NFL Playoff Schedule 2016: Bracket Dates, Picture and Wild-Card Predictions

The playoff picture is now set as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, 20-13. The Vikings earned the NFC North crown with the victory, while the Packers fell to the No. 5 seed.

In the AFC, the seeds were set after the late kickoffs, and teams will begin their pursuit of Super Bowl 50 next weekend. That was not the case heading into Week 17, as all six seeds could have changed depending on how the final games played out.

Let's take a look at the current playoff picture for both conferences:

Updated Playoff Picture

NFC	Notes	AFC	Notes
1. Carolina Panthers	Clinched No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout playoffs	1.Denver Broncos	Clinched No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout playoffs
2. Arizona Cardinals	Clinched No. 2 seed	2. New England Patriots	Clinched No. 2 seed
3. Minnesota Vikings	Clinched No. 3 seed	3. Cincinnati Bengals	Clinched No. 3 seed
4. Washington Redskins	Clinched No. 4 seed	4. Houston Texans	Clinched No. 4 seed
5. Green Bay Packers	Clinched No. 5 seed	5. Kansas City Chiefs	Clinched No. 5 seed
6. Seattle Seahawks	Clinched No. 6 seed	6. Pittsburgh Steelers	Clinched No. 6 seed

In the AFC the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will have an extra week to prepare for the divisional playoffs, while the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals also will have a bye on Wild Card Weekend.

Here's a look at the playoff brackets with times for wild-card games in both conferences, per SNF on NBC;

Chiefs, Texans Set for Week 1 Rematch

The Kansas City Chiefs jumped out to a 20-6 lead on the Houston Texans in Week 1, on their way to a 27-20 victory.

However, that was a long time ago, as the Chiefs proceeded to lose their next five games before finishing the season with 10 straight victories. NFL on ESPN gave props to their win streak:

Houston took a similar approach to the postseason, winning seven of its final nine games after a 2-5 start. Although the Texans have had quarterback issues, it's the defense that carried them to the AFC South title:

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said the team is not satisfied with merely making the playoffs, per ESPN.com:

"We are not happy with just winning the AFC South," he said. "There are bigger goals ahead of us."

The Chiefs, who have allowed 22 points or less the past 13 games, should be a slim favorite in the game despite playing on the road. Their star wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, left their Week 17 game against the Oakland Raiders with an injury, and it certainly could be a different game without him.

However, if he plays, the hottest team in the NFL won't be stopped on Wild Card Weekend, and it will leave Houston with a playoff victory for the first time since the 1993 season.

Prediction: Kansas City wins, 20-17.

Steelers Go from Nearly Out to Divisional Round

It took all 16 games, but the Pittsburgh Steelers qualified for the playoffs with a Week 17 win and loss by the New York Jets.

Now, one of the more potent offenses in the league heads to Cincinnati to play a Bengals team that will most likely be without its starting quarterback, Andy Dalton.

The 12-4 Bengals have not looked like the same team without Dalton, losing two of their past four games, including a 33-20 defeat to the Steelers in Week 14.

Neither team has played well in the playoffs recently, per this SportsCenter graphic:

Head coach Marvin Lewis and the Bengals have been in the playoffs the past four years—and five out of six—but have a lost a wild-card game each time.

The Steelers will ride momentum and the prolific connection of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to wide receiver Antonio Brown to a convincing victory.

Prediction: Pittsburgh wins, 31-16.

Packers' Once Promising Season Ending Early

As the Packers jumped out to a 6-0 start this season with one of the best offenses in the league, they looked like early Super Bowl favorites.

They've gone 4-6 since, averaging just 20.4 points per game in the process. They've dealt with major injuries to their wide receivers and running backs, but the Packers don't look like a scary team at this point coming off just 21 total points in their past two games.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said his team needs to work on one major problem heading into its playoff game at Washington, per the Packers' Twitter account:

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has been as consistent as they come, throwing a touchdown in every game this season and a franchise record 4,135 yards.

The Redskins have won four in a row after a 5-7 start while averaging 32.8 points per game in the process.

It hasn't always been pretty for Washington, which has used a marginally successful running back-by-committee approach all season, but it has been getting the job done and will do so again against the Packers.

Prediction: Washington wins, 31-24.

Seattle Won't be Going to a Third Straight Super Bowl

The Seattle Seahawks have won six of their past seven games, including a 36-6 blowout at Arizona in Week 17. Russell Wilson is playing as good as any quarterback in the league right now, and experience is certainly on their side.

However, funny things happen in the playoffs. The Vikings are not a flashy team, but they have the NFL's leading rusher in their backfield, and an improving second-year quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater—just like Seattle did in Wilson when it won Super Bowl XLVIII.

Seattle has been vulnerable at times this year, and a Week 16 loss to the St. Louis Rams was its second of the season to their non-playoff division rival.

Peterson seems to be on a mission this season, and the Vikings may have a secret weapon in offensive coordinator Norv Turner, per Ed Werder of ESPN:

Although the Seahawks are back-to-back NFC champs, one thing they have not had to do during their Super Bowl runs is start the playoffs on the road.

They are the trendy pick right now, but the Vikings would love to grind out an ugly win, and at home, they'll find a way to get the job done.

Prediction: Minnesota wins, 24-23.