The NFL Playoff Schedule is Set!

It took till the final game of the 2012 regular season, but the NFL playoff brackets are finally set and ready to go! A lot of positioning and a couple of playoff berths were up for grams today, and while some teams rose to the occasion there were others that floundered and forgot how to even tread water.

All in all the games were pretty good today. Keep scheduling division opponents for the end of the season NFL. Of the games today there were eight that actually had relevance today because of it (although they were not all good games, they were relevant).

Many of the non-relevant games were actually pretty decent. I think just two (Cincy/Baltimore; Atlanta/ Tampa Bay) had starters pulled early too.

Anyway...here's how the playoff picture panned out:

AFC

Thanks to the Texans forgetting what a pass rush was and being completely inept on offense (okay, the Colts did play a solid game as well) the Texans lost home field advantage and the week off. Denver crushed Kansas City to move up to No. 1; New England cruised over Miami and move into the No. 2 due to the head to head tiebreaker with Houston.

The AFC bracket is as follows:

• No. 6 Cincinnati at No. 3 Houston, Saturday @ 4 PM ET
• No. 5 Indianapolis at No. 4 Baltimore, Sunday @ 1 PM ET

• No. 1 Denver will face the lowest remaining seed remaining on Saturday, January 12 @ 4 P ET
• No. 2 Houston will face the other AFC team on Sunday, January 13 @ 4:30 PM ET

AFC Championship between whoever is still standing will be played on Sunday, January 20.

NFC

There was a bit more going on over in the NFC than the AFC. The only spot that was set in stone was the No 1 seed (Atlanta; hence the stinker of a game they turned in today. With a win by San Fran and a loss by Green Bay those two slid into the No.2 and No. 3 spots respectively.

Washington took No. 4 with a win over Dallas (who was knocked out). Since San Fran won Seattle's win meant little to them. Minnesota's win locked up the No. 6 spot for them.

Here's how the schedule is going to look going forward:

• No. 6 Minnesota at No. 3 Green Bay, Saturday @ 8 PM ET
• No. 5 Seattle at No. 4 Washington,  Sunday @ 4:30 PM ET

• No. 2 San Fran will face the highest remaining seed on Saturday, January 12 @  8 PM ET
• No. 1 Atlanta will face the lowest remaining seed on Sunday, January 13 @ 1 PM ET

NFC Championship will be between whoever is still standing on Sunday January 20

For those of you that will not go for there being no game on January 27 you can watch a bunch of guys wearing football equipment walk around the field i the guise of playing a game called the Pro Bowl. A week later (February 3) it will be time for all eyes and livers to head to the Big Easy for the Super Bowl!