NFL Playoffs 2017: Predictions for AFC, NFC Bracket and Seeds

The New England Patriots know they missed an opportunity last year when they dropped a 20-10 decision to the Miami Dolphins.

That loss kept the Patriots from gaining the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, and it eventually cost them. They had to play the AFC Championship Game in Denver, and they lost that game to the Broncos. Would it have been different if the game was played in Foxborough, Massachusetts? That's debatable, but the Patriots have been a formidable team at home for many years.

The Miami team that the Patriots are playing in this year's season finale is a far better team than the one they played last year. The Dolphins have won nine of their last 10 games after starting the season with a 1-4 record, and they have clinched a playoff spot.

They are currently the No. 6 seed, and if they can beat the Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the San Diego Chargers, they can move up to the No. 5 seed.

That would be a key jump, because the No. 5 seed will play the Houston Texans in one of the two AFC wild-card games. The sixth seed will play the streaking and offensively powerful Pittsburgh Steelers. The Texans are locked in at the fourth spot, while the Steelers can't move out of the third spot.

It seems clear that playing the Texans is a much better matchup for either the Dolphins or Chiefs than the Steelers.

Conference	Team	Season-Ending Status and Seed	Skinny
AFC	New England Patriots	AFC East winner; No. 1 seed	Despite loss to Dolphins
AFC	Oakland Raiders	AFC West winner; No. 2 seed	May get pummeled in Denver
AFC	Pittsburgh Steelers	AFC North winner; No. 3 seed	Explosive offensive team
AFC	Houston Texans	AFC South winner; No. 4 seed	Somebody had to win AFC South
AFC	Miami Dolphins	Wild-card team; No. 5 seed	Surprise team defeats New England
AFC	Kansas City Chiefs	Wild-card team; No. 6 seed	Blows big-time opportunity
NFC	Dallas Cowboys	NFC East winner; No. 1 seed	Formidable team heading into playoffs
NFC	Atlanta Falcons	NFC South winner; No. 2 seed	Overlooked by many
NFC	Seattle Seahawks	NFC West winner; No. 3 seed	Week 16 loss cost them first-round bye
NFC	Detroit Lions	NFC North winner; No. 4 seed	Will beat Packers at home
NFC	New York Giants	Wild-card team; No. 5 seed	Good chance to make a run
NFC	Washington Redskins	Wild-card team; No. 6 seed	Celebration in D.C.
NFC	Green Bay Packers	Out of playoffs	Winning streak ends in Detroit
NFC	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Out of playoffs	Would have needed a small miracle

The Patriots are expecting a full effort from the Dolphins, and wideout Julian Edelman is being quite respectful to New England's opponent.

"It’s always good to play a team like that going into the stretch we’re going into," Edelman told Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe. "You know, you’ve got nothing but respect for a team that starts off like that and then they go out and they play unbelievable football, crank their team to be playing the best football they possibly can going into these final weeks, so it’s going to be a good test."

The Patriots clearly want the game, and they are huge nine-point favorites, according to OddsShark. But Miami will give them a signature battle, and we think it will outlast New England.

That will open things up for the Oakland Raiders, who can clinch the AFC West with a victory and bypass the Pats for the No. 1 seed with a New England loss.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press/Associated Press

However, the Raiders are going on the road to play the Broncos, and this is a tough assignment for a team that lost stellar quarterback Derek Carr to a broken fibula last week. The Raiders are going to try to pick up that win with Matt McGloin at quarterback, but it may be too much to expect.

If the Raiders fall in that game, that would clinch the No. 1 seed for the Patriots. It would also open things up for the Chiefs to win the AFC West if they can win at San Diego.

This is another game that could be much tougher than it looks for the favored Chiefs. The Chargers may have won just five games, but they have been quite competitive this season and have lost a number of fourth-quarter leads.

That won't happen here, as the emotional Chargers will finish the game and edge the Chiefs, giving Oakland the division title.

In the NFC, all eyes will be on the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers as they play the season finale at Ford Field in Detroit.

The winner of this game will take the NFC North title, and the loser will be out if the Washington Redskins win their season finale at home against the New York Giants.

If the Redskins lose that game, the Lions can gain the wild-card spot if they lose to the Packers. However, the Packers don't have such an advantage. That's because the Lions beat the Redskins earlier this year, while the Packers dropped their game to Washington.

The Packers are 3.5-point road favorites over the Lions, even though both teams bring a 9-6 record into this game. The Packers are looked at favorably because they have won five games in a row, while the Lions have lost their last two.

However, Detroit's losses were to the Giants and Dallas Cowboys, and a couple of late defeats to top teams does not mean the Lions have collapsed.

They have put themselves in a vulnerable position, but if they can win at home, they will take the division. That's just what will happen here.

We also see the Atlanta Falcons nailing down the No. 2 seed and the Redskins edging the Giants to get the second wild-card spot in the NFC playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still technically alive for the second NFC wild card, but the Bucs need a myriad of factors to get the playoff spot. They include beating the Carolina Panthers, the Redskins losing to the Giants, the Lions beating the Packers and the San Francisco 49ers beating the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks.

It won't happen, and the Bucs will have to settle for close, but no cigar this season.