NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: AFC, NFC Postseason Dates, TV Schedule for Each Round

For the first time since 2003, the NFL playoffs will not feature either of the Super Bowl participants from the previous year, as the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers each missed the postseason.

However, some familiar teams will be in the playoff mix, including four (and potentially five, if the Green Bay Packers find their way in) who have won the Super Bowl within the last eight full seasons.

Those familiar faces will mesh with new ones, as the Oakland Raiders (who haven’t made the playoffs since a Super Bowl XXXVII appearance 14 years ago) and the Miami Dolphins (one lone postseason appearance since 2001) make their returns.

The mix of old and new should make for an interesting NFL postseason.

While playoff TV times and scheduling won’t be official until the unofficial NFC North title game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions is decided on Sunday Night Football, here is a look at the projected playoff schedule, as well as a glance at the Super Bowl contenders and playoff picture from each conference.

Information via Sports Media Watch. The times are projections based on previous seasons. Per the site, ESPN/ABC will feature one Wild Card game, while NBC will show one Wild Card game and one Divisional game. The table will be updated when the schedule is official. 

AFC Playoff Picture and Super Bowl Contenders

Football fans may look at the AFC playoff picture from this season and reminisce about the 1970s, as three powerhouses from that decade (Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers) and a Super Bowl winner from 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs) are vying to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, along with the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

New England seems like the clear-cut favorite to return to the site (Houston) where it beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Since Tom Brady returned from his four-game suspension, the Pats have gone 10-1, including eight wins by at least 11 points.

Furthermore, their 170-point differential through Week 16 is far and away the best mark in the AFC; the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs sit second and third in the conference, respectively, with 69- and 68-point differentials, both more than 100 points behind the Pats.

Pittsburgh is the biggest threat to New England making its seventh Super Bowl appearance this century. The Steelers have the best quarterback-running back-wide receiver combination in football, as the Killer B’s of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are a difficult challenge for any NFL defense.

In fact, the Steelers are 8-3 in games this year in which all three have played (and 2-2 with …

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