NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: TV Info, Bracket Predictions for Divisional Round

One round of the NFL postseason is over, and four fewer teams have a shot at reaching Super Bowl LI. There are eight teams remaining, and all eight will be in action during next weekend's divisional round.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans managed to make it out of Wild Card Weekend. Each now has a date with one of the two top-seeded teams in each conference. The good news is that these teams are still alive in the title picture; the bad news is that they'll be facing quality teams with a week of rest under their belts.

We're going to examine the full schedule for Divisional Round Weekend. We'll look at each matchup and the latest odds, courtesy of OddsShark. We will also run down the television and live-stream schedule, make our final predictions for each game and look at some of the hottest storylines coming out of this past playoff round.

Divisional Round

Day, Time (ET)	Game	National TV	Live Stream	Line	Prediction
Sat. 4:35 p.m.	Seattle at Atlanta	Fox	Fox Sports Live	ATL -4.5	31-26 ATL
Sat. 8:15 p.m.	Houston at New England	CBS	CBS Sports Live	NE -16	33-23 NE
Sun. 1:05 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Kansas City	NBC	NBC Sports Live	KC -1	28-27 KC
Sun. 4:40 p.m.	Green Bay at Dallas	Fox	Fox Sports Live	DAL -4	27-25 GB

Latest Buzz

Packers Could Be Without Nelson

The Packers got Jordy Nelson back from a torn ACL this season, and the wide receiver returned with a flourish. He finished the regular season with 97 receptions, 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Nelson was knocked out of Sunday's playoff game with a rib injury and did not return. Now, there's a realistic chance he won't be returning for next week's playoff game, either.

"That’d be a huge loss for us, obviously," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, per Cindy Boren of the Washington Post.

Nelson left the game against the New York Giants after taking a hard shot from cornerback Leon Hall. According to orthopedic surgeon and ESPN medical expert Dr. Mark Adickes, the concerns for Nelson's injury are significant:

If Nelson can't go, Rodgers will be forced to rely on other weapons against the Dallas Cowboys defense, which is rated second in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. This wasn't a problem against the Giants, as Rodgers ended up with 362 yards and four touchdowns.

However, the Packers won't get the added benefit of playing at home this time around.

Patriots Not Ready to Overlook Texans

Judging by the early line Vegas oddsmakers have placed on the upcoming game between the Texans and the New England Patriots, New England should be in line for a walk in the proverbial park.

It's true that the Texans are relying on inconsistent quarterback Brock Osweiler to beat the league's best scoring defense from the regular season (just 15.6 points per game allowed). It's also true that the last time the two teams met, the Patriots pasted the Texans 27-0 with third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center.

However, it wouldn't be fair to assume that the Patriots are simply going to look past the Texans and ahead to the AFC title game. Not only would this not be in line with the fabled "Patriots Way" of preparation, but it would also be a bit foolish.

Say what you will about the Texans and their quarterback situation, but it's hard to deny that their defense is championship-caliber. The Texans are rated seventh in overall defense by PFF and allowed an NFL-low 301.3 yards per game during the regular season.

"They have a damn good defense," Brady recently explained on WEEI's Kirk and Callahan. "There is nothing easy about this game for our offense. We're going to have to go grind it out. We have to go get our mind right, and we will. We had a good week of practice last week, and we need to carry it over into today and all the way through Saturday night."

While it's good for Houston that the team has managed to earn New England's respect heading into the divisional matchup, the Texans probably shouldn't be happy that the Patriots have had two weeks to focus and prepare for the game.

We're not sure this one will end in a complete blowout, but New England seems to have a big advantage here.

Roethlisberger Appears to Be OK

The Packers may be without Nelson next weekend, but it appears that the Steelers have avoided their own significant injury for the divisional round.

Pittsburgh got a bit of a scare when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was tackled awkwardly on his last pass attempt of the game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. After the game, the quarterback was spotted with a walking boot. However, Roethlisberger insisted he would be OK for next week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Roethlisberger reiterated on Monday that he would suit up against the Chiefs, and it appeared he did, in fact, avoid significant injury. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the quarterback checked out with only a minor ankle sprain.

This is terrific news for the Steelers, who are facing the challenge of Kansas City's defense at Arrowhead. The Chiefs' pass rush wasn't at full strength when the two teams met in the regular season, but KC expects to have pass-rusher Justin Houston for the rematch.

Houston produced four sacks over the five games he played this season.

Fortunately, Roethlisberger should have enough health and mobility to do his signature dancing in the pocket for this contest.