NFL Playoffs 2017: Dates, Matchups and Bracket Breakdown for Weekend

The NFL playoffs get a dose of much-needed intrigue in the divisional round after a ho-hum start.

Nevertheless, postseason football is postseason football, and the upcoming free agency and NFL draft elements of the offseason make for a good time. But the first round of the postseason on its own was as bland as the Oakland Raiders offense without Derek Carr (sorry, Raiders fans).

The New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Raiders made predictable exits.

The good news? Teams that are coming off byes such as the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys provide a shot of adrenaline right in the arm of the bracket. Here is this weekend's schedule and a look at the bracket.

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

Game	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Point Spread	Prediction
Seattle at Atlanta	Jan. 14	4:35 p.m.	Fox	Atlanta (5)	ATL 30-24
Houston at New England	Jan. 14	8:15 p.m.	CBS	New England (-16)	NE 35-17
Pittsburgh at Kansas City	Jan. 15	1:05 p.m.	NBC	Kansas City (-1.5)	KC 24-20
Green Bay at Dallas	Jan. 15	4:40 p.m.	Fox	Dallas (-4)	GB 23-20

AFC Breakdown

The AFC seems like a case of the usual suspects. 

As expected, the Patriots didn't have any problems once Tom Brady returned from suspension, cruising to a 14-2 mark and a bye and winning seven consecutive games to close the season.

Any doubts about Brady's ability in the postseason beginning this weekend should be left at the door, as a graphic by SNF on NBC pointed out:

On paper, it's hard to imagine the AFC side of the bracket spitting out anything but the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England. The Patriots already defeated the Houston Texans once this year, a 27-0 affair in Week 3 in which a Jacoby Brissett-led New England team ran away with a victory. To get this far, Houston simply coasted against a Carr-less Raiders team.

Not that New England goes into the weekend underestimating Houston.

"Of course we won the (first) game, but teams are not peaking early in the season, so you most definitely say they got better, we got better, so time will tell," Patriots corner Malcolm Butler said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com).

The Steelers have a much harder time making a showdown with the Patriots happen. Ben Roethlisberger and the offense looked great while upending the Dolphins, but taking down the Kansas City Chiefs is much more difficult.

Even so, the Steelers blew the Chiefs out of the water back in Week 4, 43-14. Big Ben tossed five touchdowns, though the contest went down in Pittsburgh. Sunday's rematch takes place in Kansas City, and while Big Ben typically struggles on the road, the Chiefs haven't exactly dominated at home in the playoffs lately, as NFL.com's Aditi Kinkhabwala captured:

Provided the Patriots take care of business at home, the AFC bracket looks like it will pit Brady against an exhausted team after the Steelers and Chiefs beat the tar out of each other in a physical, run-first affair.

Fans win either way—Kansas City vs. New England would be a fresh matchup, while Pittsburgh vs. New England would be a rematch of an entertaining Week 7 game, a 27-16 win for the Patriots on the road.

And if the Texans advance? Well, everybody loves a good underdog story.

NFC Breakdown

The Cowboys don't just run the NFC—they're the reason their side of the bracket feels fresh and exciting.

Dak Prescott, with his 3,667 yards and 23 touchdown passes, alongside Ezekiel Elliott and his 1,631 rushing yards and 15 scores, provided an unexpected rookie jolt to the NFC as the Cowboys stormed to 13 wins and a bye.

This production and journey set up what might just be the game of the year Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Dallas defense, which permits only 19.1 points per game, will have to stop a guy who looks like the MVP favorite in a clash with no clear winner.

After a 4-6 start, Rodgers seemed to casually suggest his team would win out. The Packers did, closing the season on a six-game winning streak while throwing 15 touchdowns with no interceptions. He then tossed four more in a rout of the New York Giants to start the playoffs on a high note.

ESPN Stats & Info provided further context:

The gaudy numbers and juggernaut status of the Packers and Cowboys shouldn't work to diminish the quality of the other NFC encounter between the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.

Fans know all about these two. Seattle leans on a defense that surrenders just 18.3 points per game yet has struggled on the road this year. At home back in Week 6, the Seahawks hardly held on to defeat these Falcons 26-24.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Atlanta has an MVP contender, if not the favorite, of its own thanks to Matt Ryan. He has completed 69.9 percent of his passes this year for 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions, leading the Falcons to 11 wins, including triumphs in Denver, in Oakland and against Green Bay, not to mention the near miss in Seattle. 

Good luck figuring out how the NFC bracket plays out. There's no bad way, at least. Seattle could put on a defensive clinic to reach the Super Bowl. Ryan could finally get his team over the proverbial hump and prove his MVP status.

On the other side, Dallas could continue this year's best story and have arguably the league's most popular franchise in contention. Or Rodgers could keep being Rodgers against all odds.

Like the AFC side, the NFC bracket is sure to produce a deserving contender for the Lombardi Trophy.

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

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.