NFL Playoff Schedule 2016-17: TV Info, Predictions for AFC and NFC Matchups

The onset of Week 15 means the beginning of playoff outlooks for the AFC and NFC. 

One team—the 11-2 Dallas Cowboys—has already secured a playoff berth and now has eyes on playoff position itself.

It isn't so simple elsewhere. In the NFC, most divisions remain open for business, and unexpected teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to hang around in the wild-card picture.

Same story in the AFC, which would send three AFC West teams to the postseason if the season ended today. The best bet to counteract such a feat hinges on teams such as the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.

Below, let's take a look at projected playoff standings for season's end, keeping in mind the first weekend of the postseason features the No. 6 seed against the No. 3 seed and No. 5 against the No. 4. Until those matchups are officially set, fans know the cemented conference championship and Super Bowl television schedules.

2016-17 Projected Playoff Standings

AFC
NFC
1	New England Patriots
2	Kansas City Chiefs
3	Pittsburgh Steelers
4	Tennessee Titans
5	Oakland Raiders
6	Denver Broncos
1	Dallas Cowboys
2	Detroit Lions
3	Seattle Seahawks
4	Atlanta Falcons
5	New York Giants
6	Green Bay Packers

Full playoff schedule and TV info available at CBSSports.com

AFC Notable Prediction: Tennessee Titans 

When one tries to predict how the AFC South shakes out, generally they do so by choosing between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

Not anymore.

The Titans are in the ninth seed entering Monday, but keep in mind the team boasts the same record as the division-leading Texans (7-6) and a better record than the Colts (6-7).

It's also important to remember the Titans have won two in a row and three of their last four. In there is a 47-25 beating of the Packers, and the team most recently upended the Denver Broncos, 13-10.

There, the Titans barreled away on the ground, gaining 180 yards and a score on a 4.3 yards-per-carry average because the tandem of DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry continues to be one of the NFL's most dangerous.

More importantly, the Titans held the Broncos to a 3-of-11 mark on third down and held the ball for 32:27. A dominant offensive line kept Von Miller in check, as Jim Wyatt of the team's official website pointed out using metrics from Pro Football Focus:

That's how teams win playoff games, folks.

Now, there are a few different things at play here when it comes to this prediction. For one, the Titans got swept by the Colts this year, but given Indianapolis' current record and schedule featuring road games at Minnesota and Oakland, they shouldn't be a problem.

Tennessee also lost the first encounter with Houston this year. Try to keep in mind, though, that was a Week 4, 27-20 road loss decided by a punt returned for a touchdown with less than a minute left in regulation.

So yes, a rematch could go Tennessee's way against a Houston team that has lost three of its last four. This scenario sets up an encounter with the Oakland Raiders, a rematch of a 17-10 win for the Raiders back in Week 3. It's hard to complain, as fans would get to see two of the league's up-and-coming quarterbacks—Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr—compete for a shot to advance.

NFC Prediction to Know: Green Bay Packers

Like clockwork, or like the superhero recovering by the end of the movie to triumph over his adversary, the Packers have hit on a run right before the playoffs.

Questions about the defense, the running game, Rodgers as a player, Rodgers as a leader and the coaching staff itself threatened to derail the Packers. Fair enough, seeing as the team had at one point lost four games in a row.

Now, though, the Packers ride a three-game streak, besting playoff hopefuls Philadelphia, Houston and Seattle, the last a 38-10 knee-slapping affair. Seattle doesn't travel well, so it's hard to read too much into the win, but Rodgers threw three touchdowns, his ground game rushed for two more and the defense picked off Russell Wilson five times.

Five. At some point, one has to read into it at least a little bit, right?

Rodgers is confident, which seems infectious by now. His latest quote said much about the mindset of the team, as captured by USA Today's Tom Pelissero:

"

Like I said at 4-6, I felt like we had a lot of confidence, and it was close to clicking for us. Most of the people in this room probably didn't believe when I said I think we can run the table. But I was confident in our abilities, and getting guys back from some injuries, that we were going to start playing a little bit better and more of a complete game in all three phases.

"

The remaining schedule isn't too difficult. It's all NFC North encounters, but Green Bay already blew away a miserable Chicago Bears team. It lost to the Minnesota Vikings, but that was back in Week 2 when the team was taking everyone by surprise. Rodgers has already led a 34-27 victory against the Detroit Lions, too.

Detroit is a point of emphasis here. While first in the division, playing the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys on the road before hosting the Packers to close the season is bound to shake up the playoff outlook.

As such, look for the Packers to slip in, setting up a fateful rematch with the Seahawks in Seattle. As far as playoff storytelling goes, it doesn't get in any better than that.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.