NFL Playoffs 2017: Viewing Information and Wild-Card Bracket Picks

The NFL playoffs begin on Saturday, and news is coming in fast around the league. Let's take a look at the most recent information from the beat and provide some viewing information and predictions.

No. 5 Oakland Raiders at No. 4 Houston Texans

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Viewing information: Saturday, January 7, 4:35 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

Per ESPN MediaZone, this game "will air on ESPN and be simulcast on ABC. The game will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and streamed live on WatchESPN."

On Wednesday, Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio announced that Connor Cook will be starting at quarterback.

Also, Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that safety Karl Joseph and defensive lineman Stacy McGee will make their returns from injury.

The news broke Tuesday that quarterback Brock Osweiler will start for the Houston Texans, but Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported that it will be Brandon Weeden, not Tom Savage, backing up Osweiler. Savage is still in the NFL's concussion protocol after being removed from Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.

On paper, this game projects to be a low-scoring affair. Per OddsShark, no sportsbook lists anything higher than a 36.5-point over-under total for the matchup.

Take the under for this one. It's asking a lot of Cook to go out there and win in his first NFL start.

Although Osweiler hasn't found much success this season—he's thrown more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15)—expect Houston's ground game, led by Lamar Miller, to find some daylight and do just enough for the win at home.

Prediction: Houston 16, Oakland 13

No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Seattle Seahawks

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Viewing information: Saturday, January 7, 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Jim Caldwell is returning as Detroit Lions head coach next season. Caldwell has a 27-21 regular-season record with the Lions, making the playoffs twice.

An old face will appear in a new place on Saturday, as the Seattle Seahawks revealed that they picked up special teams maven Devin Hester, who returned punts and kicks for the Baltimore Ravens this season before being released late in the year.

The Seahawks had a void on special teams after Tyler Lockett was lost for the season with a broken leg against Arizona in Week 16.

It's a tough task for any team to go into CenturyLink Field and win. It's even harder to win there in the playoffs. It hasn't been done since the 2004 season, and Seattle has won nine home playoff games since.

The Lions have not beaten a team that made the playoffs all year, and they come into this contest as losers of their last three. Seattle stumbled to the finish line as well, going 3-3 in its last six games, but take the home team in this one.

Prediction: Seattle 23, Detroit 10

No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers

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Viewing information: Sunday, January 8, 1:05 p.m. ET, CBS

The major news for the Miami Dolphins revolves around cornerback Byron Maxwell. Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Maxwell did not practice Wednesday. Pro Football Focus ranked Maxwell as the 11th-best overall cornerback in the NFL this year. If he can't go, the drop-off is vast, as no other Dolphin cornerback ranked in the top 50.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going into the playoffs hot—winners of seven straight—and healthy. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com: "Steelers about as healthy as possible for playoffs: TE Ladarius Green (concussion), WR Sammie Coates (hamstring), DE Stephon Tuitt (knee), TE Xavier Grimble (ribs) and DB Justin Gilbert (shoulder) all full participants in practice.

The Steelers are 10-point favorites with some oddsmakers, per OddsShark. At first, that seems like a bloated line, especially given the Dolphins' 30-15 win over Pittsburgh earlier this season. However, Miami is going into this game with its backup quarterback and the Steelers, particularly signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger, are a much better team at home.

Pittsburgh should take this one and book a trip to Kansas City for the divisional round.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Dolphins 13

No. 5 New York Giants at No. 4 Green Bay Packers

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Viewing information: Sunday, January 8, 4:40 p.m. ET, Fox

There is no news coming out of New York unless you count the nonstory that is the New York Giants wide receivers spending their off day Monday in Miami. Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham had no comment on the matter, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.

If the Giants win, no one will remember that they went to Flordia. If they lose, it'll be talked about all offseason on sports talk radio. It's irrelevant either way.

The Green Bay Packers have to piece together a cornerback unit after Quinten Rollins and Makinton Dorleant suffered injuries against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. According to Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay has "five 'healthy' corners on the active roster ahead of Sunday’s game: LaDarius Gunter, Damarious Randall, Micah Hyde, Josh Hawkins and Waters."

It's a tough situation for the Pack, but on the plus side, wide receiver Randall Cobb, who missed the last two games, practiced Wednesday on a limited basis, per team writer Wes Hodkiewicz. 

Cobb was a pest all game when the Giants visited Lambeau Field in October, catching nine passes for 108 yards, including a 13-yard reception on 3rd-and-10 late in the fourth quarter that sealed the 23-16 victory for Green Bay. If he can give it a go Sunday, Cobb could be a thorn in the Giants' side again.

That game wasn't nearly as competitive as the score indicates, as the Giants were down double digits all second half until a Beckham touchdown catch with under three minutes remaining.

Expect this game to be closer, with the Giants defense jelling in the second half of the year and their run game finally finding some success on the ground.

However, it's hard to bet against Aaron Rodgers, the hottest quarterback in the NFL, especially at home. The Packers should win a close game that could end up being a classic.

Prediction: Packers 20, Giants 17 (overtime)