NFL Weekend Schedule 2017: Start Times, TV Channels For Divisional Round Games; Cowboys, Steelers, Packers

With Super Bowl LI now less than a month away, the NFL’s eight-team playoff field will be cut in half after this weekend's Divisional Round games. Some of the biggest franchises in the league’s history will be on full display as the four spots in the NFC and AFC Conference Championships are up for grabs.

The four-game slate begins Saturday afternoon and wraps up about 24 hours later.

First, the Seattle Seahawks (11-5-1), coming off a rousing victory over Detroit in last weekend’s wild-card round, seek their third appearance in the NFC title game in four years when they face the Atlanta Falcons (11-5). Atlanta will send out MVP candidate Matt Ryan and All-Pro receiver Julio Jones against a Seahawks secondary that includes star cornerback Richard Sherman.

It’s the second all-time playoff meeting between the Falcons and Seahawks, with the first meeting coming in 2012 when Atlanta pulled off a 30-28 victory. The game kicks off Saturday at 4:35 p.m. EDT from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and will be broadcasted by FOX.

In the late game Saturday, the New England Patriots (14-2) host the Houston Texans (10-7) in the only matchup sporting a double-digit point spread. The Patriots, led by four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, are favored by 16 points, despite the Texans boasting the league's best defense.

New England and Houston will start at 8:15 p.m. EDT on CBS.

Sunday’s doubleheader was originally supposed to open with the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-5) hitting the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) in the tightest matchup of the postseason. But the game was rescheduled to a later time due to an expected ice storm in parts of the Great Plains.

The NFL announced Friday the game, previously set for a 1:20 p.m. EDT start time, will instead begin at 8:20 p.m. EDT to afford local authorities more time to clear roads. NBC will still air the game from Kansas City.

The Steelers will roll out one of the NFL’s most potent offenses featuring quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. The Chiefs counter with one of the stronger defenses in the league and an offense that features veteran quarterback Alex Smith and breakout rookie receiver Tyreek Hill.

That leaves the marquee matchup pitting perhaps the two most historic NFL franchises against each other. The Dallas Cowboys (13-3), fielding star rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, hope to avenge their 2014 loss to the Green Bay Packers (11-6) and make the NFC championship for the first time since winning it all in 1995.

The Packers, though, are one of the hottest teams in the league with quarterback Aaron Rodgers scorching opponents during a seven-game winning streak, including last week’s 38-13 pounding of New York on Sunday.

The Cowboys will play host at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game kicks off at 4:40 p.m. EDT with FOX handling broadcast duties.