The NFL playoff schedule has been out since the conclusion of the season on Sunday. However, not many have discussed the futures of those teams on bye weeks and who they might face.
Unlike any other of the major sports, in the NFL the four best team's chances of making the Super Bowl are much better than those first four participating in Wild Card games. Baseball is now experimenting with a Wild Card game, but the NFL are the founding fathers.
As for the No. 1 and 2 seeds in both conferences here they are.
AFC
#1 Denver Broncos (13-3): Peyton Manning and his team get to rest and host the AFC Divisional and Championship games if in fact they make it that far.
#2 New England Patriots (12-4): Tom Brady and the Pats would get homefield advantage if for some reason the Broncos are eliminated in the AFC Divisional Game.
Both teams don't get to play in the Wild Card games, so they will be paying attention to the results from both games.
The AFC Playoff Seeding are as follow
#3 Houston Texans (12-4)
#4 Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
#5 Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
#6 Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
Who do the Broncos play?
As the No. 1 seed, the Broncos have the luxury of playing the lower seeded team that advances. This means the Broncos will not have to face the Texans in the Divisional Game next week.
Who do the Patriots play?
The one thing that is guaranteed is that the Pats will not get to touch the Bengals if in fact they get past the Texans in the Wild Card game. They have to play the higher seeds of the two teams that advance to the Divisional round.
NFC
#1 Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
#2 San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)
The Falcons and 49ers get to go home or watch the NFC Wild Card games. As the two top teams of the league this means the 49ers have another chance to get to the Super Bowl after failing last year. Meanwhile, Tony Gonzalez will try going to the Super Bowl for the first time in his career.
The rest of the NFC Playoff Seedings are as follow:
#3 Green Bay Packers (11-5)
#4 Washingon Redskins (10-6)
#5 Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
#6 Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
Who are the Falcons facing?
Similar to the Broncos, the Falcons ensure they won't face the Packers, who destroyed them last time they met in the playoffs. Though the other opponents are not easier, the Falcons are guaranteed to play in the home.
Who are the 49ers playing?
Don't know if this is good news or bad news for the 49ers and their fans, but the team could end up playing the Seahawks. The Seahawks completely destroyed the 49ers in their last meeting of the year. The good news for the Niners is that they will play at home.
The 49ers will not play against the Vikings since the Falcons get the lowest seed.
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The action kicks off in two days. Catch the Bengals vs. Texans on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The Vikings and Packers go head-to-head once again at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Sunady you can catch the Colts vs. Ravens at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The Seahawks face the Seahawks at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
