NFL Playoffs 2017: Full Postseason Bracket and Picture Before Wild Card

If you're a college basketball fan, think about advancing through the NFL postseason much like a college basketball team going step by step to the Final Four.

Often, it's not the best team who goes far or wins it all, but the one that is lucky enough to find itself on the path of least resistance.

Last year, everyone loved Michigan State. Lots of folks predicted them to win the national title.

However, the Spartans, who were seeded second in the Midwest Regional, got bounced in the first round by No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State.

Who benefitted the most? No. 10 Syracuse, who got to play the Blue Raiders in the second round.

'Cuse crushed the Blue Raiders and then was lucky enough to face No. 11 seed Gonzaga, which took out No. 6 seed Seton Hall and No. 3 seed Utah on the way to the Sweet 16.

The Orange beat the Zags and upset No. 1 seed Virginia, and then just like that, they were in the Final Four.

Were they a top-four team last year? Absolutely not. The final Ken Pomeroy college basketball rankings listed Syracuse 27th.

But they traveled on the path of least resistance, and that's what helped them along the way.

Here is the full NFL postseason bracket and a look at the playoff picture through the paths of least and most resistance, which could boost (or halt) a team's shot at a Super Bowl appearance.

The Paths of Least Resistance

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New England's path to the playoffs almost isn't fair.

Three of the five AFC teams the Pats are competing with to make the Super Bowl have no better than 66-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, per OddsShark. 

The Pats are guaranteed to face one of them in the divisional round, which will be the winner of the Houston-Oakland game as long as Pittsburgh takes care of business against Miami.

And then the Pats can enjoy a (seemingly) easy win while Pittsburgh and Kansas City beat each other up on the other side of the bracket, with the winner traveling to Massachusetts for the conference title. New England is 6-2 at home this year—it lost 31-24 to Seattle and 0-16 vs. the Buffalo Bills.

On the NFC side, Atlanta may be the No. 2 seed, but it has the easiest path to the Super Bowl.

If Seattle holds serve and beats Detroit at home, then it will travel cross-country to play a fresh Atlanta team.

Seattle's record at home this year: 7-1 (8-1 if it beats Detroit)

Seattle's record on the road this year: 3-4-1 (and a near loss to 2-14 San Francisco)

The Hawks can't get the run game going. Atlanta nearly beat Seattle in CenturyLink Field, losing 26-24, so it'll be out for revenge and happy that it got the Seahawks at home this time.

The Paths of Most Resistance

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On the opposite side of the NFC bracket, Dallas, Green Bay and New York will have a rough time getting to the NFC Championship. 

Dallas went 13-2 in games where it didn't rest starters. Its two losses were to the Giants, who won nine of their last 11 games.

And then there's Green Bay, winners of its last six games and owners of the hottest offense in football.

Green Bay faces New York Sunday, with the winner going to Dallas if Seattle beats Detroit. That's a tough divisional-round draw for the Cowboys.

On the AFC side, Miami has no shot.

Funnily enough, one could make the case that the Dolphins are better than Oakland (without Derek Carr) and Houston (with its offensive issues), teams seeded ahead of them in the playoff draw.

But Miami has the short end of the stick. If they somehow beat the Steelers, who are looking for revenge after laying an egg in a 30-15 loss to Miami in October, then the Dolphins must go to New England, who they just lost to 35-14...at home.

Conclusion

If you're betting in Vegas or even playing an NFL bracket pool somewhere, it's hard not to take New England, the best team in the AFC and also the one with the easiest path to the Super Bowl.

But in the NFC, consider Atlanta. Dallas is the best team in the NFC, but Green Bay and New York are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Knocking them off won't be simple.