NFL Playoff Schedule 2016: Wild-Card Matchups, Bracket Dates and Start Times

Week 17 of the NFL season was a roller-coaster ride for teams that jockeyed for playoff spots, first-round byes, home-field advantage and preferential seeds, but a hectic day of moving and shaking finally produced a clear-cut postseason picture. 

The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals also clinched first-round byes entering Sunday, and the Panthers secured home-field advantage with a win over Tampa Bay. However, the Cardinals' loss to Seattle would have sewed things up for the Panthers even if they had lost.   

The AFC side of the bracket awaited two clinching teams—the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers—who advanced thanks to wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns, respectively. There was also a seeding shakeup when the Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins. 

Thanks to those outcomes, the Broncos will occupy the top seed with the Patriots sitting at No. 2 in the AFC. 

With all those spots in the postseason party confirmed, here's a look at how the Wild Card Weekend schedule will shake out: 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Saturday, Jan. 9	No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 3Cincinnati Bengals	8:15 p.m.	CBS
Saturday, Jan. 9	No. 5 Kansas City Chiefs at No. 4 Houston Texans	4:35 p.m.	ABC
Sunday, Jan. 10	No. 6 Seattle Seahawks at No. 3 Minnesota Vikings	1:05 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Jan. 10	No. 5 Green Bay Packers at No. 4 Washington Redskins	4:40 p.m.	Fox

Playoff Picture Breakdown

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The NFC showdowns are hardly surprises. The Redskins have occupied NFC's No. 4 seed and known they were going to host a home playoff game for the first time since 2012 after they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles last Saturday. 

But now their opponent is known thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' win over the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings' win over the Green Bay Packers.

And while the Redskins would likely be a home underdog in many fans' minds against the Packers, they have been riding high of late.  

"The defense has been steady," head coach Jay Gruden said, per SB Nation's Thomas George. "They play hard and grind and compete. The fumbles they have earned are man-made. They are flying around. It's growth. We've all grown together. We've improved offensively on third down and red zone. We've drilled the crap out of that. And the defense has improved most in the red zone."

AFC Wild Card action is headlined by the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North smackdown. And while the two sides split the season series, the Bengals could join the Redskins as home underdogs if Andy Dalton can't suit up under center. 

The other AFC Wild Card showdown features the Texans against the Kansas City Chiefs in a Week 1 rematch. The Chiefs prevailed, 27-20, in the season-opening tilt, but the Kansas City team that's won 10 straight entering the postseason hardly resembles the one that snuck past Houston 17 weeks ago. 

Next weekend is just the beginning of the postseason extravaganza, but the success of several past high-profile wild-card teams shouldn't be ignored.

First-round playoff victories can go a long way toward building momentum for a deep postseason run, and teams like the Seahawks, Chiefs and Steelers are loaded with talent, and experience shouldn't be ignored.