
NFL Playoffs 2017: Schedule, Predictions and More for Wild Card Weekend
The NFL postseason starts Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET when the Oakland Raiders face the Houston Texans.
Here is the Wild Card Weekend schedule to go along with some predictions and analysis from around the league.
| 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 |
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Oakland at Houston
Raiders left tackle Donald Penn will miss the first game of his 10-year NFL career on Saturday with a knee injury.
That's a huge blow to an offense already missing quarterback and MVP candidate Derek Carr.
Three-time Pro Bowler Cris Collinsworth had his say about Penn's absence Saturday:
It's hard to envision the Raiders scoring much on Saturday, on the road, with third-string quarterback Connor Cook making his first career NFL start and backup left tackle Menelik Watson protecting his blind side.
Even though the Texans offense has sputtered all season and likely won't light up the scoreboard, expect it to do just enough to win a low-scoring defensive battle.
The healthier team takes this one, 16-13.
Detroit at Seattle
The Lions are coming into this game banged up on the offensive line.
Center Travis Swanson, who has not played since December 4, has been ruled out, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Right tackle Riley Reiff may also miss the game. He's listed as questionable on the Lions' injury report. Linebacker DeAndre Levy and wide receiver Andre Roberts are too, but Birkett reported that both should play.
It's hard to see the Lions taking this one on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, who have won nine straight playoff games at home, dating back to 2005.
Birkett noted the following in a scouting report and prediction piece on Friday:
"Defensively, the Lions have the personnel to shut down [Doug] Baldwin and take advantage of a weak-link offensive line. But the Seahawks’ defensive front is so good, and the Lions have been so inconsistent on offense that it’s difficult to see the Lions winning their first playoff game in 25 years. If Stafford plays a near-perfect game and Zenner has another big day rushing, it could happen. Otherwise, it’s on to 2017.
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Seattle is struggling running the ball and will miss Earl Thomas. Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com wrote this on December 28 about Thomas' absence and its effect on the team:
Still, the Seahawks (7-1 in Seattle) are home, where they have a significant advantage against a Lions team that has gone 3-5 on the road this year.
The home team wins, 23-10.
Miami at Pittsburgh
The Miami Dolphins' No. 1 cornerback, Byron Maxwell, did not practice Friday with an ankle sprain and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He might prove to be the house of cards for Miami's defense Sunday. With a healthy Maxwell on the field, the Dolphins had a chance to slow down the Pittsburgh offense, as they did in a 30-15 win in October.
Without him, the Steelers can go to the ground or air and score at will, as long as they can stop the potent Dolphins pass rush. Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel covered this on Thursday:
"The pass rush, led by defensive ends Cam Wake (11.5 sacks) and Andre Branch (5.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (5.0 sacks), is the best aspect of a shaky defense. The pass rush has big-play ability and big-time players. The pass rush can make life miserable for Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and, by association, wide receiver Antonio Brown.
The pass rush must carry the torch defensively.
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Perkins is 100 percent right, but if the Steelers give the ball to Le'Veon Bell 30 times against a run defense that gave up 140.4 yards per game on the ground this season (the third-worst mark in football) and he is successful, then the pass rush will be moot.
Pittsburgh wins, 27-13.
New York Giants at Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers will be without cornerbacks Quinten Rollins and Makinton Dorleant, who both suffered injuries Sunday against Detroit.
Their lack of depth at the position might be an issue come Sunday, especially considering that Green Bay's pass defense has struggled all year.
"The Packers’ biggest area of weakness heading into Sunday’s game might be their pass defense. Other receivers have put up huge numbers against them—see Detroit's Marvin Jones (six catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3) and Minnesota's Adam Thielen (12 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16). Green Bay finished the season ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game and has been fighting injuries at cornerback all season.
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That could mean a big game for superstar New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, but the Giants running back duo of Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings could decide this matchup.
If they are able to run the ball effectively and help New York control the time of possession, then they could keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been playing some of the best football of his Hall of Fame-worthy career lately, off the field.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com discussed Perkins and the Giants run game on Tuesday:
"The Giants finished 29th in rushing offense at 88.3 yards per game. They’re going to lean on Perkins, their most elusive runner, in an attempt to jump-start their rushing attack in the postseason. He provides an impressive combination of size, speed and youth to the Giants’ running game. Several players even mentioned him when they were surveyed about the team’s most improved player this season.
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This game is a toss-up that will go down to the wire. We could see stalemates on both sides of the ball. Expect that to happen, with the home-team Packers making one more play.
Green Bay moves on to face the Dallas Cowboys, beating New York, 20-17 in overtime.
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