- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
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- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
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NFL Playoff Bracket 2017: AFC, NFC Picture and Super Bowl Predictions
- Updated: January 2, 2017
The NFL postseason picture is set. Here’s a look at where we stand.
AFC Playoff Picture and Super Bowl Predictions
The No. 1-seeded New England Patriots and No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs have byes through the Wild Card Round and will host divisional-round games in two weeks.
The No. 6-seeded Miami Dolphins will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the No. 3-seeded Steelers, while the No. 5-seeded Oakland Raiders will go to the home of Super Bowl LI and face the No. 4-seeded Houston Texans.
Teams will be re-seeded after the Wild Card Round, with the lowest remaining playoff seed facing the New England Patriots and the highest remaining playoff seed playing in Kansas City.
As for how things might shake out, it’s hard to envision any team knocking off the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium.
Tom Brady and the Pats are out for vengeance after the Deflategate punishments from earlier this season. They’d love nothing more than to accept the Lombardi Trophy in front of millions of people from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who handed those sanctions down.
The Pats finished 14-2 (11-1 with Brady starting) and showed no signs of slowing down against playoff-bound Miami Sunday, defeating the Dolphins, 35-14. Brady may not have All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, but he has three running backs, four wide receivers and another solid tight end in Martellus Bennett to spread the ball around to in any given game.
One day, Julian Edelman might catch eight passes for 151 yards and a touchdown (as he did Sunday against Miami). On another day, LeGarrette Blount might rush for 127 yards and two touchdowns (as he did against Pittsburgh in October). There’s a new hero every week.
Presuming Pittsburgh wins at home against Miami, which it should do if Le’Veon Bell takes care of business against one of the league’s worst run defenses, the winner of the KC-Pittsburgh divisional-round matchup poses the biggest threat to the Pats’ Super Bowl plans. The Steelers have the offense to go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and Co., while the Chiefs have the defense, led by game-changing safety Eric Berry, to slow down the Pats.
Oakland looked lost Sunday against Denver without quarterback Derek Carr, who is done for …
