By CNN
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We’ve had plenty of excitement so far through four games of ‘Super Wild Card Weekend’ – and we’ve still got two more to go.
After winter storm conditions in Buffalo caused the Bills’ game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers to be delayed, the two teams are expected to face off on Monday.
And the round of playoff fixtures will culminate in the faltering Philadelphia Eagles traveling to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here’s everything you need to know about Monday’s playoff games.
The best photos from the 2023 NFL season
Full schedule and how to watch
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills – Monday, January 15, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Monday, January 15, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
Steelers @ Bills: A weather-stricken affair
It looked like it would’ve been a fascinating playoff encounter anyway, but the excitement has only been ratcheted up another notch thanks to Mother Nature.
Following dangerous blizzard conditions, the game which had been scheduled for Sunday was delayed until Monday, with the NFL citing “public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York” for moving the clash.
Although conditions still remain cold and icy, the situation has improved considerably since Sunday with conditions no longer being “life-threatening,” according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
As a result, Hochul believes that the game will be played on Monday, despite temperatures still sitting well below freezing.
“We all know as western New Yorkers how dangerous the triple threat is – the triple threat of icy, cold temperature with high winds and the blowing snow – and how dangerous that all can be,” Hochul said at a weather briefing from the NYS Thruway Authority Command Center in Cheektowaga on Sunday.
“It’s life-threatening weather. That’s exactly what’s going on now in the city where there would have been a football game today, in Orchard Park.”
Hochul said conditions are expected to improve by the time the game is scheduled to kick off on Monday: “Weather conditions will be very cold, they’ll be in the teens, and wind chill factors as low as zero, maybe to 9 degrees, but that’s going to be very, very cold. But this will be without the danger of the winds and the blinding snow and the hazardous traffic conditions.
“That is a far better dynamic that what we’ve had [Sunday],” Hochul added. “I’m not saying it’s going to be pleasant, but conditions won’t be life-threatening either,” she said.
“The game will not be pushed back again. I’ve spoken to the Commissioner of the NFL several times today, I’ve spoken to the owner of the Buffalo Bills, again about their preparations,” Hochul said.
Travel bans will be lifted at 3:30 p.m. in the Northtowns, Hochul added, although a travel ban remains in effect for the city of Buffalo and Southtowns, including Orchard Park, due to dangerous ongoing winter storm conditions.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at the briefing: “The game will be held.” He said crews would be out cleaning the roads and parking lots around the stadium. He asked fans to consider carpooling to the game.
Late on Sunday, the Bills sent out a request on their website and social media for additional snow shovelers to assist the team with removing snow from Highmark Stadium overnight. Volunteers would be paid $20 an hour for helping overnight and into Monday morning, while also being provided breakfast and drinks.
On the field, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season has been difficult to make sense of.
Although it ended with a record of 10-7 and a spot in the postseason, Pittsburgh cycled through a series of quarterbacks following up-and-down play, with Mason Rudolph – who began the year as the team’s third-string quarterback – finishing the season and providing an offensive jolt to spark a three-game winning run to end the campaign.
Not only did the Steelers clinch head coach Mike Tomlin’s record 17th straight non-losing season, but they also ensured they were the third AFC North team to reach the playoffs, although the team’s defensive stalwart TJ Watt has been ruled out of Sunday’s game through injury.
And that Watt-less Pittsburgh defense will have a tough task in slowing down a Buffalo Bills offense which has heated up through the second half of the season.
Buffalo ended the year on a five-game winning run – after a rocky start to the campaign – including a final week victory over the Dolphins to steal the AFC East crown and the AFC’s No. 2 berth at the finish line.
Quarterback Josh Allen has returned to his most threatening self, both on the ground and through the air, while at the same time continuing to make some confusing errors to give opponents chances.
The Bills appear to be rounding into form at just the right time of the season and will take some stopping, but with the weather conditions set to be wintery, the game could be a fight in the trenches.
Eagles @ Buccaneers: Can Philly bounce back?
The final game of ‘Super Wild Card Weekend’ could have massive ramifications.
Both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have huge pressure riding on the outcome of their playoff game, with both head coaches’ jobs potentially on the line.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has seen his side slump during the second half of the season, with both the offense and defense cratering as Philadelphia lost five of its final six games.
Following a Super Bowl defeat last year and the discontent surrounding the team, rumors of a coaching change have begun to percolate and could come to fruition should an early playoff loss take place.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles also has pressure on his shoulders, with his team finishing with an 9-8 record and a spot in the playoffs but with questions around the future of the team.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has been dealing with injuries to his ankle and ribs in the lead up to the crucial game, coming at the end of rebuilding year for the 28-year-old’s reputation.
Underwhelming seasons could be eradicated with a postseason victory or those issues could be multiplied exponentially with a defeat, setting up a fascinating clash.
