NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: TV Info and Bracket Predictions for Divisional Round

Michael Lewis' seminal book Moneyball, about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and their use of analytics to construct a winning baseball team on a shoestring budget, showed how important numbers, as opposed to gut feel, are to correctly analyzing and predicting how baseball players will perform.

Of course, our own eyes and gut can still give us a good feeling about a player—we don't need statistics to know that Aaron Rodgers is good at football—but they can uncover hidden truths about the games we're about to see.

After we provide the schedule for the upcoming weekend, let's focus on three numbers in each matchup that will eventually decide that contest's winner.

Saturday, Jan. 14

NFC Divisional Round Game 1: Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons, 4:35 p.m. ET, Fox
AFC Divisional Round Game 1: Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS

Sunday, Jan. 15

NFC Divisional Round Game 2: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBC
AFC Divisional Round Game 2: Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys, 4:40 p.m. ET, Fox

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

42: The amount of sacks the Seattle offensive line has given up this year, the sixth-worst mark in the league.

15.5 and 6: The amount of sacks and forced fumbles, respectively, Atlanta edge-rusher Vic Beasley accrued this season.

32: Seattle's offensive line ranking, out of 32 NFL teams, per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.

That all adds up to an Atlanta pass rush that can get after quarterback Russell Wilson, which would hamper an offense that has largely struggled running the ball this season.

Wilson is one of the best in the business against pressure (again, we don't need stats to see that on a weekly basis), but the Detroit Lions still sacked him three times last Saturday.

Now Wilson faces one of the best pass-rushers in the game in Beasley, and it might lead to Seattle's exit from the playoffs.

The expectation here is that it will and the Falcons win 30-20.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

0: The amount of points Houston scored in Week 3 against the New England Patriots.

Minus-49 and 279: Houston's point differential and amount of points scored this season, respectively. Only the New York Jets (5-11), Cleveland Browns (1-15) and Los Angeles Rams (4-12) scored fewer points this year.

34: Brock Osweiler's ranking out of 36 quarterbacks this season, per Pro Football Focus.

The Texans offense is in big trouble Sunday against the best scoring defense in the NFL. They did show some signs of life against Oakland on Saturday, but playing at home against a Raiders team reeling from the loss of its leader Derek Carr and playing on the road against a New England team that has won 11 of its last 12 is a different story.

The Pats should win this game easily 31-10.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

24.7: The number of kick return yards Pittsburgh allowed on average this season, the third-worst mark in the league.

3: The number of return touchdowns Chiefs wide receiver/return specialist Tyreek Hill scored this year.

2: Kansas City's special teams DVOA ranking, per Football Outsiders.

The biggest mismatch on the field Sunday afternoon in Arrowhead Stadium will be on special teams. Kansas City's unit is so good that its coach, Dave Toub, recently got a few head coaching interviews. How often do you hear about special teams coaches getting those opportunities?

Hill can change the momentum of the game on one play. The guess here is that he does it again Sunday with a return touchdown, and the Chiefs win 20-17.

Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys

157: The number of rushing yards Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott gained when the two teams met in Week 6.

2: Dallas' time-of-possession ranking this season, per Football Outsiders.

2,396: The number of rushing yards Dallas gained as a team this season, which ranked second in the league.

Green Bay is going to have a tough time stopping the Dallas rushing attack, which means that the Cowboys will be on the field for long stretches of time draining the clock out.

And that, in turn, means that Aaron Rodgers could be on the sidelines for quite a while.

Dallas' offense is its best defense against the best player in football. Expect the Cowboys to do just enough to hold off Rodgers and win Sunday 27-24.