The 2017 NFC playoff teams are set and one of them is not the Washington Redskins. If Washington had won two of their last three games, they would have been sitting pretty as the second NFC wild card, But a loss to the Panthers two weeks ago, meant they needed to win two straight. They beat the Bills last week and had to beat the Giants this week to secure their spot. The Redskins, who have a very good offense, could not get it going today against the Giants. Washington lost 19-10 and that was the end of their season.
The 2017 NFC Playoff Teams Finalized
In a way, the Redskins tanking took away some of the allure of the final game of the 2016 season. That game was between Green Bay and Detroit, and if Washington had won, then only one of those NFC North clubs would be in the playoffs. With the Skins’ loss, both the Packers and Lions automatically qualified for the postseason. It became a matter of which team would win the division and which would get a wild card berth. That mystery is over.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions tonight 31-24. The Packers win the NFC North and the Lions are the wild card. The 2016-17 NFC playoff teams have been finalized.
NFC Top Seeds
The NFC tops seeds are the Dallas Cowboys (13-3) and Atlanta Falcons (11-5). The #1 seed Cowboys are the NFC East champs. They got to where they are through the play of a rookie quarterback and rookie running back. The Cowboys get a first week bye and home field throughout the playoffs. The #2 seed Falcons and NFC South champs, who saw a resurgence in quarterback Matt Ryan, get a week one bye.
Teams Playing in Week One
The other four teams, the three through six seeds, will play in the wild card games. The #3 seed, which is the Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1), will play the #6 seed, which is the Detroit Lions (9-7). The Seahawks won the NFC West and the Lions are the second wild card team. The teams will play on January 7, 2017 at 8:15 p.m. ET in Seattle.
The other game will have the #4 seed, which is the NFC North champion Green Bay Packers (10-6), playing the #5 seed New York Giants (11-5). The Giants are the top seeded wild card team. These two teams will meet on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 4:40 p.m. ET in Green Bay.
Early Odds and More to Come
Early odds are out. Seattle is favored over Detroit by 7.5, and the over/under is 43. In the other NFC wild card game, the Packers are favored over the Giants by 4.5. The point totals are at 44.5.
We’ll have analysis and free picks of these games this week and of the entire NFL playoffs and Super Bowl throughout the month. We also have information on the AFC Playoffs. That’s it on the 2017 NFC playoff teams for now.
