NFL Playoff Schedule 2018: AFC, NFC Bracket Predictions, TV Info and More

The 2017 NFL regular season started and ended with two massive surprises.

In the beginning, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a big upset by beating the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 42-27 at Gillette Stadium. Kansas City was an eight-point underdog heading into that contest, per OddsShark.

In the end, the Cincinnati Bengals (also eight-point underdogs) upset the Baltimore Ravens on the road thanks to a late Andy Dalton 49-yard touchdown pass to wideout Tyler Boyd on 4th-and-12. That play vaulted the Buffalo Bills into the postseason for the first time since 1999.

We'll see if other shocking moments are in store for this year, but until then, here's a look at the playoff schedule, some bracket predictions, television information and two storylines to watch for on Wild Card Weekend.

Wild-Card Schedule and Television Information

Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC: No. 5 Tennessee Titans at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs

Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC: No. 6 Atlanta Falcons at No. 3 Los Angeles Rams

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS: No. 6 Buffalo Bills at No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars

Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET on Fox: No. 5 Carolina Panthers at No. 4 New Orleans Saints

Winner Picks: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Jacksonville and New Orleans

Divisional-Round Schedule and Television Information

Saturday, January 13, at 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC: New Orleans, Carolina or Atlanta at Philadelphia Eagles

Saturday, January 13, at 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS: Kansas City, Tennessee or Buffalo at New England Patriots

Sunday, January 14, at 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS: Jacksonville, Kansas City or Tennessee at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, January 14, at 4:40 p.m. ET on Fox: Los Angeles, New Orleans or Carolina at Minnesota Vikings

Winner Picks: New Orleans, New England, Pittsburgh and Minnesota

Conference Championship Schedule and Television Information

Sunday, January 21, at 3 p.m. ET: AFC Championship on CBS

Sunday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. ET: NFC Championship on Fox

Winner Picks: New England and Minnesota 

Super Bowl LII Schedule and Television Information

Sunday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET: AFC champion vs. NFC champion

Winner Pick: Minnesota

What to Watch: Wild Card Round

1. Will Buffalo Bills Running Back LeSean McCoy Play?

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy suffered a sprained ankle against the Miami Dolphins and was forced to leave the game.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, McCoy is considered a "game-time decision" and "close call" for Sunday. Mike Rodak of ESPN also noted that the 29-year-old veteran did not practice on Wednesday.

Simply put, a productive game from McCoy is Buffalo's best chance at victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are near-invincible against the pass (first, per Football Outsiders) but 26th versus the run. For the season, the Jags have allowed 4.3 yards per carry.

If McCoy is able to go and be productive, then that could also help Buffalo control the time of possession against a Jacksonville team that is sixth in the NFL in yards per game. In other words, not only is McCoy the best chance for the Bills offense to have success, but it would be a giant boost to the defense as well.

If McCoy can't go, then Mike Tolbert and Marcus Murphy could share running duties. They were successful last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins en route to 14 carries for 80 yards, but the Bills never trailed in that contest. If Buffalo falls behind against Jacksonville, it will be forced to go to the pass more often, which plays into the Jaguars' strength.

Therefore, McCoy is the key for how this entire game may play out. It's the most important situation to monitor as the weekend nears.

2. Will Los Angeles Rams Running Back Todd Gurley Dominate Yet Again?

These are Todd Gurley's stats in his last two games, per Pro Football Reference: 56 touches, 456 yards from scrimmage, six touchdowns. If you spread that pace out over the course of 16 games, Gurley would finish with 3,148 yards from scrimmage and 48 scores!

Of course, that 16-game pace is only realistic in Madden NFL, but the point is that Gurley is running hot at the right time.

Now he'll face the Atlanta Falcons, who haven't done particularly well against the run this year. They've allowed 4.1 yards per rush (19th in the NFL) and are ranked 20th in run defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), per Football Outsiders.

Notably, Football Outsiders also notes that the Falcons allow the third-most passes per game to running backs (8.6) and the fourth-most receiving yards to them as well (52.6).

While Gurley and the Rams are a tough draw for any defense, they may be particularly problematic for the Falcons. For the season, Gurley has caught 64 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns. For context, those figures are in the neighborhood of the Falcons' No. 2 wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu (67 catches, 703 yards, five touchdowns).

But Gurley then added 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns on top of those receiving numbers. Ultimately, it's hard to bet against him and the Rams this week given the matchup and the current individual hot streak.