The NFL waited until the last possible moment to release the times for the Wild Card and Divisional Playoff Weekends. For the Wild Card Weekend, the NFL threw convention out the window by having an AFC doubleheader on Saturday, January 9 with Kansas City at Houston and Pittsburgh at Cincnnati while Sunday, January 10 will be an NFC doubleheader with Seattle at Minnesota and Green Bay at Washington.
And the network schedules are different too. ESPN has the early game on Saturday, but instead of NBC having the primetime game, CBS will get a game on Saturday night. And on Sunday, NBC gets an early Sunday afternoon game, it’s first dating back to its final season of carrying the AFC package in early 1998 and Fox gets the late game.
For Divisional Weekend, CBS and NBC will carry game on Saturday, January 16 with CBS carrying a game in Foxboro, MA for the Patriots home game. NBC gets the primetime game at Arizona. Then on Sunday, January 17, it’ll be Fox with the early game at Carolina, then CBS with the nightcap at Denver.
The official NFL press release is below:
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – SEPTEMBER 13: The NFL shield is painted in gold and black after a game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 13, 2015 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The new color scheme is to commemorate this years’ Super Bowl witch will be the 50th edition. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images)
NFL WILD CARD & DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
Commissioner ROGER GOODELL announced tonight the schedule of sites, dates and times for the National Football League Wild Card Playoffs on January 9-10 and Divisional Playoffs on January 16-17.
NFL WILD CARD WEEKENDSaturday, January 9
AFC: 4:35 PM (ET) — Kansas City at Houston (ESPN, with simulcast on ABC)
AFC: 8:15 PM (ET) — Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (CBS)
Sunday, January 10
NFC: 1:05 PM (ET) — Seattle at Minnesota (NBC)
NFC: 4:40 PM (ET) — Green Bay at Washington (FOX)
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFSSaturday, January 16
AFC: 4:35 PM (ET) — Cincinnati/Houston/Kansas City at New England (CBS)
NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) — Minnesota/Washington/Green Bay at Arizona (NBC)
Sunday, January 17
NFC: 1:05 PM (ET) — Washington/Green Bay/Seattle at Carolina (FOX)
AFC: 4:40 PM (ET) — Houston/Kansas City/Pittsburgh at Denver (CBS)
The AFC (CBS, 3:05 PM ET) and NFC (FOX, 6:40 PM ET) Championship Games will be played on Sunday, January 24.
The 2016 Pro Bowl (ESPN, 7:00 PM ET) will be played on Sunday, January 31 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii and Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7 (CBS, 6:30 PM ET), at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
That will do it.
