NFL playoff picture: Lions will play Cowboys in wild-card round

It's official: The Detroit Lions are headed to Dallas next week to take on the Cowboys in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Lions have the No. 6 seed in the NFC, and they are matched up against the Cowboys, which own the No. 3 seed.

Here's the full rundown of the NFC playoff picture:

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4) *NFC West champion*
2. Green Bay Packers (12-4) *NFC North champion*
3. Dallas Cowboys (12-4) *NFC East champion*
4. Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) *NFC South champion*
5. Arizona Cardinals (11-5) *Wild card*
6. Detroit Lions (11-5) *Wild card*

Bye: Seahawks, Packers | Wild-card round: Cowboys vs. Lions, Panthers vs. Cardinals

The NFL playoff schedule for the wild-card round will be released at a later time. For now, what we do know is that the Lions will have to get by the Cowboys to get to the divisional round, and if they accomplish that, they will have to win at the Seattle Seahawks to make the NFC Championship Game. That's a tall order, to say the least, but hey, anything can happen in the postseason.