NFL Wild Card Weekend 2017: Updated Odds, TV Schedule and Predictions

The NFL playoffs start Saturday when Oakland faces Houston at 4:35 p.m. ET.

Let's take a look at the odds and TV schedule for the weekend and offer some predictions.

Wild Card Schedule, Point Spreads and Predictions

Game	Date, Time (ET)	TV	Line	Over/Under	Prediction
No. 5 Oakland at No. 4 Houston	Jan. 7, 4:35 p.m.	ESPN/ABC	HOU (-3.5)	37	OAK, Under
No. 6 Detroit at No. 3 Seattle	Jan. 7, 8:15 p.m.	NBC	SEA (-8)	44	SEA, Under
No. 6 Miami at No. 3 Pittsburgh	Jan. 8, 1:05 p.m.	CBS	PIT (-10.5)	46	PIT, Under
No. 5 New York at No. 4 Green Bay	Jan. 8, 4:40 p.m.	Fox	GB (-5.5)	44.5	NYG, Under

Oakland at Houston

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Expect Texans kicker Nick Novak to be busy early and often.

That was the case throughout the entire season, as Novak hit 35 of 41 field goal attempts. His 35 makes tied for second in the entire NFL behind Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who has a bionic leg and should be in his own category, so it feels like Novak was really first.

The Texans offense has shown few signs of life and an inability to find the end zone, so Novak could be this game's MVP.

For the Raiders, expect a big day for edge-rusher Khalil Mack.

Mack accrued 73 tackles and 11 sacks on the season and made a strong case to be named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. The former University of Buffalo standout also returned an interception for a touchdown against Carolina, which proved to be a pivotal play in a close 35-32 victory.

Ultimately, Texans running back Lamar Miller should be the difference. He says he is fresh after missing two weeks with an ankle injury, and it's possible he'll have a little more gas in the tank in the fourth quarter to help Houston get the win.

Take the Texans in a close one, 16-13.

Detroit at Seattle

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Seahawks running game has sputtered all season, so it was curious to see Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll say this Friday, via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com (h/t Evan Silva of Rotoworld):

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"I hope, like I said last week -- I want (Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls) to get the ball 20 times this week. We’ll see what happens, we’ll see how the game goes. He’s been great about it, he’s been on point. He’s been tremendous in rehab through the process. Just to make it back physically is one, but mentally he made it back as well. We’re really proud of him."

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Rawls struggled this season, with injuries and effectiveness, as he managed just 349 yards on 109 carries.

However, Seattle should have no problem discovering success in the air, though, as quarterback Russell Wilson should be able to find holes in a Lions pass defense that allowed 72.7 percent of passes to be completed against them this year.

Furthermore, the Seahawks homefield advantage is real (not exactly a hot take). As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wrote:

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The Seahawks were 7-1 at CenturyLink Field this season, with their loss coming to the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve. They have a nine-game home winning streak in the playoffs that dates to 2005 and are 38-6 at home over the past five seasons.

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The Lions have played admirably this season, with eight fourth-quarter comebacks, but it's hard to see them beating Seattle on its own turf.

Hawks win 23-10 and move onto Atlanta.

Miami at Pittsburgh

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell could legitimately gain over 200 all-purpose yards on Sunday.

The stage is set for a big day. Bell is on a scorching-hot run right now. He's gained no fewer than 131 all-purpose yards in each of his last seven games. He's topped 200 twice and almost topped three bills against Buffalo.

The Dolphins allow 4.8 yards per carry and are a warm-weather team playing in a frigid environment Sunday (the forecast calls for a high of 16 degrees). That's a recipe for a big day from Bell.

If Miami is to win, though, it needs to rush the passer effectively. As Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel wrote:

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The pass rush, led by defensive ends Cam Wake (11.5 sacks) and Andre Branch (5.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (5.0 sacks), is the best aspect of a shaky defense. The pass rush has big-play ability and big-time players. The pass rush can make life miserable for Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger" href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/sports/football/ben-roethlisberger-PESPT000000873-topic.html">Ben Roethlisberger and, by association, wide receiver Antonio Brown.

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If the Dolphins can't get to Roethlisberger, then they have no chance stopping the pass. Dolphins No. 1 cornerback Byron Maxwell was listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report and probably won't be able to go.

That means Antonio Brown has the potential for a huge game, so long as the Steelers offensive line can keep the Dolphins D out of Big Ben's face.

That being said, this game will be won on the ground, with Bell the deciding factor.

Pittsburgh wins 27-13 and secures a date with Kansas City.

New York at Green Bay

The two big names in this game are Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, but each team has an X-factor that might prove to be the difference.

For the Giants, running back Paul Perkins is emerging in recent weeks. He rushed for 226 yards on 47 carries (4.8 yards per rush) in the last three weeks. The Giants as a team only ran for 3.5 yards per carry this season, so if Perkins can get it going again this week, it will go a long way toward a Giants victory.

A successful rushing attack will not only help the G-Men control the time of possession, but it will keep Rodgers off the field.

For the Packers, tight end Jared Cook could be primed for a big game. He was quiet all season before catching six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against Washington on November 20. He hasn't done too much since then overall, but he has picked up eight targets in two of the past three weeks.

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com wrote this about Cook on Wednesday:

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The Packers are 8-2 with Cook in the lineup this season, averaging 28.4 points per game. In those 10 weeks, Rodgers sports a sparkling 25:1 TD-to-INT ratio and a 114.0 passer rating.

How do those numbers compared to the six games Cook missed due to a severely sprained ankle?

The Packers went 2-4 without Cook, averaging 24.7 points per game. Over that stretch, Rodgers TD-to-INT ratio slips to 15:6 with a 92.3 passer rating.

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The Giants have the second-best scoring defense in football, but they struggle against tight ends. Ladarius Green, Kyle Rudolph and Jason Witten are just a few of the tight ends who have found success agains the G-Men this year.

Expect this game to be a back-and-forth affair in which no team holds the momentum for too long.

In the end, give the edge to the home team.

Green Bay will win 20-17 and face Dallas in a rematch of the 2014 playoff game featuring Dez Bryant's infamous non-catch.

Betting information courtesy of OddsShark.