NFL Playoff Bracket 2016: Picture, Scenarios for AFC, NFC Divisional Round

It's time for the elite teams in the NFL to roll up their sleeves and go back to work.

The Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots had a week off from the bone-crunching wars during the Wild Card Round, and they will go back to work this weekend. All four teams will play at home as favorites to win and advance to their conference championship games.

The biggest questions surround Denver.

For the vast majority of the season, the Broncos have been one-dimensional. They have been the best defensive team in the league, but they have struggled on offense.

Just a couple of years ago, Peyton Manning was a record-setting quarterback who was directing the most prolific offense in the game. But he slowed dramatically in 2015 and spent a large portion of the season on the sideline because of a foot injury and poor performance.

When the Broncos fell behind the lowly San Diego Chargers in the second half of their season finale, a game they needed to win to clinch the division, head coach Gary Kubiak returned Manning to the lineup. The aging quarterback and his team responded, recording a 27-20 victory.

Not only did that seal the division title for the Broncos, but it also handed them the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, as they begin their playoff run Sunday with a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense is still a big issue.

Manning completed 198 of 331 passes for 2,249 yards with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2015. In addition to those problematic numbers, Manning's passes have lost much of the zip they had when the future Hall of Famer was in his prime.

Home Team (Seed)	Conference	Away Team (Seed)	Conference Championship Opponent (If Victorious)
Carolina (1)	NFC	Seattle (6)	Arizona or Green Bay
Arizona (2)	NFC	Green Bay (5)	Carolina or Seattle
Denver (1)	AFC	Pittsburgh (6)	New England or Kansas City
New England (2)	AFC	Kansas City (5)	Denver or Pittsburgh

That makes the Broncos' chances of surviving and advancing in the postseason questionable.

The Steelers, who got into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, defeated the Broncos at home in December. If Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a shoulder injury in the opening round, and Antonio Brown, who is in the NFL's concussion protocol, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, are able to play at anything close to their normal levels, the Steelers will present a tremendous challenge for the Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the hottest team going into the divisional round. They have won 11 games in a row, trouncing the Houston Texans 30-0 in the Wild Card Round, but they will attempt to advance against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots on Saturday.

The Pats are not hot, having lost four of their last six regular-season games, but the extra week of rest will be beneficial for tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Danny Amendola and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. Wideout Julian Edelman (foot) also hopes to make an impact in his return to the lineup, per WEEI:

"

Julian Edelman won’t hold anything back in return: ‘I’m going to go full throttle regardless’ https://t.co/XgK7DEmm6h

— WEEI (@WEEI) January 11, 2016"

The Chiefs and Pats have not met since Week 4 of the 2014 season, when the Chiefs shocked the football world with a 41-14 home victory on Monday Night Football.

With the rematch finally at hand, the Pats should put on a better performance at their home stadium.

If the top-seeded Broncos and Patriots both win, the Patriots would travel to Denver for the AFC Championship Game. If only one of the two wins, it would host the fifth-seeded Chiefs or sixth-seeded Steelers. If both lower seeds win, the Chiefs would host the Steelers.

On the NFC side, the sixth-seeded Seattle Seahawks will face the top-seeded Panthers, who lost just one game in the regular season.

Carolina registered a key victory at Seattle in the first half of the year, but the two-time defending NFC champions are tough to kill. They proved that in their first-round game at Minnesota.

Despite trailing 9-0 in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks came back to take a 10-9 lead, holding on for the victory when Minnesota's normally reliable placekicker, Blair Walsh, pulled a 27-yard field-goal attempt wide left in the closing seconds.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Sunday's matchup will feature two stars in Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw 24 touchdown passes in the last seven games of the season, and Carolina signal-caller Cam Newton, the likely MVP of the league. Newton threw 35 touchdown passes this year and ran for 10 more in one of the most spectacular seasons in NFL history.

Still, despite their 15-1 record, the Panthers must continue to prove themselves before they earn the respect that head coach Ron Rivera wants to see them get. They will get that chance when they host the Seahawks.

The Packers will travel to the desert to play the Cardinals on Saturday, a team that pummeled them, 38-8, in Week 16.

The Green Bay offense had stalled for a large part of the season, but Aaron Rodgers and Co. reignited in the team's 35-18 Wild Card Round win over the Washington Redskins. After falling behind 11-0 in the second quarter and looking hapless, the Green Bay receivers started getting open, and Rodgers hit them in stride.

Are the Packers back in form, or did they just find their stride for a few hours? They are likely to get their answer when they line up against the Cardinals, who have been consistently good on both sides of the ball all season.

If both the top-seeded Panthers and Cardinals win their games, the two teams would meet at Carolina in the NFC Championship Game. If one of the two wins, it would host Green Bay or Seattle. If the two lower-seeded teams win, the Seahawks would travel to Green Bay for a rematch of last year's conference title game.