NFL Playoffs 2016: Early Odds and Predictions for Divisional-Round Bracket

Alabama might have just reeled in another championship, but it doesn't look as simple for some of the NFL's usual suspects with the divisional round approaching.

No, Green Bay doesn't have it easy against Arizona. Pittsburgh's wobbly going into Denver. New England might have serious issues containing a team on an 11-game win streak.

In other words, the postseason's second round looks like perfection. No more Brian Hoyer or AJ McCarron, just elite quarterback play, capable defenses and mostly the usual faces trying to one-up each other.

Here's an early look at the odds out of Las Vegas for the slate and how they figure to unfold.

NFL Playoff Bracket

Matchup	Pick
No. 5 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 2 New England Patriots (-5)	NE 33-17
No. 5 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 2 Arizona Cardinals (-7)	ARI 24-17
No. 6 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 1 Carolina Panthers (-2.5)	CAR 30-24
No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 1 Denver Broncos (-6.5)	DEN 28-20

Notable Odds Breakdown

No. 5 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 2 Arizona Cardinals (-8)

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers came to life in the opening round, shrugging off a two-game skid and losing the NFC North title at home to beat Washington, 35-18.

Impressive would be a strong word. Rodgers threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns and actually got some support from his iffy ground game, as Eddie Lacy and James Stark each found pay dirt.

"Misleading" might be a more adequate word, though, considering Washington hadn't beat a team with a winning record in the regular season. It's why many, including Las Vegas, paint the Packers as dogs going into a matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, no matter how much head coach Mike McCarthy wants to avoid the term.

“I get what people are saying, [but] we’re not going to be an underdog,” McCarthy said, according to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. “We’re no underdog going to Arizona. I don’t care what people think or how we’re picked or things like that. We’re going out there to win, and we expect to win.”

It's hard to get behind the idea, though, not after the Packers made this same trip to Arizona in Week 16 and went home losers in 38-8 fashion.

That's just what Arizona does to teams. The defense had 36 sacks and ranked eighth against the pass, sixth against the rush and seventh in scoring at 19.6 points allowed per game while winning the brutal NFC West. 

The defense sacked Rodgers eight times, while Carson Palmer cruised with a pair of touchdown passes and the ground game added a score. Green Bay has confidence going into the rematch, but it's a different animal going from a contest against a deceptive Washington team to a rematch against a well-rested one looking every bit the part of a Super-Bowl-bound favorite.

Prediction: Cardinals 24, Packers 17

No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 1 Denver Broncos (-6.5)

Rematches are both obvious and never a bad thing in the postseason. 

They're obvious because those in charge of making the schedule pit two great teams together for a reason. They're never a bad thing because observers get another dose of something as gritty and unpredictable as the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Denver Broncos.

These two met in Week 15, a 34-27 victory for Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger countered three touchdown passes by Brock Osweiler with three of his own, and lead back DeAngelo Williams added a rushing score.

How things change, though.

Osweiler's out as the starter in Denver, with Peyton Manning healthy and having led the offense to scoring drives in a season-ending victory against the San Diego Chargers. Things don't look as good for Big Ben and top wideout Antonio Brown, though, according to ESPN's Bob Holtzman:

That says Big Ben might play, but he did last week against the Cincinnati Bengals after injuring his shoulder and didn't look like he could throw the ball down the field at all, relying on a meltdown of epic proportions by the Bengals to move the ball. Keep in mind that it's "not looking good" for Williams, either, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Talk about two teams going in different directions. One's losing all its star players, while another has its quarterback back, something wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders hinted would make the team even better.

ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold talked with Sanders about Manning's return: “I think we do a good job, we’re at our best, when we can do everything we have in our playbook. When we go in the shotgun, when we go under center—Peyton’s foot is healthy, so we can do under center, do anything we need to do.’’

Pittsburgh's defense ranks 30th against the pass, so it's bad news that Manning looks good. Big Ben might suit up, but if he cannot push the ball down the field and doesn't have Brown or Williams to lean on, this one will have a pretty obvious result, as the elite Broncos defense will put the clamps down. 

Prediction: Broncos 28, Steelers 20

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of January 12. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.