Sorting the Sunday Pile: 2016 NFL playoff odds, picks and schedule – CBSSports.com

The NFL delivers like no other sport and Sunday was no exception with divisional and playoff drama playing out until the bitter end on Sunday night. Because the Vikings and Packers controlled multiple slots in terms of scheduling, there was a mad rush to produce the schedule.

There’s also a rush to put some odds out there because America loves to make some picks against the spread. Let’s break down the lines for the four wild-card playoff games and give you a primer for the first weekend of the playoffs.

Steelers (-2.5) at Bengals — The Steelers opened as a 1-point favorite on the road against the Bengals but climbed to a 2-point favorite by Sunday night. The logic here is the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, a fairly hot offense and the Bengals are probably going to be without Andy Dalton and still running out AJ McCarron. McCarron’s a pretty good backup and the Steelers’ pass defense isn’t good but Pittsburgh went into Cincy and beat the Bengals 33-20 less than a month ago.

Pick: Road chalk, baby! Andy Dalton in primetime and the playoffs plus the Steelers playing well offensively? I’ll take the Steelers here.

It’s easy to like Big Ben and the Steelers offense vs. the Bengals. (USATSI)

Chiefs (-3.5) at Texans — Another road-chalk game! The Chiefs are clearly a better team, having won 11-straight games despite losing Jamaal Charles. But the Texans have J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins, two scary weapons on each side of the ball.

Pick: Gimme the live dog Texans getting the hook. If it settles closer to a pick I would probably lean towards the Chiefs.

Seahawks (-5.5) at Vikings — Seattle marched into Minnesota earlier this season and dismantled the Vikings during one of the hottest stretches you’ll ever see from a quarterback as Russell Wilson tore the league up. Seattle’s defense is still great and Teddy Bridgewater struggled the last time they played. Adrian Peterson‘s banged up. Have seen this as Seahawks -7 which feels where it will end up — Seahawks -5 is begging people to take the Seahawks on the road.

Pick: The Seahawks are 4-1 in their last five games with a +101 point differential. One of those games was a 38-7 shellacking of the Vikings in Minnesota. History in the NFL rarely repeats itself. But the Seahawks are a dangerous team and Minnesota just bought a ticket to the buzz saw. I reserve the right to change my ATS pick if it gets to 7.

Packers (pick) at Redskins — Where oh where have you gone Aaron Rodgers? The Packers quarterback has been brutal lately, with the Packers getting swept at home by the NFC North for the first time in a long time. The Packers looked like a mess against the Vikings Sunday night, unable to lock down the division and secure a home playoff game. Meanwhile the Redskins are kind of manhandling people lately, going 4-1 in December with a +35 point differential. Making this game a pick means Vegas is giving the Packers three points but it feels more like it’s designed to get people on the Packers.

Pick: Betting against Rodgers in the postseason is terrifying but right now Washington’s just a better team, regardless of opponent. Gimme the home team getting no respect.

2. NFL Playoffs Schedule: Colleague John Breech has the easily bookmark-able spot for the full playoff schedule built out separately but for the purposes of a playoff primer here’s the full breakdown.

Wild Card Weekend

Saturday, Jan. 9

• AFC: No. 5 Kansas City at No. 4 Houston, 4:35 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
• AFC: No. 6 Pittsburgh at No. 3 Cincinnati, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS)

Sunday, Jan. 10

• NFC: No. 6 Seattle at No. 3 Minnesota, 1:05 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFC: No. 5 Green Bay at No. 4 Washington, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox)

Divisional Weekend

Saturday, Jan. 16

• AFC: Kansas City/Houston/Cincinnati at No. 2 New England, 4:35 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFC: Minnesota/Green Bay/Washington at No. 2 Arizona, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)

Sunday, Jan. 17

• NFC: Green Bay/Seattle/Washington at No. 1 Carolina, 1:05 p.m. ET (Fox)
• AFC: Pittsburgh/Kansas City/Houston at No. 1 Denver, 4:40 p.m. ET (CBS)

3. Early risers: The Seahawks play all their home games in Seattle, kicking off in the 4 p.m. ET window virtually every single week. Even on the road, Seattle typically got good breaks when it came to the scheduling because of opponents and prime time games.

Seattle only played four games before noon PT and went 2-2 in those games. They lost their season opener against the Rams in the first one, lost to the Bengals in Week 5 on the road and then beat the the Vikings (Week 13) and Ravens (Week 14) in back-to-back early road games in December.

So on one hand you have a difficult path for Seattle because of the timing of those games. On the other, Seattle’s won in similar fashion, beating the Vikings in Minnesota and then winning on the East Coast the following week. The Panthers are probably a little more difficult than the Ravens but there’s at least a blueprint.

The bonus for Seattle? A late-afternoon NFC Championship Game should they prevail through the first two rounds.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are big favorites in their wild-card matchup. (USATSI)

4. Prime-time Dalton: Look, no matter what the Bengals have been through so far this season and no matter how injured he might be if he plays, you’re going to get people pointing to Andy Dalton’s career playoff performance and historical struggles in prime time when they start talking about the Saturday night special between the Bengals and Steelers.

Dalton largely shook the narrative this season, playing well under the brightest of lights. But he and Marvin Lewis still don’t have playoff wins on the old résumé which means the concerns about them in January won’t disappear.

Dalton has one touchdown pass — ONE — in four playoff games to six interceptions and sees his career completion percentage drop from 62.3 to 55.7 when he gets in the postseason.

One piece of good news for the Bengals: Dalton’s “best” playoff game (334 yards, one touchdown, two picks) came against the Chargers in the 2013 season, and it was his only home playoff game. It’s possible — if Dalton can play — the home atmosphere changes things.

5. Redskins first late game: Sixteen games is a lot of football games. They’re played all around the country against random opponents and you’d expect to see just about every team playing at every possible time slot over the course of the season.

Except the Redskins haven’t played a 4 p.m. ET game all season long … until now.

Washington’s got a tough matchup with the Packers coming to town but has to be licking its chops at avoiding the Seahawks and getting a shot to prey on Rodgers when Green Bay is struggling to protect him.

6. The Manning factor: The NFL routinely writes storylines Hollywood would find laughably ridiculous and Week 17 was no different with Peyton Manning coming off the bench for the Denver Broncos to lead the to the No. 1 overall AFC seed.

The Broncos were the most fascinating team in the NFL to watch over the last two weeks. Lose out and miss the playoffs. Win out and maybe steal the No. 1 seed. The latter happened in totally unlikely fashion, with Brandon McManus missing a chip shot in regulation and redeeming himself in overtime last week and then PFM rising from the ashes to step on the field and lead Denver past the Chargers.

Manning was just 5 of 9 for 69 yards but he was the one putting the turnover tourniquet on the Broncos’ offense at the end, providing hope — however false it might be — of returning to form and leading the Broncos deep into the playoffs.

Probably a pipe dream, but coupled with the Patriots losing (and looking vulnerable) and the Broncos securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs, anything is possible. Gary Kubiak isn’t naming a starter for the postseason but come on, man.

Denver’s defense and a renewed and refreshed Peyton Manning with only two back-to-back games to play? Dare to dream, Gary.

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