Although all of the 2017 AFC playoff teams were set last week, the schedule got solidified in this final week of play. There are some teams who seemed to have a real chance of making this year who will, instead of playing in, be watching the postseason. The Baltimore Ravens really missed the boat in 2016, as they were in the driver’s seat and let the Steelers car jack them. The other team on this list would be the Tennessee Titans. Somehow, the Houston Texans won that playoff spot. Here’s a look at the 2017 AFC playoff teams and the upcoming schedule.
AFC Repositioning and QB Situations
The Oakland Raiders lost their finals game of the season 24-6 to Denver. Last week, the Raider’s starting quarterback Derek Carr, who had been having a great season, was lost for the playoffs. That Oakland loss coupled with an Kansas City 37-27 win over San Diego gave the Chiefs the West Division crown and a bye.
Also dealing with quarterback woes are the Miami Dolphins. Their starter, Ryan Tannehill, injured knee ligaments and was expected to be out for the entire 2017 playoffs. However, news is that his cast is off and he’s practicing.
Finally, the Houston Texans benched starting quarterback Brock Osweiler two weeks ago and have been using Tom Savage. In the final week, Houston lost to Tennessee 24-17. However, that was a meaningless game. Expect Savage to play in the postseason.
2017 AFC Playoff Teams- Byes
The New England Patriots (14-2) are the number one seed and secured a bye as well as home field for the playoffs. Brady and company looked strong as they won the AFC East easily. Then again, Alex Smith and company of the Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) also looked strong these past few weeks. The Chiefs won the AFC West and are the conference’s second seed and also get a bye.
Wild Card Round
The wild card round has the five seed Oakland Raiders (12-4) playing the four seed Houston Texans (9-7). Oakland is the wild card and Houston took the AFC South, They will play on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 4:35 p.m. in Houston.
The other wild card game will be between the six seed Miami Dolphins (10-6) and the third seed Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5). Miami is one of the wild card teams, while the Steelers won the AFC North. This game will occur on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 1:05 p.m. in Pittsburgh.
>h2> Early Odds and More
The first lines had Houston favored by three. They now have the Texans at -3.5. The over/under started at 47.0. It’s now down to 36 or 36.5. The Steelers starting line was at -10.0. They are now at -10.5 at some books. The over/under went from 47.5 to 47, and it’s still there.
We’ll have more throughout the week on these 2017 AFC playoff teams. In the meantime, be sure to check out our blog on 2017 NFC playoff teams.
