NFL Playoff Schedule 2012: Lions To Take On Saints Saturday Night

Going into Sunday, the one thing the Detroit Lions wanted to avoid was ending up with the No. 6 seed in the NFC and having to play the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, with the Lions losing a shootout against the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers beating the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons destroying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that is exactly what ended up happening. The Saints clinched the third seed and Detroit slipped to the No. 6 seed, meaning the Lions are headed back to New Orleans for the second time in a little more than a month.

The Lions' game against the Saints in the wild-card round will be played on Saturday, Jan. 7. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (Eastern Time). NBC will have the broadcast, just as it did for the first meeting between the Lions and Saints earlier this season. New Orleans won by a score of 31-17.

Should the Lions win on Saturday against New Orleans, they will head to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

The full NFL playoff schedule for the first two weekends of the postseason can be found after the jump.

WILD-CARD ROUND

Saturday, Jan. 7

4:30 p.m. - Bengals at Texans (NBC)

8 p.m. - Lions at Saints (NBC)

Sunday, Jan. 8

1 p.m. - Falcons at Cowboys/Giants (FOX)

4:30 p.m. - Steelers at Broncos (CBS)

DIVISIONAL ROUND

Saturday, Jan. 14

4:30 p.m. - Saints/Cowboys/Giants/Falcons at 49ers (FOX)

8 p.m. - Broncos/Steelers/Bengals at Patriots (CBS)

Sunday, Jan. 15

1 p.m. - Texans/Broncos/Steelers at Ravens (CBS)

4:30 p.m. - Cowboys/Giants/Falcons/Lions at Packers (FOX)