NFL Playoff Bracket 2018: AFC, NFC Divisional Picture, Schedule and Scenarios

Just eight teams remain in the 2018 NFL playoffs, all of them tantalizingly close to a trip to Super Bowl 52 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 

In the AFC, the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are back in action after their first-round byes, taking on the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. The Pats and Steelers are solid favorites to win their home contests, setting up what would be a titanic clash in the AFC Championship Game.

Over in the NFC, things don't look nearly as straightforward. The top-seed Philadelphia Eagles are underdogs against the Atlanta Falcons, who are coming off a decisive 26-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The second-seeded Minnesota Vikings—looking to become the first team to play a Super Bowl at its home stadium—will take on the high-powered New Orleans Saints, whose offense is capable of putting up points in a hurry. 

Here's a look at the divisional-round picture and viewing info.

2018 Divisional-Round Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 13

No. 6 Atlanta Falcons at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles at 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC

No. 5 Tennessee Titans at No. 1 New England Patriots at 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS

Sunday, Jan. 14

No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS

No. 4 New Orleans Saints at No. 2 Minnesota Vikings at 4:40 p.m. ET on FOX

For a look at the postseason bracket, go to CBSSports.com.

Big Underdogs in AFC Contests

The Jaguars are 7.5-point underdogs against the Steelers as of Wednesday, per OddsShark. They are coming off a ragged 10-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, a game in which quarterback Blake Bortles threw for just 87 yards. Few think they are equipped to beat the Steelers, and yet, they've already accomplished that once this year.

The Jags beat the Steelers 30-9 in Week 5. Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions, while Bortles managed just 95 yards through the air with one pick—a performance not too far off from what he put up in the Wild Card Round.

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

Roethlisberger isn't likely to throw five picks again, but the Jaguars' ferocious pass rush can certainly make life difficult for him. The Bills' Tyrod Taylor had little success against the likes of Jalen Ramsey in the secondary and Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue up front. 

If Bortles puts together even a halfway-decent performance, the Jags should make this a much tougher game than some expect. To do that, though, Bortles could use a boost from his running game to keep the sack-happy Steelers off his back.

Leonard Fournette has been held to a paltry 3.3 yards per carry over his last five games, below his 3.9 average over the course of the entire season. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is hoping to get the offensive line in working order so that Fournette and Chris Ivory can get back on track against Pittsburgh. 

"If they're not doing their job up front, it's going to be very difficult up front," Marrone said, per ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco. "If they're doing a good job up front, I think we all have to do a better job. We really do, and we have to figure it out and get it done in a quick fashion."

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Fournette's display against Pittsburgh was key earlier in the season, as he rushed for 181 yards.

The Jaguars defense is capable of reigning in Pittsburgh once again, but the offense is going to have be competent both through the air and on the ground for the team to pull off the upset.

The Titans are even less favored against the battle-tested Patriots. They are 14-point underdogs going into this contest, according to OddsShark.

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

Marcus Mariota put together a miraculous second-half performance in the Wild Card Round to pull off an 18-point comeback win against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Patriots aren't going to keep the door open if the Titans fall into a hole again.  

Mariota will be challenged to keep drives alive despite a limited receiving corps, which means the run game will likely prove crucial. Mariota is always a threat to scamper, while Derrick Henry is capable of wearing down a defense with bruising runs. The Pats allowed a generous 4.7 yards per rush this season, per ESPN.com.

Chewing clock and controlling the ball will be key to the Titans' ability to keep this one close, but they must finish drives.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Tom Brady has a wealth of weapons at his disposal, including the ultimate matchup nightmare in tight end Rob Gronkowski. His ability to draw multiple defenders keeps defenses scrambling to keep up with Brady's quick-hit strikes to wideouts and running backs.

He's also capable of taking over in big games, per USA Today's Lorenzo Reyes: 

"In a pivotal Week 15 victory against the Steelers that put New England in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Gronkowski had team highs in targets (13), catches (nine) and receiving yards (168). In the game-winning drive alone, he was the only Patriots player Brady targeted. His three catches for 69 yards helped set up the go-ahead touchdown. Gronkowski also hauled in the two-point conversion."

With running back Dion Lewis also making big contributions as of late, the Patriots are well-equipped to finish things off with six points once they get into the red zone. The challenge will be for the Titans to play mistake free and try to keep up with an offense led by arguably the greatest to ever line up under center.