NFL Playoff Standings 2016: Records, Postseason Scenarios and Wild-Card Review

This could be a very strange postseason for the NFL.

It's not all that unusual when one of the wild-card teams pulls off an upset in the first round and beats a division winner. But as the NFL moves on to the postseason, three wild-card teams are favored even though they're on the road against teams that brought home division titles. The fourth game is rated at even, meaning none of the home teams are favored in the first round of the NFL's postseason.

In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) did not control their own destiny as play began in Week 17. They needed to beat the Cleveland Browns and needed the New York Jets to lose at Buffalo. The Steelers took care of the Browns by a 28-12 margin and got the gift they needed when Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions against the Bills in a 22-17 loss.

That allowed the Steelers to secure the No. 6 spot in the playoffs, and they will go to Cincinnati (12-4) to take on the Bengals. Cincinnati won the AFC North title, as they started the year with a 10-0 record but stumbled to a 2-4 record down the stretch and lost quarterback Andy Dalton to a broken thumb.

It appears unlikely that he will be back for the playoff game against the explosive Steelers, which is one of the key reasons the Steelers are 2.5-point road favorites over the Bengals, according to Odds Shark. 

The streaking Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) are three-point road favorites over the Houston Texans (9-7). The Chiefs have reeled off 10 straight wins and are the hottest team in the NFL.

Both the Chiefs and Texans got off to miserable starts this year (1-5 and 2-5, respectively). Kansas City's only victory in its first six games was a 27-10 triumph at Houston in the season opener. The Texans turned things around after absorbing a 44-26 defeat at Miami in Week 7.

The Chiefs were able to turn it around behind the controlled leadership of quarterback Alex Smith (20-7 TD-to-interception ratio) and improved defensive play, while the Texans got big plays from star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, and an explosive defense led by J.J. Watt (17.5 sacks) and Brian Cushing (110 tackles).

The Chiefs are three-point favorites at NRG Stadium.

The fifth-seeded Chiefs and the sixth-seeded Steelers appear to be stronger than either of their opponents. If they both come through with road wins, the Chiefs would play at New England in the divisional playoffs, while the Steelers would play at top-seeded Denver.

If the home teams pull off upsets, the Bengals would play at New England in the next round, while the Texans would go to Denver. 

Visitor	Home	Line	Winner	Next
Kansas City	Houston	Kansas City -3	Kansas City	at New England
Pittsburgh	Cincinnati	Pittsburgh -2.5	Pittsburgh	at Denver
Seattle	Minnesota	Seattle -5	Seattle	at Carolina
Green Bay	Washington	Even	Green Bay	at Arizona

The Minnesota Vikings (11-5) won the NFC North title in the final regular-season game of the year Sunday night when they outlasted the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, 20-13.

The Vikings' reward for winning the division title is a home game with the Seattle Seahawks (10-6). There may not be a lot of smiles in the Twin Cites as the week progresses, because the Seahawks are one of the hottest teams in the league and made the Vikings one of their victims in December.

Seattle closed the season by winning six of their last seven games, and one of those wins was a 38-7 road triumph at Minnesota. The Vikings got off to a poor start in that game but rebounded nicely by winning three of their final four games. Still, it's difficult to see the Vikings overcoming Seattle's late-season dominance and winning the game.

The Seahawks are five-point road favorites.

The Green Bay Packers (10-6) limped home by losing six of their final 10 games, as their once-formidable passing game slumped badly this season. Green Bay has the 25th-ranked passing game in the league, which is difficult to swallow for a team with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

The Washington Redskins (9-7) played poorly through the first three quarters of the season, but were not buried because they played in the struggling NFC East. The Redskins deserve credit, because they closed the season with a four-game winning streak to earn the division title. Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,166 yards and threw 29 TD passes this year, keying the team's late-season performance.

Odds Shark lists this game at FedEx Field as even.

If Seattle defeats the Vikings, it will face the top-seeded Carolina Panthers in the divisional playoffs, while the winner of the Green Bay-Washington game will go to Arizona.

If the Vikings upset the Seahawks, they will go to Arizona in the divisional playoffs, while the winner of the Green Bay-Washington game will play at Carolina.