NFL Playoff Bracket 2017: Odds, Predictions for AFC and NFC Divisional Round
The road to the Super Bowl is narrowing and this weekend's slate is going to lead us even closer to the 2017 postseasons final destination.
The Divisional Round means the favorites start their journey to the championship. After a dominant regular season the Dallas Cowboys led by the rookie tandem of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will get to start their first postseason while the New England Patriots will look to get things started against the Houston Texans.
Throw in a classic battle between an offensive juggernaut in the Atlanta Falcons and a defensive stalwart in the Seattle Seahawks and a tight AFC matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and fans are in for a nice doubleheader on both Saturday and Sunday.
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Here's a look at the schedule with the latest odds from OddsShark and predictions for each for each of the games.
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Odds | ATS Prediction |
| 4:35 p.m. | Seahawks vs. Falcons | ATL -5 | ATL |
| 8:15 p.m. | Texans vs. Patriots | NE -16 | HOU |
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Odds | Prediction |
| 1:05 p.m. | Steelers vs. Chiefs | KC -1.5 | KC |
| 4:40 p.m. | Packers vs. Cowboys | DAL -4 | GB |
Falcons Get Chance to Show Legitimacy Against Seahawks
The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the most improved teams in the NFL this season. Led by a MVP-worthy effort from Matt Ryan they went from pure mediocrity at 8-8 last season to an 11-5 season that netted them the No. 2 seed.
Now they'll need to show that they are more than just a great regular season team by winning in the postseason.
Postseason victories haven't been a common occurrence for the franchise. As ESPN Stats & Info notes, the Ryan-era has yielded just one playoff win, but it did come against Seattle:
Playoff history aside, it's hard to ignore what this Falcons offense has done this season. The transformation from a somewhat inefficient offense to a downright lethal assault has been about as subtle as a ball-peen hammer. The biggest reason for the change is the balance of Kyle Shanahan's play-calling, writes Danny Kelly of The Ringer:
"Atlanta’s offense this year was much more balanced than it was in 2015. Jones was no longer force-fed the football in the passing game. His target share dropped from 33 percent last season to just 24 percent this year, as Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, and a combination of tight ends and running backs inherited bigger responsibilities in the passing game. In the Falcons’ Week 17 win over the Saints, which clinched the 2-seed, Ryan finished 27-of-36 (75 percent) for 331 yards and four touchdowns. Those four scores went to four separate players (Jones, Justin Hardy, Sanu, and Coleman), which highlighted a season-long willingness to spread the love around. Ten Falcons players finished with more than 10 catches and 200 yards receiving, and an NFL record 13 different players caught a touchdown.
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An offense that can spread the ball around with that kind of efficiency is difficult to stop, even for the Seahawks. The Seahawks—by the way—might just be a dominant defense in reputation only this season.
The unit ranks 10th in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric which is good but not great and the pass defense has struggled without Earl Thomas on the field, as noted by Bill Barnwell of ESPN:
Without Thomas it's difficult to envision the Seahawks stopping the offensive onslaught the Falcons will bring.
Falcons 31, Seahawks 21
Can Big Ben Clean Up Turnovers Against Kansas City?
When Ben Roethlisberger is playing with efficiency, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the scariest offenses in the NFL.
Thus far toward the end of the season, efficiency hasn't been his strong suit. Big Ben had six interceptions to go with six touchdowns in December. Playing on the road hasn't been his cup of tea either. He has nine touchdowns to eight interceptions in road games this year while completing just 59 percent of his passes.
To add injury to insult, the signal-caller suffered a foot injury that head coach Mike Tomlin said they'll have to keep an eye on even if he doesn't believe it will be an issue.
"We'll watch him closely as we push forward to the game, but not anticipating that limiting him," Tomlin said, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "I don't imagine his foot circumstance changing our approach [to preparation]."
With the Chiefs leading the league in takeaways this season, that would appear to be a recipe for a bit of a letdown from the Steelers 30-point output against the Dolphins.
On the other side of this contest, the Chiefs seem to have the weapons to put stress on the Steelers defense. Bleacher Report's Chris Simms breaks down the importance of Ryan Shazier to the defense and what he can do to slow down their attack.
The problem is that's a lot of stuff for one player to account for. Even Shazier. The Chiefs ability to put him in a bind with Spencer Ware, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce demonstrates the kind of versatility this offense has.
Expect the Chiefs to take advantage of some turnovers and short field position to gain the upper hand in this matchup.
Chiefs 24, Steelers 17
Cowboys Rookies Face Tough Test in First Playoff Game
The Dallas Cowboys have been the story of the year with their overhaul from 4-12 NFC East cellar dweller to 13-3 No. 1 seed in the NFC.
But all that winning didn't set the Cowboys up with an easy playoff matchup. Thanks to inconsistency in the early part of the season the Cowboys wound up with the hottest team in football to introduce Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott to postseason play.
The Packers have been invincible over the home stretch of the season, winning seven games in a row. Aaron Rodgers play has been a huge reason for that, according to ESPN Stats and Info he hasn't thrown an interception since Week 10:
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