Playoff lines

[Greenbacks]

6. New York Giants (9-7-1)​

Super Bowl odds: +6000
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 1.9%

Reason for hope: Quarterback Daniel Jones has played well down the stretch. His 77.8 QBR in Weeks 15-17 (vs. Washington, Minnesota, Indianapolis) was second best in the NFL during that span and helped the Giants clinch their first playoff berth since 2016. The Giants are also getting healthier defensively with Adoree' Jackson (knee), their top cornerback, and safety Xavier McKinney (hand) returning.

Reason for concern: The Giants have one victory this season against a team that entered Week 18 with a winning record. That was against Baltimore early this season. They have struggled playing against the tougher competition in a year that was supposed to be a rebuild. New York finished the regular season with a point differential of minus-6. -- Jordan Raanan

What is most difficult about defending running back Saquon Barkley? "He's elusive. He gets in and out of cuts. His jump cut is amazing. He spins off of a lot of contact. So you can be in one gap and he's going to another gap, you shed the block to get in that gap, he's back in the gap you just jumped out of. He's such an elusive back. That's a challenge for every defense." -- NFC player

First-game outlook: The Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and will play at Minnesota in the wild-card round on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox). New York's last-trip to U.S. Bank Stadium was a nail-biter, as the Vikings beat the Giants 27-24 in Week 16 on a walk-off field goal.

 

[Greenbacks]

7. Seattle Seahawks (9-8)​

Super Bowl odds: +5000
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 1.1%

Reason for hope: The Seahawks have given everyone a reminder anything can happen in the NFL -- like a team trading its franchise quarterback and somehow being better off with his longtime backup. A deep playoff run would be just as unexpected, but Geno Smith & Co. have shown flashes of being a good team during their up-and-down season. Their 6-3 start included a pair of 14-point wins over the playoff-bound Giants and Chargers. Now that they've rediscovered the defense and run game that went missing during their November and December swoon, they appear to be heading into the playoffs on the upswing.

Reason for concern: Their defense has been a liability for much of the season, particularly against the run. And while they've shown improvement in that area of late, that's come against teams that don't have strong run games. They'll face much tougher challenges against the strong rushing offenses that they'll have to get past in order to make a deep run, especially with linebacker Jordyn Brooks out with a season-ending knee injury. Losing nose tackle Bryan Mone was another blow to Seattle's run defense. -- Brady Henderson

What's different about facing Smith than Russell Wilson? "I felt like Geno just had a little bit more command over that offense. He was just able to get guys in spots, in spaces and he knew where the ball should be going. So I just say the command and just his overall ability was just a lot different." -- NFC defensive player

First-game outlook: The Seahawks will play at the NFC West rival 49ers in the wild-card round on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox). Seattle was swept by the 49ers this season, as San Francisco beat the visiting Seahawks 27-7 in Week 2 and 21-13 in Week 15 at Lumen Field.