NFL Playoff Picture 2017: Updated Title Odds and Most Compelling Scenarios

The NFL playoff field was whittled down from 12 to eight as four teams made quick exits in what proved to be a boring and uncompetitive Wild Card Weekend.

Hopefully the rest of the postseason is a little more exciting. It has the potential to be, as we have some great Super Bowl matchups on the horizon.

Here's a look at the latest playoff picture, per the NFL's Twitter account:

Now let's take a peek at the Super Bowl odds, per OddsShark, and a ranking of the five most compelling Super Bowl scenarios.

Super Bowl Odds

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	+165
Dallas Cowboys	+450
Pittsburgh Steelers	+650
Green Bay Packers	+700
Atlanta Falcons	+700
Kansas City Chiefs	+850
Seattle Seahawks	+1200
Houston Texans	+5000

Top 5 Most Compelling Scenarios

5. New England Patriots vs. Dallas Cowboys

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

The winner of this matchup would join the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only two teams to ever win six Super Bowls.

It'd be a battle of old vs. new as quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick make their seventh Super Bowl appearance since the 2001 season, when Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was six years old.

The only issue? The game might not be particularly competitive. The New England Patriots have a massive experience edge over the Cowboys, for starters. Secondly, New England not only has arguably the best player in football (Brady), but it also has the best scoring defense in the NFL.

If the Cowboys fall behind early, it's going to be difficult for quarterback Dak Prescott to go away from the offensive bread and butter on the ground and try to engineer a comeback.

It's not a knock on Dallas so much as it is a testament to how good the Patriots are right now. They are coming into the playoffs playing better than even the 2007 team that went undefeated until the Super Bowl.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers

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A rematch of Super Bowl XLV, a Steelers-Green Bay Packers matchup would probably play out like its predecessor did six years ago, which featured a lot of offense in a 31-25 Packers win.

Green Bay has the hottest offense in football, even though it has an inconsistent (and sometimes ineffective) rushing attack.

The Packers just made the New York Giants defense, which allowed the second-fewest points in football this regular season, look like the Cleveland Browns or San Francisco 49ers in a 38-13 win in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 362 yards and four touchdowns. 

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is on a roll itself, winning its last eight games. The Steelers can run the ball with one of the best backs in the league (Le'Veon Bell) or throw the ball to one of the best wide receivers in the league (Antonio Brown), both of whom would be making their Super Bowl debuts.

3. New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Somehow, these two teams haven't faced each other in the Brady era.

This matchup is compelling for two reasons (or people): Brady and Rodgers. This could be a classic Texas shootout in which the final score approaches 80 total points.

The Patriots may have the best scoring defense in football, but after seeing what Rodgers just did to the Giants, one has to question whether any defense can stop him at the moment, even if Jordy Nelson is out for this game—his status is unknown after he suffered a rib injury against New York. His ability to evade pressure and his offensive line's ability to prevent it are unmatched.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have made incredible use of the skill sets that their three running backs, four wide receivers and two tight ends (unfortunately now just one with Rob Gronkowski done for the season) provide. They can pound the ball up the middle with LeGarrette Blount or toss short passes to Dion Lewis and James White. They can dink and dunk with Julian Edelman or go deep with Chris Hogan.

It'd be a fantastic game. Just don't expect much in the way of defense.

2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons

Chuck Burton/Associated Press/Associated Press

The matchup between these two teams on Dec. 4 slipped under the radar this season. You can make a case that it was the best game all year.

A "pick-two" by safety Eric Berry swung the game in the Kansas City Chiefs' favor late in the fourth quarter, turning a 28-27 deficit into a 29-28 win. Berry also came away with a pick-six.

Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson also ran a fake punt 55 yards to the house for a touchdown. This game was so good that it didn't even need Tyreek Hill, probably the most electric and entertaining player in football right now, to do anything for it to be a classic.

Each team has game-breakers on offense and defense who can change a game's momentum with one play. For the Atlanta Falcons, that's Matt Ryan, the running back duo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and wide receiver Julio Jones. For the Chiefs, that's Berry, Hill, edge-rusher Justin Houston and tight end Travis Kelce, who has put up elite numbers recently.

This may not be a matchup between two "crown-jewel" NFL franchises, but who cares? It'd be a damn good game.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys

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This would be the best matchup, a rematch of the exciting 35-30 Cowboys win at Pittsburgh from November that featured three touchdowns in the final two minutes.

Elliott gained 209 total yards and scored three touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, and Brown caught 14 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.

The Steelers and Cowboys played two classic Super Bowls in the 1970s and one so-so Super Bowl in the 1990s. This would be their fourth Super Bowl matchup, which would mark the most times any two teams have faced each other in the big game.

Furthermore, the Steelers and Cowboys would be battling for all-time Super Bowl supremacy.

If the Steelers win, they would take their seventh Super Bowl. If the Cowboys win, they would tie the Steelers for the most of all time with six.

This game would have it all—except defense, so if you're looking for that, fire up your tape of the 1985 Chicago Bears.