NFL Playoff Scenarios: Full Outlook and Predictions for Most Important Matchups

The NFL regular season is one week and a game away from being over, but plenty is still to be decided with regard to the playoffs.

Both No. 1 seeds are still up for grabs entering Week 17, as is the final wild-card postseason berth in the AFC. Three divisions will be decided in head-to-head matchups, which will serve as the inevitable focal point of what the schedule has to offer.

In addition to illustrating the current playoff picture, the following analysis on Sunday's most important games will include the scenarios if their predicted outcomes come true.

*For a full breakdown of Week 17 playoff scenarios, visit CBSSports.com.

Marquee Matchup Predictions

Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Well, what a year it's been for the NFC South. The first-place Panthers are 6-8-1 and have a shot to wrap up the division with a win at the Georgia Dome over the 6-9 hosts.

Carolina head coach Ron Rivera will take it any way he can get it, via the team's official Twitter account:

This is a unique situation in that Atlanta coach Mike Smith could be on the cusp of winning two division titles in three years with a win—and yet also on the way out after a second straight losing season.

Working in Smith's favor is that his side of the ball, a maligned defense for most of the season, rose to the occasion in Week 16's victory over New Orleans' high-powered passing attack.

NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan has numbers to accentuate how well the Falcons played, while Bleacher Report's Scott Carasik emphasizes the importance of Atlanta's pass rush in its success:

The Falcons sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees five times, forced four turnovers and won 30-14. They also got brilliant play from their own top-tier QB in Matt Ryan.

Even with a lackluster running game and defensive issues, Ryan has led Atlanta in admirable fashion. Save for a costly pick-six in Week 15's seven-point loss to Pittsburgh, the franchise signal-caller has held up his end of the bargain.

Panthers dual-threat QB Cam Newton has been banged up all year and has somewhat limited mobility as a result. Nevertheless, he still led a gutsy 17-13 win over the Cleveland Browns and is a big reason why the Panthers have a chance at successfully defending the division.

Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman praised Newton's toughness:

Running back Jonathan Stewart, finally healthy, has provided a spark and taken pressure off Carolina's thin receiving corps. It's a bit of a miracle the Panthers are in this position, as Panthers.com's Bryan Strickland alludes to their lack of experience:

The Week 17 matchup to watch will be one of the premier young cornerbacks in Atlanta's Desmond Trufant going to battle with talented Panthers rookie Kelvin Benjamin. Since the big pass-catcher had 109 yards receiving in the last meeting, he'll be a focal point of Atlanta's defensive game plan.

Thanks to Trufant's amazing coverage skills and lack of other options Newton has at his disposal, look for the Falcons to limit Benjamin and for Atlanta's improving front seven to neutralize Newton enough for the hosts to win the NFC South.

Prediction: Falcons 27, Panthers 20

Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers

The Lions teams of years past would have blown Week 16's most winnable game in Chicago. Despite a string of mental errors and generally coming up small, Detroit managed to mount a rally to victory.

ESPN Stats & Info notes how the Bizarro 2014 Lions are a compelling model of resilience:

Yet another boneheaded, dirty play by starting Detroit center Dominic Raiola has cost him a one-game suspension at the worst time possible, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has nary known another man to snap him the ball in his entire career.

Mike Greenberg of ESPN was particularly critical:

Then take into account this statistic from ESPN's Adam Schefter, which shows how much the Packers have owned Lambeau Field whenever their NFC North rival has dared to enter Titletown:

As good as Detroit's defense is in the front seven and at the safety positions, its cornerbacks don't have the personnel to consistently mark Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams. Packers' star passer Aaron Rodgers will find a way to make the Lions pay with those matchups.

SportsCenter highlights how decent Rodgers has been at home in 2014, too:

And what the Lions lack the most is a consistent running game, which comes in handy to keep Green Bay's offense off the field. Unfortunately for the visitors, there are few ball-carriers hotter than second-year stud Eddie Lacy.

Seven straight games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage has helped Lacy make groundbreaking franchise history:

The Packers are as complete of a team as they've been since their last Super Bowl. Their somewhat weak run defense has improved down the stretch, and Detroit can't run well enough to make Green Bay pay dearly as it is.

Unless the shocking transpires and Stafford outplays Rodgers in a venue the latter has rocked as of late, the NFC North will be the Packers' to lose.

That would give Green Bay home-field advantage for the divisional round and a first-round bye—a huge edge considering how well Rodgers plays in front of the friendly fans.

Prediction: Packers 24, Lions 17

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Andy Dalton on a short week, coming off a Week 16 head-to-head battle with Peyton Manning and traveling to Heinz Field, trying to lead the Bengals to the AFC North crown?

That's a disaster scenario if yours truly has ever heard one. Also, Pittsburgh's defense is beginning to come together, and this began with Week 14's 42-21 triumph at Paul Brown Stadium.

NFL.com's Judy Battista noticed that in her analysis:

The three-headed monster that comprises the Steelers' balanced, prolific offense is QB Ben Roethlisberger, wideout Antonio Brown and do-it-all feature back Le'Veon Bell. Such firepower proved too much for Cincinnati to handle a couple of games ago, and it will be the case again this next Sunday.

How far Pittsburgh can go in the postseason remains to be seen, but taking the AFC North would be a great step in the right direction.

A rematch with the Bengals could be on tap in the wild-card round, which would be a dream scenario based on how favorable of a matchup Cincinnati is. Bell's blend of patience and physicality gave the Bengals fits in Week 14, to the tune of 185 yards rushing and two scores.

Otherwise, the Steelers could face anyone from San Diego, Baltimore, Kansas City or Houston in the opening round. The former two potential foes have banged-up defenses, while the latter two have non-elite QBs who defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau could exploit and expose in a playoff arena.

Although the possibilities are numerous, this Steelers core that has struggled in recent years is finally seeing the light under coach Mike Tomlin. Few AFC teams will want to face Pittsburgh in the postseason, a concept that has a familiar ring to it but has been missing in the previous two years.

Prediction: Steelers 38, Bengals 14