L.A.'s NFL TV playoffs opening weekend: Dallas must start the next week against Favre, right?

The Falcons are in the playoffs? And the Cardinals? Against each other?

But not the Cowboys? Or the Patriots? Or the Bears? Or Brett Favre?

Or a team from L.A.?

And Tiki Barber is now a sideline reporter? Is this to get him ready to hype up a Titans-Panthers Super Bowl in February?

We can't answer most of those things. Yet, if you've just crawled out from a cave and it seems as if the balance of power may not have shifted in the NFL, it's definitely been thrown for a network loop.

The postseason begins on NBC on Saturday with this TV lineup:

SATURDAY:

==1:30 p.m., Channel 4: Atlanta at Arizona (with Tom Hammond, Cris Collinsworth and Tiki Barber on the sidelines)
==5 p.m., Channel 4: Indianapolis at San Diego (with Al Michaels, John Madden and Andrea Kremer)

SUNDAY:
==10 a.m., Channel 2: Baltimore at Miami (with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
==1:30 p.m., Channel 11: Philadelphia at Minnesota (with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)

Moving ahead:

Saturday, January 10:
==1:30 p.m., Channel 2: Baltimore, San Diego or Indianapolis at Tennessee
==5:15 p.m., Channel 11: Arizona, Atlanta or Minnesota at Carolina

Sunday, January 11:
==10 a.m., Channel 11: Arizona, Atlanta or Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants
==1:45 p.m., Channel 2: Miami, San Diego or Indianapolis at Pittsburgh

Sunday, January 18:
==Noon, Channel 11: NFC championship
==3:30 p.m., Channel 2: AFC championship

Sunday, February 1:
==3 p.m., Channel 4: Super Bowl XLIII from Tampa, Fla.