NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: TV Info, Live Stream for Sunday's Wild Card Games

On paper, Sunday's NFL playoff action in the opening Wild Card Round won't unfold in predictable fashion. 

The same didn't apply to Saturday's games, which most people understood going into the openers. As expected, the Derek Carr-less Oakland Raiders didn't put up much of a fight in a 27-14 road loss to the Houston Texans. The Detroit Lions, again, as expected, managed to look worse in a 26-6 loss away from home at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.

Sunday isn't so simple. The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers have met once this year, with the former winning the first encounter. An NFC dance between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers—two teams that understand a thing or two about postseason runs—is perhaps the toughest pick of this playoff bracket.

None of this is a bad thing, of course. To top it off, the action starts earlier than Saturday's slate, so fans get to enjoy another traditional Sunday schedule.

Sunday's Wild Card Schedule

Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Live Stream
1:05 p.m.	Miami at Pittsburgh	CBS	CBSSports.com
4:40 p.m.	New York Giants at Green Bay	Fox	Fox Sports Go

Miami at Pittsburgh

Few seem to like the Dolphins on the road in this game.

It's interesting, to say the least. Pittsburgh has won seven games in a row to close the season. The Dolphins won't have starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill due to injury. These factors might explain why Las Vegas favors the Steelers by 12 points, according to OddsShark.

But again, it's interesting. Look at those two factors. Pittsburgh's winning streak? Only one victim (the Giants) boasted a winning record, and the Steelers took advantage of the Cleveland Browns twice, needing overtime to end the season with a victory. And it's not like Tannehill lit it up for the Dolphins this year with his ratio of 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

So this one probably plays out a lot closer than most think. Miami's backup, Matt Moore, has looked better than Tannehill at times anyway, throwing eight touchdowns and three interceptions in the team's final three games.

In the Week 6 encounter, a 30-15 Miami win, the Dolphins held a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger to one touchdown and two interceptions. The defense also kept Le'Veon Bell in check, limiting him to 10 carries for 53 yards. The Dolphins didn't get a touchdown pass from Tannehill, but breakout star Jay Ajayi cruised for 204 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry.

For Miami, the key might be keeping the game close until the fourth quarter, as David Dwork of CBS Miami suggested:

Miami proved all year it can play with the best teams in the league while rolling to 10 wins. Beating Pittsburgh at home is a tough task, but the Dolphins enter this game with an understanding of how to clear the hurdle.

After the Steelers rested Big Ben, Bell and Antonio Brown to close the season, expect this game to be a close affair until late. With Pittsburgh playing at home with a more reliable, explosive offense, those in the picks department can expect the Steelers' star players to eventually pull ahead of Miami's one-man show.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Dolphins 24

New York Giants at Green Bay

The NFC clash between the Giants and Packers is also a rematch, though the biggest change between the two sides boils down to momentum. 

New York closed the season with a 3-2 mark, which normally wouldn't sound so terrible—but compare it to Green Bay's six-game winning streak, and one begins to see the disparity.

In the Week 5 encounter, also at Lambeau Field, Aaron Rodgers mustered a pair of touchdowns and interceptions in the 23-16 win. Counterpart Eli Manning managed to throw one score while his backfield posted 2.9 yards per carry.

No matter which team wins, fans win here. On paper, Manning should carve up Green Bay's defense, which is missing cornerbacks Sam Shields and Quinten Rollins.

Also on paper, Rodgers might have a hard time against a defense that is permitting only 17.8 points per game and boasts 17 interceptions. Then again, the potential MVP hasn't thrown a pick over his last 245 attempts, closing the six-game tear with 15 touchdowns and no interceptions on the way to 40 total scoring passes.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has praised the talent of the New York secondary all week.

"You go through the video and you don't see a lot of production," McCarthy said, according to Stats LLC (h/t ESPN.com). "And they've got playmakers in their back end. I think the one statistic that you can look at is their turnover opportunities is as high as we've seen this year."

A game in the cold elements at a place like Lambeau necessitates examining the quarterback matchup. Rodgers is Rodgers, whereas Manning tallied only 26 touchdowns to 16 interceptions on the year. Manning has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions over the team's last four outings.

At home, fans can expect Rodgers to put on a better performance than Manning in an environment the Packers know well.

Prediction: Packers 24, Giants 20

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

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