NFL Playoff Bracket 2016: Wild Card Picture and Divisional Round Scenarios

The 2016 NFL playoff bracket is set. The Minnesota Vikings' surprise win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau on Sunday night decided the NFC North and shook out the conference seedings after a slate of games that was far more unpredictable than expected. 

Peyton Manning played the second-half hero to give the Denver Broncos the No. 1 seed in the AFC, just hours after Tom Brady's offense sputtered in a frustrating loss to the Miami Dolphins. The 1 p.m. ET games also featured the Pittsburgh Steelers jettisoning the New York Jets from the AFC's final playoff spot after New York failed to get past Buffalo.

While none of the seeds were out of place in the NFC, the day wasn't without its notable results. A week after the Arizona Cardinals blasted the Packers to emerge as a Super Bowl favorite, the Seattle Seahawks returned the favor with a 36-6 bludgeoning. That win for Seattle helped Carolina lock in the top NFC seed, though the Panthers took care of their own business to finish 15-1.

All of this sets up a divisional race in the NFC that seems headed in an obvious direction. The Packers travel to Washington in a game of two teams on seemingly opposite paths. Green Bay dropped its final two regular-season games amid disconcerting offensive struggles, while Washington capped its campaign off with four straight wins.

Keep this stat in mind: Kirk Cousins finished 2015 with more touchdown passes and yards than Aaron Rodgers. He also had a better passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt. If you would have given me 200-1 odds on that before the season, I wouldn't have taken it. Or at the very least I would have believed Rodgers suffered a catastrophic injury. Or was hit by a bus. Or had his talent sucked out of him Monstars style. (Which can't be totally discounted at this point but still.)

"We've dealt with a lot of injuries," guard Josh Sitton said, per Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "It would be bull---- to say it's not part of it, but we just haven't been the same offense we were. We haven't found our identity. Typically, it takes us three or four weeks from the beginning of the season to find our identity. I thought we had it early and then we kind of lost it. We just haven't been consistent with it. We just haven't played good on offense."

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Cousins, meanwhile, has competed with Russell Wilson for the NFC's best quarterback in the second half. Since DeSean Jackson's return on Nov. 8, Cousins has thrown for 20 touchdowns against three interceptions while leading Washington to a 6-3 record. He set Washington's single-season yardage mark and a number of other records in the process. 

“It’s gratifying,” Cousins said, per John Keim of ESPN.com, “but it’s a reflection of our entire offense. You couldn’t put up a statistic like that without phenomenal play calling, preparation, Coach’s game planning, really talented weapons to throw to and getting the protection I got from the offensive line. I’m at the mercy of the guys around me. The fact we could get a little record like that speaks volumes of the environment I’m in.”

The winner of that matchup feels destined to head to Arizona, mostly because it's so hard to envision Seattle losing to Minnesota. The Seahawks closed the regular season with six wins in their final seven games, a stretch that saw their defense return to form while Wilson played the best stretch of his career. After seemingly regressing in the first half, Wilson closed with seven straight multi-touchdown games, six of which were of the three or more variety. 

One of those wins in that stretch was a 38-7 drubbing of the Vikings in Minnesota. Wilson threw three touchdowns and finished with a near-perfect passer rating while the Seattle defense held Minnesota to 125 total yards. Even if the Vikings have improved over the last month—and their three-game winning streak indicates they have—this is a matchup of two teams at completely different talent levels.

In the AFC, the No. 6 seed seems like it's in an equally strong position. The Pittsburgh Steelers enter with questions about running back DeAngelo Williams' health but an offense that still features Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown to stabilize things out. Pittsburgh finished fourth in points per game and third in Pro Football Focus' offensive metrics despite spending long stretches of the season without Le'Veon Bell, Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryant.

David Richard/Associated Press

The Bengals enter the postseason with a major question mark surrounding quarterback Andy Dalton. He missed the season's final three games with a thumb injury and doesn't appear likely for the Wild Card Round. He's only just now preparing to get the cast off his hand, which makes the probability low that he'd be able to practice fully and be prepared. Cincinnati is 2-1 in games started by AJ McCarron but hasn't scored more than 24 points with him at the helm.

The Chiefs are also a heavy on-paper favorite in their matchup with the Texans. Kansas City closed its regular season with 10 straight wins after a 1-5 start and will be playing a Houston team that's barely kept its head above water all season. There's no real intrigue here outside a possible upset. The Texans have a strong defense that may be able to keep the game close, but it'd be a major surprise to see their offense put up enough points to squeak by.