Almost every team that needed help to reach the playoffs or better their postseason lots didn’t get it. Of the clubs that controlled their own postseason destinies, all but two, Kansas City and St. Louis, posted wins.

This has set the stage for the first-round games: Green Bay at Philadelphia, Baltimore at Kansas City, the New York Jets at Indianapolis and New Orleans vs. Seattle. The Saints-Seahawks (4:30 p.m. ET) and Jets-Colts (8 p.m.) are slated for Saturday; Ravens-Chiefs (1 p.m.) and Packers-Eagles (4:30 p.m.) are Sunday.

Seattle became the first division winner in NFL history to finish with a losing record. The Seahawks (7-9) qualified with Sunday night’s 16-6 home win over St. Louis.

The Chiefs (10-6) squandered the chance to claim the AFC’s No. 3 seed by losing at home to Oakland, 31-10. Indianapolis (10-6) has that slot after a 23-20 victory over visiting Tennessee. The Colts have the tiebreaker edge because of a 19-9 victory over the Chiefs in Week 5.

Atlanta (13-3) clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a 31-10 blowout of Carolina. That had a trickle-down effect on New Orleans (11-5), which could have captured the NFC South and secured a first-round bye with a Falcons loss combined with a win over visiting Tampa Bay. But with the Falcons in command late and the Saints resigned to the No. 5 seed (first wild card), New Orleans essentially raised the red flag with 9:15 left in its game. Starting quarterback Drew Brees was replaced with seldom-used backup Chase Daniel. The Bucs went on to a 23-13 victory, which kept Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes alive — for three more hours.

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To qualify under the playoff tiebreaker format, Tampa Bay (10-6) needed Green Bay (10-6) and the New York Giants (10-6) to lose. The Packers, though, dashed those hopes with a 10-3 victory over Chicago. Locked into the No. 2 seed after the Falcons win, the Bears had no postseason seeding incentive at Lambeau Field. But Coach Lovie Smith played his starters throughout and stayed close to the end when quarterback Jay Cutler was intercepted with 11 seconds remaining.

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On the AFC side, Pittsburgh (12-4) secured the No. 2 seed with a 41-9 rout at Cleveland. Had the Steelers lost, Baltimore (12-4) would have taken the AFC North and received a first-round bye by virtue of a 13-7 victory over Cincinnati.

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The Steelers win also cemented the Jets as the No. 6 seed. New York (11-5) didn’t play starting quarterback Mark Sanchez (shoulder) but still rolled to a 38-7 home victory over Buffalo. Already slotted as a No. 3 seed, Philadelphia (10-6) also rested an injured quarterback (Michael Vick) and most of its other starters in a 14-13 loss to Dallas.

New England (14-2) entered Sunday with the No. 1 seed already secured, but that didn’t prompt Bill Belichick to sit his starters. The result was a 38-7 blowout of visiting Miami.

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Here’s a synopsis of the upcoming first-round playoff matchups: