The NFL season has just been officially extended. Team owners voted to expand the playoffs by one team in each conference for the next season. Only the teams with the best record in each conference will get a “bye” in the opening round of the playoffs. The Wild Card weekend will now pit the #2 seed against a #7 seed. The #3 seed will go against the #6 seed. The fifth seed will meet the #4 seed. This is the first expansion of the NFL playoffs since 1990 when the league went from 10 to 12 postseason entrants. Three games are now set for the January 9th and 10th weekend in 2021. The full league schedule will be released this month.
The NFL has also announced a separately produced telecast of a Wild Card game will air on Nickelodeon and be tailored to a younger audience.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have notified their season-ticket holders that renewal payment for the 2020 season has been extended by one month because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline for renewing season tickets was May 1st – but the Steelers have extended the period to June 1st.