Playoff field: Seattle claims NFC's No. 1 seed; Steelers win North

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

Here is the NFL playoff schedule (all times Eastern):

Wild-card weekend

Saturday, Jan. 3
No. 5 Arizona Cardinals (11-5) at No. 4 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1), 4:35 p.m. on ESPN
No. 6 Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5), 8:15 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, Jan. 4
No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) at No. 4 Indianapolis Colts (11-5), 1:05 p.m. on CBS
No. 6 Detroit Lions (11-5) at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys (12-4) 4:40 p.m. on Fox

Divisional weekend

Saturday, Jan. 10
Wild-card weekend winner at No. 1 New England Patriots (12-4), 4:35 p.m. on NBC
Wild-card weekend winner at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (12-4), 8:15 p.m. on Fox

Sunday, Jan. 11
Wild-card weekend winner at No. 2 Green Bay Packers (12-4), 1:05 p.m. on Fox
Wild-card weekend winner at No. 2 Denver Broncos (12-4), 4:40 p.m. on CBS

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For a brief moment on Sunday evening, the NFC playoff picture was turning upside down.

Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers was being carted off with a calf injury. The Seattle Seahawks were losing at home to the St. Louis Rams. The Arizona Cardinals were in a tight battle with the San Francisco 49ers. The only thing that was easy to figure was the Carolina Panthers would be the NFC South champs because the Atlanta Falcons got destroyed by them, 34-3, on Sunday.

The rest of the picture calmed down as the games went on. Rodgers returned in the second half and led the Packers to a 30-20 win and an NFC North title over the Detroit Lions, who haven't won at Lambeau Field since 1991. Seattle dug in and ground out a 20-6 victory against the Rams to claim the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed. The Cardinals, which needed a Seattle loss to have a shot at the NFC West crown, lost 20-17 San Francisco 49ers.

The Packers dodged a bullet on Rodgers' injury. He grabbed at his calf while throwing a first-half touchdown and was carted off. Surprisingly he returned to the game, and presumably will be OK when the Packers play their postseason opener at Lambeau Field in two weeks.

The Detroit-Dallas game might be the top matchup of wild-card weekend. The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 44-17 win against the Washington Redskins. The Lions were by far the best run defense in the NFL this season and will go against DeMarco Murray, this season's rushing champ. The Lions haven't won a playoff game since the end of the 1991 season. Dallas has won just one playoff game since the end of the 1996 season.

The Cardinals were good all season, but injuries to QBs Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton cost them the NFC West. They lost four of their last six games. Now presumed playoff starter Ryan Lindley has to lead the Cardinals on the road against the Panthers, who join the 2010 Seahawks as the only teams in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record. The Panthers, the first repeat champion in the history of the NFC South, won their last four to make the playoffs.

In the AFC, the Ravens got the last available playoff spot when they beat the Browns and the Chargers lost to the Chiefs. They will be the No. 6 seed and play at the Steelers, champions of the AFC North after beating the Bengals in the season finale.

The Broncos cleared up the other remaining drama by beating the Raiders 47-14 and clinching the No. 2 seed.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!