The NFL’s decision to expand its playoff format ahead of the 2020 season has paid off for the league in terms of both revenue and quality of play. The differences between the league’s elite teams and bottom-feeders have never been greater, and although numerous COVID-19 cases threatened to uproot the season, the pandemic stomped the NFL into a new and improved playoff format of 14 teams.
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The Kansas City Chiefs juggernaut became the AFC’s top seed. Patrick Mahomes developed a star-studded offense that seems to score at will, while Aaron Rodgers entered a season of MVP caliber to lead the Green Bay Packers to # 1 on the NFC. Due to the expanded playoffs, there are now six games in the wildcard round and four games in the divisional round before the AFC and NFC championships decide which teams will play for the Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns, a hotly contested divisional rivalry that brews bad blood between current versions of each rostering. Cleveland beat Pittsburgh on the last day of the regular season to earn their first playoff ticket since 2002, while the Steelers, who started 11-0, went ice cold at the worst possible time. An ugly incident between Brown’s star Edge rusher Myles Garrett and Steeler’s quarterback Mason Rudolph in 2019 still lives on in the minds of teams and fans and expects this match to be a cold-blooded battle between two rivals in two different ways.
Wild Card Preview: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph speaks to Myles Garrett, the defensive end of Cleveland Browns, after the week 17 matchup on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 10 at 8:15 p.m. ET
How to see: Live on DAZN
It has been a two-season story for the Steelers, who stormed out of gate with eleven straight wins to start the season before losing four of their last five games. Second year rising stars Devin Bush and Bud Dupree both suffered injuries at the end of the season. Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and the Steelers’ receivers couldn’t part while concern over Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder as a future hall-of-fame quarterback has apparently lost all its pace.
The story goes on
The Steelers’ offensive has dried up and unimaginative at its worst, and they are desperate to assess what worked so well for them in their first eleven games – especially in a varied vertical passing game.
Cleveland’s unlikely turning point came when Odell Beckham Jr. ripped his ACL while attempting a tackle after Baker Mayfield threw an intercept against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. Previously, Mayfield had shown signs that he was pulling back, or at least not that The Browns became the franchise quarterback when he was first elected overall in 2018. Whether Beckham’s injury, a legion of avowed critics, or a better understanding of Kevin Stefanski’s misdemeanor led to Mayfield’s offensive blast cannot be fully quantified, but after throwing five touchdowns in the game Beckham went under, he played the best football of his professional career and threw 11 touchdowns against an interception in the last nine games of the season.
Cleveland is on the up, led by Mayfield, who feels comfortable as a franchise quarterback, while being aided by two-headed monster Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the game. Pittsburgh’s decorated roster is falling after briefly envisioning remaining undefeated. This should be one of the best games of the wild card round and it could get hot quickly.
Steelers vs. Browns: History of the Tape
|
category |
PIT |
CLE |
|
recording |
12-4 |
11-5 |
|
head to head |
1-1 |
1-1 |
|
Points for (per game) |
26.0 |
25.5 |
|
Points against (per game) |
19.5 |
26.2 |
Steelers will win because
Roethlisberger has seen it all and even when he’s not at full strength he understands the nuances of playoff football better than an inexperienced Browns team. TJ Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick are elite troops and the Steelers’ onslaught could force Mayfield to return to his worst traits of forcing the ball into traffic. This is a team limping into the playoffs, but if re-focus helps the Steelers’ passing game regain its pace, it could be a long night for the Browns.
Browns will win because
Mayfield plays the best ball of his career, while Chubb or Hunt can both make explosive wins against the Steelers’ defense, which isn’t as impressive as it used to be. Denzel Ward has turned into a lockdown corner and can turn Claypool’s post-season debut into a nightmare, while Garrett is a game-destroying force who would no longer love to live in Pittsburgh’s backcourt and hit a weakened Roethlisberger one after another to deliver. Cleveland had to beat Pittsburgh in week 17 and there is little reason it can’t win two weeks in a row.
What is the schedule for the NFL playoffs in 2021?
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Wild Card Games: January 9-10
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Division games: 16.-17. January
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Conference championships: January 24th
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Super Bowl: February 7th
NFL Wild Card Weekend Previews
NFL Wild Card Round Schedule
Saturday January 9th
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Time (ET) |
Match |
electricity |
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1:05 pm |
Stallions on bills |
DAZN |
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4:40 pm |
Aries at Seahawks |
DAZN |
|
8.15 p.m. |
Buccaneers in Washington |
DAZN |
NFL Wild Card Round Schedule
Sunday January 10th
|
Time (ET) |
Match |
electricity |
|
1:05 pm |
Ravens with titans |
DAZN |
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4:40 pm |
Bears with saints |
DAZN |
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8.15 p.m. |
Browns at Steelers |
DAZN |
NFL Division Round Schedule
Saturday 16th January
NFL Division Round Schedule
Sunday 17th January
Schedule for the NFL AFC / NFC conference championship
Sunday January 24th
NFL Super Bowl 55 schedule
Sunday February 7th
|
time |
Match |
electricity |
|
TBD |
AFC champion versus NFC champion |
DAZN |
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