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NFL Playoff Bracket 2017: Seeding, Matchups for Wild Card

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:31 p.m. ET

Fansided, Cody Williams/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Seeding and matchups in the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket for both the AFC and NFC.

The 2017 NFL Playoff bracket is set following a raucous Week 17 to conclude the regular season. It took up until Sunday Night Football to decide everything, but now it is done. All that remains is for the week to pass and the games to start being played. I’m sure that’s what the 12 teams in the playoffs want as they’re ready to make a run to the Super Bowl.

Between injuries to key players, breakout performances from teams and players alike, and then disappointing showing from teams thought to be contenders, this has been one of the craziest NFL seasons in recent memory. And the way that the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket shakes out certainly indicates that.

So as we prepare for the postseason, let’s look at what the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket has in store for fans. We’ll look at the matchups in both the AFC and NFC in addition to giving start times and more for each game. That in turn gives us a look at the seeding in each conference. What’s more, we’ll also see what lies ahead for the teams getting a first-round bye.

Here are the matchups that the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket holds, starting in the AFC:

AFC

Teams with first-round bye: 1. New England Patriots, 2. Kansas City Chiefs

5. Oakland Raiders at 4. Houston Texans – Saturday, Jan. 7, 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)

Maybe this matchup would have once been fun, but there’s a reason that it’s in the worst time-slot. This could potentially be Connor Cook visiting Brock Osweiler. That’s the single-ply toilet paper of playoff quarterback matchups. As to who the winner will play, that truthfully depends on the results of the next matchup.

6. Miami Dolphins at 3. Pittsburgh Steelers – Sunday, Jan. 8, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

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This matchup is far better than the first in the AFC, hence why it gets the Sunday slot. However, an injured quarterback also hangs over this one with Matt Moore starting for the Dolphins. In terms of what could be next, the Steelers winning means they play the Chiefs in the Divisional Round on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1:05 p.m. ET. The Dolphins winning means that they play the Patriots in the Divisional Round on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 8:15 p.m. ET. What happens for the Raiders or Texans hinges upon how the Sunday AFC Wild Card game plays out.

NFC

Teams with first-round bye: 1. Dallas Cowboys, 2. Atlanta Falcons

6. Detroit Lions at 3. Seattle Seahawks – Saturday, Jan. 7, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)

Though the Lions have lost three-straight coming into the playoffs, this is an intriguing affair. Detroit thrives on their offense while Seattle does so with their defense, but with a bit more balance as well. However, the fact that it’s played in the Pacific Northwest could be the deciding factor. As was the case in the AFC in terms of what happens next, the Seahawks advancing means they’d play the Falcons on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:35 p.m. ET while the Lions advancing would set them up for another date with the Cowboys on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:40 p.m. ET.

5. New York Giants at 4. Green Bay Packers – Sunday, Jan. 8, 4:40 p.m. ET (FOX)

Inject this game into my veins, please. These are probably the NFL’s two hottest teams in the league as the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket gets ready to be played out. So it seems fortuitous that they would clash right away. Who the winner would play solely hinges on what happens in the 3-6 matchup. But what we do know is that no one in the NFC really should feel good about having to see either of these teams.

That’s what we have in store for us fans with the 2017 NFL Playoff bracket. Given the debilitating injuries throughout the league, it could be worse. We may complain abut Raiders-Texans, but there are far worse matchups that it could have been. And besides, the other three matchups could very well make up for its mediocrity.