21 passes in relief of McGloin against the Broncos.

Houston head coach Bill O'Brien had named Tom Savage as his team's starting quarterback late in the season. Savage, though, suffered a concussion against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, so the Texans may have to turn back to previous starter Brock Osweiler.

No matter which quarterback gets the start, the Texans appear to be limited with their 29th-ranked offense and their poor special teams play. Houston ranked last in the latter category, according to Football Outsiders' special teams rankings.

The winner of the Oakland-Houston game is likely to get beaten soundly by the top-seeded New England Patriots or the second-seeded Kansas City Chiefs (if the Dolphins defeat the Steelers).

The NFC side features another red-hot team in the Green Bay Packers, who closed the season with six consecutive victories to win the NFC North title. The Packers will host the New York Giants in the Sunday night wild-card game, and this could be the best game on the weekend schedule.

The Giants handed the Dallas Cowboys two of their three losses this season, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense has improved dramatically and given the Giants the impetus to get back to the playoffs after a four-year absence.

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The Giants have gotten a lift from newcomers Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison on the defensive line along with cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The most impactful player on defense has been strong safety Landon Collins, who has a team-leading 125 regular-season tackles with 4.0 sacks and five interceptions.

If the Giants are going to beat the Packers on the road—as they did in their Super Bowl runs of 2007 and 2011—they will need to get a solid game out of quarterback Eli Manning. The veteran has completed 63 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns, but he has thrown 16 interceptions and that's troubling.

Aaron Rodgers has provided leadership and production for the Packers offense with 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He is peaking at the right time, as he has an 18-0 touchdown-interception ratio over the last seven games and has not thrown an interceptions since the Packers played the Titans in Week 10.

Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery are all vital to the Green Bay offense, which is functioning at a high level at the start of the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions were playing well through the first 13 games of the season, but they have dropped their last three games. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been playing with an injured middle finger on his passing hand, and he has struggled with that injury.

Stafford missed open receivers in Detroit's season finale against the Packers, and that played a key role in the outcome of that game. If Stafford can't get back to the form that allowed the Lions to build a 9-4 record, it will be difficult to compete against the Seattle Seahawks' fifth-ranked defense.

The Seahawks are once again dependent on that defense, and while they have a slew of big names, their most important player may be middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. He leads the team with 167 stops and is a strong fundamental player who is almost always in the right position and competes with the kind of fury that makes opponents think twice before roaming into his area of the field.

The Seahawks lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 and closed the season with a narrow 25-23 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers, and it appears that Pete Carroll's team is not playing at its best.

They may have enough to get by the Lions while playing in front of their raucous fans at CenturyLink Field, but quarterback Russell Wilson will have to pick up his game quite a bit if the Seahawks are going to advance further than that.