NFL Playoffs 2017: Schedule and Predictions for Wild Card Weekend

Finally, the NFL playoffs will begin Saturday afternoon.

No more talk about New York Giants wide receivers partying with Justin Bieber (unless the G-Men lose, in which case there will be plenty of talk until kickoff next season).

No more speculation on how second- and third-string quarterbacks might perform, as we'll see for ourselves on the field this weekend.

Here's a look at the schedule and some predictions for this weekend's games.

NFL Wild Card Schedule

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Sat., Jan. 7	No. 5 Oakland Raiders at No. 4 Houston Texans	4:35 p.m.	ESPN/ABC
Sat., Jan. 7	No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Seattle Seahawks	8:15 p.m.	NBC
Sun., Jan. 8	No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers	1:05 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Jan. 8	No. 5 New York Giants at No. 4 Green Bay Packers	4:40 p.m.	Fox

Schedule via NFL.com.

Oakland at Houston

Tim Warner/Getty Images

The big news out of Oakland is that offensive tackle Donald Penn, ranked as the 11th-best offensive tackle in football (and third-best run blocking OT) per Pro Football Focus, did not practice Thursday, according to Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group.

Still, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates that Penn will play despite missing practice.

In Houston, starting outside linebacker John Simon, who hasn't played since a 27-20 loss to Oakland in November, will not play, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

The Texans will get a welcome face returning, though, as running back Lamar Miller, who has missed the last two games, will play Sunday. Here's what he told Wilson Thursday: "I feel like it's Week 1. The workload, it was new to me, but I think overall I did a great job of taking care of my body. It was the little things that got to me, but I feel good right now."

A healthy Miller will help a Texans offense that could struggle through the air. The Raiders, led by third-string quarterback Connor Cook, probably won't fare much better passing the ball.

Expect a low-scoring game in which the kickers (Houston's Nick Novak and Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski) will be the focal points.

Prediction: Houston 16, Oakland 13

Detroit at Seattle

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Lions are getting healthy at the right time. Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, all hands were on deck for practice Thursday, with everyone on the field either in a full or limited basis.

In Seattle, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times posted some notes and quotes Thursday. Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel will miss Saturday's game with a concussion he suffered against San Francisco last Sunday, and newly acquired Devin Hester will return both punts and kicks.

Head coach Pete Carroll also had this to say about his team's sputtering running game, which only managed 87 yards against the woeful 49ers:

"

The positive comes from our outlook. We’re counting on running the football. We’re going to keep doing it. We had a good spurt a few weeks back, four or five weeks in a row we were in it pretty well then Russ (Russell Wilson) finally got back to his legs it made a difference and got us going again. We’re counting again, we’re not thinking anything but that.

"

The Hawks won't need their running backs to beat Detroit, which comes into the playoffs as losers of its last three.

The bottom line is this: Detroit has allowed teams to complete 72.7 percent of their passes this season, by far the worst mark in the NFL.

As long as Russell Wilson does not force the action and turn the ball over, he should be able to find a lot of success through the air to No. 1 wide receiver Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham.

Furthermore, the Hawks are 6-2 at home this season and have not lost a home playoff game in 12 years. This one won't be close.

Prediction: Seattle 23, Detroit 10

Miami at Pittsburgh

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

It's not looking good for Miami Dolphins No. 1 cornerback Byron Maxwell. He missed practice again Thursday, putting his availability Sunday in serious doubt.

In Pittsburgh, there isn't too much news, except for the fact that the current forecast calls for a wind chill of 3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Granted, the cold weather didn't bother the Dolphins when they beat the Bills in snowy Buffalo on Christmas Eve, but still, it's not exactly an environment Miami is used to.

Like the Lions-Seahawks game, there's one statistic that's hard to ignore when predicting this game, and that's the 4.8 yards per carry Miami gave up this season, tied for worst in the league with the 2-14 49ers.

That's not a good matchup against the Steelers, who have one of the best running backs in the league in Le'Veon Bell.

Furthermore, the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are much better at home. Big Ben threw for 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions in Pittsburgh this year. On the road, he's thrown nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Take the home team in the frigid cold, and expect Bell and Big Ben to lead the way.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 27, Miami 13

New York at Green Bay

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

In New York, there isn't too much news to report. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com speculates that running backs Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings will both get a "good amount" of touches in Green Bay. That recipe worked Sunday against Washington, as the duo ran for 154 yards.

In Green Bay, it's no surprise that it will be freezing Sunday. Temperatures will drop into the single digits, with a wind chill that is projected to dip into the negatives.

This game is far and away the best contest of the weekend. It's a rematch of Green Bay's 23-16 win over New York in October, a game that wasn't as close as the score implies.

The teams are far different versions of themselves since then. The Packers offense, which stagnated at midseason, is averaging nearly 31 points per game during a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Giants defense has held three of its last four opponents to 10 or fewer points.

Each team will have their moments on Sunday in a close battle. In the end, take the Packers at home in a classic.

Prediction: Green Bay 20, New York 17 (OT)