After 17 weeks of exciting football, this NFL season saw some of the biggest stories in sports. From Cam Newton and his Carolina Panthers' chase toward an undefeated season to the strange heroics of Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler. Here's my thoughts on who to watch out for in these 2016 NFL Playoffs.

Sleepers to Watch For:

Kansas City Chiefs

When superstar running back Jamaal Charles went down with a torn ACL in early October many people automatically wrote out the Kansas City Chiefs. The team started 1-5 and the season looked like it was theoretically going into the toilet. But, that has not been nearly the case. The Chiefs have found success in backups Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, with Alex Smith at quarterback of course. Since then, they have won TEN games in a row and turned their 1-5 record into an 11-5 season, propelling themselves into the playoffs. This team is a very under the radar team, but is capable of making it deep into the playoffs. Kansas City plays Houston in the wild card game, and I think the Chiefs can find success. While the Texans rush defense is powered by JJ Watt, the QB/WR combo of Smith and Jeremy Maclin can carry this team deep into the postseason.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks' season took a similar approach to the Chiefs'. Seattle lost veteran running back Marshawn Lynch early in the season, and had to start focusing on their receiver targets of Baldwin, Kearse, and newly acquired tight end Jimmy Graham. Along with the increased rushing game of quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks turned their season around in the latter half of the year. The team ended 10-6, good enough for a wild card bid against AP and the Vikings. While the Seahawks have a predominately better pass defense than rush, and that most of the Vikings offense comes from the rushing of Peterson, I think the Seahawks will come out on top and might even beat the Arizona Cardinals in the next round. Thomas Rawls, the new running back in place of Lynch has been a flawless replacement and Russell Wilson is a big time postseason player. Watch out for this team in the new few weeks.

Big Time Busts

Cincinnati Bengals

Starting the year, the Bengals looked like the team to beat. Going 8-0 through the first eight weeks, and even picking up a win in OT, the team looked like they couldn't be stopped. Andy Dalton looked like one of the top tier quarterbacks, his main target AJ Green was catching everything, and running back Giovani Bernard even got his running game going. But, one problem has hit since week 13 and that's the injury of Dalton. He suffered a strange thumb injury that forced backup AJ McCarron to take over the team for the last four games. Going 2-2 in that span, this team looks like an average team going into the playoffs. If Dalton can't make it back for his team's wild card game against the Steelers, it may be just another disappointing year for the Bengals franchise.

Arizona Cardinals

Will it finally be the year for Carson Palmer? The Cardinals' quarterback is a seasoned veteran now who has yet to win a Super Bowl title. And this year, I think that streak will continue. Although this could be one of Palmer's best teams he's ever had, I still don't think it'll be enough to win the big game. Even if Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown are at the top of their game, I think they'll still struggle with whoever arises from the Vikings/Seahawks matchup. The Cards got crushed at HOME against the Seahawks during the last week of the regular season, so if the Seahawks can make it far enough to the Cardinals again, they can pull off a major upset.

My Super Bowl Prediction:

Broncos vs Panthers

Winner: Broncos

Although no path is easy, I think the Denver Broncos have the easiest path to the Super Bowl game. They do have the overall number one seed, and a first round home game, so that would make it easier against the Chiefs or Texans. From there, they would have to play theoretically the Patriots if they can dominate the Steelers or Bengals. This leaves the Broncos/Patriots in the AFC Championship game with the Broncos on top. The Pats are simply too injured.

In the NFC, the Panthers' first round matchup is against the Packers or Redskins, two teams who haven't been particularly impressive. Meeting the Cardinals, Vikings, or Seahawks, I believe all three teams would be beat by Carolina. Although Jonathan Stewart may or may not play, Cam Newton will dance into the Super Bowl just to get stunned by Denver's stellar defense.