NFL Playoff Predictions: 2017 match ups, winners, and Super Bowl champion

Raiders vs Chiefs

Dec 8, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio talks with running back Latavius Murray (28) during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

I see the second round of the AFC playoff picture coming to a front featuring AFC West rivals.

Oakland and Kansas City took one of the toughest divisions in football as their own this year, and now they can fight it out until one of them lands in the conference title game.

The Chiefs and Raiders will no doubt play close, but not having Derek Carr seems too much of an obstacle for this team to tackle.

They proved to be dangerous with him under center and on the field, but without him it won’t bode well for the team.

There’s always next year, right?

How the West Was Won: 8 Stats that show how we went undefeated in the toughest division in the @NFL.

➡️ https://t.co/cWC2jOMMf7 pic.twitter.com/cTetB4xleQ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 4, 2017

Honestly looking at Kansas City, I beg the question of why not?

New England won’t be right in their face in the second round because they too got a first round bye. It’s only because they beat the Raiders in the regular season, though.

Expect that to pay off at this stage of the playoffs, especially with the game being in Kansas City.

Oakland isn’t taken out of the picture easily though.

They won the majority of their games on the road in the early part of the season, making them an even stronger powerhouse than if those wins had come at home.

Additionally, Connor Cook could surprise us all. But that would take more than a miracle at this point.

Prediction: