NFL Playoff Schedule 2017: Falcons get a first round bye, will wait to learn opponent

With a narrow but sweet victory over the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons have locked up the #2 seed in the NFC, and they now have a week to get prepared for whoever their opponent may be. Congratulations to the team on a terrific regular season.

Now we’re thinking about the postseason for the first time since 2012, which is amazing in its own right. The Falcons will join the Dallas Cowboys, who locked up the #1 seed a week ago, in taking the next week off and letting the rest of the field duke it out. The last time the Falcons had a bye, of course, they beat the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round, and I wouldn’t mind if they repeated that (the win, at least) here in 2017.

Atlanta will draw the highest-seeded team in the playoffs, which means they should avoid the #6 seed, be it Washington, Detroit, or Green Bay. Dallas will get the lower seeded team. The game will be played either January 14th or 15th, and we won’t know just when for a little while, yet.

Either way, this is obviously a huge day for this Falcons team, which hasn’t even been in the postseason since 2012. Now let’s hope they can keep their winning ways going.

Who do you think the Falcons will draw in the playoffs?