The Washington Redskins' playoff chances improved on Tuesday as NFL clubs approved postseason expansion beginning with the 2020 season.
The decision was made during a conference call between league owners, which replaced the NFL's Annual League Meeting, which was cancelled in response to the COVID-pandemic. The expansion was agreed upon in the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which the NFL players approved March 16.
The 2020 playoffs will have 14 teams instead of 12, meaning that one extra team from each conference will be vying to win Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
Under the new format, only the top seed in the NFC and the AFC will receive a bye. Seeds two through seven will compete during wild-card weekend, where there will be three games on Saturday, Jan. 10 and three games on Sunday, Jan. 11. Approximate kickoff times for these games are 1:05 p.m., 4:40 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., according to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo.
The league announced that CBS and NBC will be broadcasting the additional wild card games. There will also be a separately produced telecast of a Jan. 9 playoff game that will air on Nickelodeon and be tailored for a younger audience.
The NFL last expanded the playoffs before the 1990 season, going from 10 to 12 teams. The postseason field has expanded again three decades later, giving the Redskins a better shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy without having even played a game. The Redskins last went to the playoffs in 2015.
