2020–21 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2020 season began with the Wildcard Round on January 9, 2021, and concluded with Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9. This marked the first time a team has played the Super Bowl at their home field, as the Buccaneers reached the title game after winning three playoff games on the road.
Dates
January 9 – February 7, 2021
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The league expanded its playoff system from a 12-team to a 14-team tournament, adding a third wild card team for each conference for the first time since the 2001 season, and only awarding each conference's division winner with the best record a first round bye. The Wild Card round was thus extended from two to three games per day.[1]
The playoffs were played during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and each game's attendance was limited due to local health restrictions . Had a serious outbreak occurred during the regular season, the league had contingency plans to delay the postseason, eliminate the bye week before the Super Bowl and postpone the game itself to as late as February 28.[2][3] NFL owners also approved an additional alternative plan to implement a 16-team playoff format, with no teams getting a bye, if "meaningful" regular season games were canceled because of the virus.[4]
The Cleveland Browns and eventual Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had not made it to the playoffs since 2002 and 2007, respectively, and thus held the two longest playoff appearance droughts in the league at the time, both qualified for the postseason in 2020, giving the New York Jets, who had not appeared since 2010, the longest active playoff appearance drought. Conversely, the New England Patriots missed the postseason for the first time since 2008, ending the longest playoff appearance streak in NFL history.
With the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens facing each other in the AFC Divisional playoffs, Buffalo became the third team in NFL history (joining the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles) and the first AFC team to face every team within their respective conference in the postseason at least once.
Television coverage[edit]
All playoff games were televised nationally on network television.
CBS and NBC acquired the rights to the two new Wild Card Round games.[105][106][107] The coverage of the rest of the Wild Card round essentially remained the same, with ESPN produced coverage of one Wild Card game and simulcasted it on ABC; and CBS, NBC, and Fox televised each of the other three remaining Wild Card games.[108]
CBS aired an alternate broadcast for its new Wild Card game on sister network Nickelodeon, oriented toward a youth audience,[109][110] called by Noah Eagle (son of CBS commentator Ian Eagle) and Nate Burleson, joined by All That cast members Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin as a booth analyst and sideline reporter respectively. It featured explanations of rules (with Iain Armitage, in character as Sheldon Cooper from CBS sitcom Young Sheldon, making appearances to explain penalties), customized on-air graphics, and augmented reality effects — including Nickelodeon's signature green slime on touchdowns.[111][112] The telecast received critical praise from fans on social media and sportscasters, including those working for competing networks, on introducing children who otherwise may have never watched a football game before watching a game for the first time.[111][112][113]
ESPN also carried additional Megacast broadcasts for its Wild Card game, including the "Film Room" on ESPN2 featured extended analysis of plays, ESPN+ carrying "Between the Lines" (which included extended analysis from a sports betting perspective), and a "watch party" on Freeform (which featured appearances by entertainment and pop culture personalities, and a halftime performance by DJ Khaled from Miami).[114][115] NBC additionally aired its Wild Card game on streaming service Peacock and in Spanish on Telemundo.[109][110]
Fox had exclusive coverage of both NFC Divisional games and the NFC Championship Game. Coverage of the AFC Divisional games was split between CBS and NBC. CBS then had exclusive coverage of the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.
NBC's Mike Tirico and CBS' Tony Romo worked remotely during the Wild Card round after failing to pass their respective network's COVID-19 protocols. Romo returned to the broadcast booth for the Divisional round.[116][117]