NFL Playoff Picture 2017: Wild-Card Odds, Picks and Matchup Scenarios

How can the Miami Dolphins hope to match up with the powerful Pittsburgh Steelers?

The Dolphins have not officially ruled out Ryan Tannehill (knee sprain) for their playoff game in Pittsburgh, but he did not practice Wednesday. That makes it less likely he will play when the two teams square off Sunday.

Backup quarterback Matt Moore has done an adequate job in Tannehill's absence, but he is a limited athlete who is not going to scare the Steelers with his ability to throw the ball downfield.

If Miami is going to win the game, it is going to have to depend on its offensive line to win the battle up front and open holes for running back Jay Ajayi. The Dolphins are also going to have to play perhaps their best defensive game of the year against the Steelers' explosive offense.

Ajayi is a first-rate running back who proved himself this year with 1,272 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and three 200-yard games. The first of those came against Pittsburgh in Week 6, when Miami pulled off a 30-15 home victory.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin knows that Ajayi isn't a fluke. 

“We are not going to pretend like Jay Ajayi’s 200-yard day was a lightning strike," Tomlin told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "No, it was very real. I don’t think it’s appropriate to take that approach. He ran for 200 yards twice against the Buffalo Bills this year. There is tangible evidence that we need to respect this preparation process.”

That game may actually end up hurting the Dolphins, because the Steelers know first-hand what Ajayi is capable of doing. Since Tannehill does not seem likely to play, and he won't be 100 percent if he is in the lineup, the Steelers can focus their defense on stopping or slowing down Ajayi.

Game	Point Spread	Over/Under	Prediction
Oakland at Houstons	Houston (-3.5)	36.5	Oakland; Under
Detroit at Seattle	Seattle (-8)	43	Seattle*, Over
Miami at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh (-10)	46	Pittsburgh, Over
N.Y. Giants at Green Bay	Green Bay (-4.5)	44.5	N.Y.Giants; Over
*-will cover spread, but lose game

If they are successful, the Pittsburgh offense should be able to handle its assignment. The Steelers are led by the formidable trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, and their talent level and versatility should be too much for the 29th-ranked Miami defense to handle.

The Steelers have won seven games in a row, and they are averaging 27.3 points per game in their last four wins.

The Steelers are 10-point favorites, according to OddsShark, and while that point spread may seem heavy, Pittsburgh should be able to handle the assignment.

OddsShark points out that the Steelers are 7-0 straight up and 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games as favorites. 

Miami may keep it close throughout the first half, but the Dolphins won't be able to keep it up and will lose touch in the final 30 minutes.

New York Giants at Green Bay

The Packers have attracted quite a bit of attention in recent weeks as they were on the brink of a disastrous season when they fell to 4-6 following a brutal road loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 11.

The Packers bottomed out in that game and made significant progress to win their final six games. The last of those came on the road against the Detroit Lions, and it gave the Packers the NFC North title.

The New York Giants did not win the NFC East, but they played excellent football after getting off to a 2-3 start. The Giants went 9-2 from that point, and they managed to beat the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys twice.

The Giants will not be intimidated by the Packers, even though they dropped a 23-16 decision at Green Bay in Week 5.

New York has found a defensive identity since that game, and the Giants have the 10th-ranked defense in the league and were third against the run.

The Giants got excellent contributions from free-agent signees Janoris Jenkins, Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison. Strong safety Landon Collins emerged as one of the top stars at his position with 125 tackles and five interceptions.

If the Giants are going to beat the Packers for the third time at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, Collins is going to have to impact Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay passing attack.

Collins will have to pay quite a bit of attention to Jordy Nelson, who has had a powerful season with 97 receptions for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdown receptions. Rodgers is a likely MVP candidate with 40 TD passes and just seven interceptions.

New York quarterback Eli Manning does not measure up statistically with a 26-16 TD-interception ratio, but he has proven he can win big playoff road games and take his team to the Super Bowl.

The Packers are 4.5-point favorites, and they should win the game. However, it should not be by more than a field goal. Look for the Giants to cover the spread.

Detroit at Seattle

Jose Juarez/Associated Press

The Lions should be happy they made the playoffs following a season-ending three-game losing streak, but just because they ended the season in difficulty does not mean they can't rally against a Seattle team that is also struggling.

The Seahawks could not get the job done at home in Week 16 against the 7-8-1 Arizona Cardinals and struggled badly in a 25-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

If the Lions are going to be competitive, they need injured quarterback Matthew Stafford (finger) to overcome Seattle's hard-hitting defense.

Stafford has solid year-long numbers as he threw for 4,327 yards and completed 65.3 percent of his passes. He threw 24 TD passes with 10 interceptions, and he also ran for 207 yards on 5.6 yards per carry.

The running total is significant, because it shows the athletic Stafford could escape the rush and keep drives alive with his feet.

That's the positive for the Lions, but Stafford's accuracy has been an issue during the losing streak. He has missed open receivers, and those are passes that he was completing earlier in the year.

The Seahawks think of themselves as a team capable of representing the NFC in the Super Bowl, but it doesn't look like it at this point. 

The Seahawks should get the win here, but they will not cover the eight-point spread.