NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: Dates, Matchups, Updated Bracket for Divisional Round

The Wild Card Weekend in the 2017 NFL playoffs did little to live up to its moniker.

Three of the games ended in rather lopsided victories, with the only exception perhaps being the Houston Texans 27-14 win over the Oakland Raiders, which saw some brief tension in the fourth quarter before a pair of interceptions from rookie quarterback Connor Cook extinguished any chance of a comeback.

The higher-seeded team won in each contest, the margins wide enough to dash hopes for both hopeful fans and expectant bettors looking for an underdog to cover. 

The Seattle Seahawks snuffed out the Detroit Lions 26-6 thanks to a dominant defensive display and a big day from running back Thomas Rawls (161 rushing yards, one touchdown). The Pittsburgh Steelers' high-powered offensive trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown powered the black and yellow to a 30-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins. 

Finally, a Hail Mary at the end of the first half from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb set up the Green Bay Packers to pull away from the New York Giants in the second half en route to a 38-13 win.

This sets up some tantalizing action for the divisional round. Here's the updated schedule following Wild Card Weekend. 

Conference	Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
NFC	Saturday, Jan. 14	4:35 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons	FOX
AFC	Saturday, Jan. 14	8:15 p.m.	Houston Texans at New England Patriots	CBS
AFC	Sunday, Jan.15	1:05 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs	NBC
NFC	Sunday, Jan.15	4:40 p.m.	Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys	FOX

The Dallas Cowboys did plenty of fine work in putting together a 13-3 record and taking the top overall seed in the NFC. Watching the carnage unfold over their bye week must have been nice, but Fox Sports 1's Nick Wright doesn't think the Cowboys can be too ecstatic with their upcoming opponent: 

Winners of seven straight games after a 4-6 start, the Packers have been on an unblemished tear ever since Rodgers declared his team could "run the table" back in late November, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. 

Rodgers has raised his game to heights rarely seen in the NFL. He hasn't thrown an interception since Nov. 13 and has tossed four touchdowns in each of his last three games, including Sunday night's demolition of the Giants.

Head coach Mike McCarthy praised Rodgers following Sunday's game, per the Packers' Twitter account: 

Pass defense was a weakness for the Cowboys, as they allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw 25 touchdowns and put together a combined 94.1 passer rating (24th in the NFL), per ESPN.com. The Cowboys will counter Rodgers' brilliance with the rookie backfield of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.

The league's best offensive line has paved the way for these two to have uncommon success in their debut seasons, and both will have to be in top form if the Cowboys are to outduel what should be a locked-in Packers offense.

As good as the Packers are right now, they aren't even coming into the playoffs with the longest winning streak. That would be the Steelers, who have won eight straight and will hit the road to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round. 

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

As Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier noted, the Steelers' win over the Dolphins Sunday was the first time Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell have been on the field together in the postseason. Bell was especially brilliant, carrying the ball 29 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns and crediting Brown's threatening presence on the flanks with giving him space to run in the box.

"I'm just watching them, and their safeties are deep every time," Bell said, per Tanier. "So I'm thinking, 'OK, AB just scared them.'"

While containing Bell will prove a monumental task, there is plenty of reason to believe the Chiefs can come out victorious.

Jason Hanna/Getty Images

Roethlisberger threw two interceptions and had difficulty hooking up with anyone other than Brown in the passing game, as the star wideout reeled in 124 of Big Ben's 197 passing yards and both of his passing touchdowns.

The Chiefs can look to slow Brown with star cornerback Marcus Peters and some safety help, forcing Roethlisberger to look elsewhere. Chiefs coach Andy Reid also has a stellar record after bye weeks, per CBS Sports' Will Brinson:

"

Everyone is acutely aware of how Andy Reid manages success during the regular season, with the mustachioed coach going 16-2 with the Chiefs and Eagles when given an extra week to prepare for an opponent.

But the success actually carries over to the postseason as well. Reid has acquired a bye week in the playoffs just four times in his 18-year career (which is really just proof of how hard it is to get a bye in the NFL). And in those four years, with 2016 pending, he's undefeated.

"

Reid will have his players plenty prepped for this game, and as long as his charges can execute on the field, they can keep the talented Steelers from scoring an upset road win. 

The Seahawks visiting the Atlanta Falcons isn't the only rematch from the regular season on tap in the Divisional Round Weekend, but it's the one that is most worth recalling as it portends plenty of excitement and intrigue for fans.

Week 6 saw the Seahawks defeat the Falcons 26-24 in a tense, exciting game that ended in controversy when referees failed to call Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman for defensive pass interference for hooking the arm of Falcons receiver Julio Jones as he attempted to catch the ball.

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

The Falcons can turn the tables in the NFC Divisional Round. They'll have the benefit of a bye week and will be the home team this time around.

Matt Ryan and Co. also won't have to contend with Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, who is out for the season after suffering a broken tibia in Week 13. Thomas picked off Ryan in Week 6, and his late-season injury precipitated a noticeable decline in the Seahawks' secondary play. 

Seattle did well to stifle Lions quarterback Matt Stafford on Saturday, holding him to 205 yards and no touchdowns on 32 pass attempts. The Lions' essentially nonexistent running game allowed the Seahawks to focus on stopping Stafford, but they won't find a one-dimensional attack when they face Atlanta.

Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman finished the season strong for the Falcons, combining for 480 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in their last three games. 

The Falcons will have to contend with the ultra-calm Russell Wilson, a rejuvenated Rawls and perhaps even Devin Hester on special teams, but their high-powered offense is going to offer the Seahawks a much stiffer test than the one Detroit put up on Wild Card Weekend. 

Tim Warner/Getty Images

The Texans were pretty fortunate to face a Raiders team missing Derek Carr and whittled down to its third-string quarterback on Saturday. There will be no such feelings of fortune in the AFC Divisional Round, as they take on the New England Patriots, who hardly need an introduction in playoff pieces at this point. 

Bill Belichick's finely tuned postseason machine is once again in excellent working order. The Patriots won seven straight games to close the regular season, showing little in the way of ill effects from missing the services of injured tight end Rob Gronkowski or having traded away talented linebacker Jamie Collins.

Tom Brady threw 28 touchdowns against just two picks after missing the first four games of the season to a suspension. Running back LeGarrette Blount has scored a rushing touchdown in each of his last five games. They will both be well-rested. None of this looks good for the Texans.

Marc Serota/Getty Images

The Texans will counter with an attacking defense spearheaded by Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, but it will take a Herculean effort for the defense to slow the Patriots enough for the offense to get the job done.

Against a weak Raiders secondary, Brock Osweiler managed just 168 passing yards and one touchdown. Running back Lamar Miller tallied just 2.4 yards per carry on the ground. The Patriots held their opponents to fewer than 20 points in six of the seven games on their season-closing win streak and shutout the Texans 27-0 in Week 3 of this season.

If the Texans somehow manage to upset the Patriots, it would almost certainly stand as one of the bigger postseason upsets in recent years.

But the more likely outcome, in the midst of a Divisional Round Weekend with so many tantalizing matchups and storylines, is that the Patriots roll through to the AFC Championship Game as they have already done so many times under Belichick.