First Call: Plan for potential Steelers-Ravens rematch announced; ex-Bills player mad at fans calling Buffalo ‘soft’

First Call: Plan for potential Steelers-Ravens rematch announced; ex-Bills player mad at fans calling Buffalo ‘soft’

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff schedule, should they make it through Monday’s postponed wild-card game in Buffalo, will be revealed on Monday’s “First Call.”

An ex-player for the Buffalo Bills is upset with Steelers supporters for opposing the choice to postpone the game.

A few NFL defensive stars who are from the area would want to forget their past weekend.

And we examine a squad that is on fire as they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

A little clarity

We now know the date, time, and venue of the Steelers’ upcoming game,

despite the numerous guessing games we have had to endure regarding the timing of the Steelers vs. Bills playoff game.

That is, assuming they survive to face Buffalo on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

In the event that the Steelers pull off the upset, they will have to make the trip to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in the AFC Divisional round the following week at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Steelers qualified as the final seed in the seven-team playoff bracket,

which explains why. With a 13-4 record, the Ravens were the best team in the AFC.

Baltimore will thus be playing the lowest remaining seed each round and will be coming off a bye.

They will also have home-field advantage. That would be the Steelers in this instance.

The Houston Texans would play in the opposite side of the AFC bracket on Saturday (4:30 p.m., ESPN) in Kansas City, while the game in Baltimore would air on CBS.

In their two regular-season meetings this year, the Steelers prevailed over the Ravens.

Houston is scheduled to play in that early game on Saturday, ahead of Green Bay against San Francisco (8:15 p.m., Fox) in the NFC. This has already been confirmed by the NFL.

Thus, in the event that the Bills triumph, Buffalo would play host to Kansas City on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.,

while the Ravens would play host to Houston on Saturday.

Hard response

Eric Wood, a radio analyst and former Buffalo Bills player, is not amused by Steelers supporters who think the State of New York is being soft because they moved the wild-card game from Sunday to Monday.

I get what Wood is saying. Furthermore, I don’t feel strongly about the choice to postpone the game.

Hey, if the Bills win, just as the Steelers would have to do if they pull off the upset,

they’ll be playing on a short week next Sunday.

But you have to wonder about the contradictions in having the Sabres game continue on as planned on Saturday afternoon and the Steelers jet landing in Buffalo on Sunday,

when the game was supposed to be played on Sunday.

I won’t, however, turn it into a federal lawsuit. Regardless of the day the game is (or was) scheduled to be played, my prediction is that the Bills will win ugly and with little score.

Either way, I never got any chocolate Timbits and coffee from Wood’s motel.

That’s the true disappointment here.

remained silent

The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 on Sunday night in the playoffs,

mostly because to Aaron Donald, a former Pitt standout.

With no sacks, the Penn Hills alum was only able to log three tackles, including one solo.

Despite the fact that he put pressure on quarterback Jared Goff, who almost made a fatal error,

Donald wasn’t alone himself. Micah Parsons, a Penn State graduate,

only recorded two tackles and one quarterback hit.

Myles Garrett, a fellow contender for defensive player of the year, had three tackles,

no sacks, and no quarterback hits.

Thus, it appears that T.J. Watt won’t be the only DPOY contender who keeps quiet this weekend.

And no, before you ask, Watt will not be able to play against the Bills on Monday afternoon only because the Steelers game was rescheduled to a later time. His MCL injury is not going to heal very quickly.

The best of Seattle

Due to the Steelers’ postponed playoff game in Buffalo, the Penguins’ Monday afternoon game against the Seattle Kraken was moved up to 1 p.m.

The opposition of the Pens won’t mind, I’m sure. Why wouldn’t the Kraken want to get out on the ice as fast as possible, given the speed at which they are playing?

Seattle has won nine consecutive games (47 points). They are now virtually tied with the Edmonton Oilers for the final wild-card place as a result of this. Edmonton has only played in 39 games, therefore their 47 points now place them in ninth place. The Kraken have played 42.

The fact that the Oilers have won ten straight games presents the Kraken with its most obstacle in trying to catch up to them. Vancouver, which leads the Pacific Division, has also won five in a row.

But in the Pacific, the Los Angeles Kings (48 points) are falling back to the pack. They have lost eight straight games and now sit in third place with 48 points.

Joey Daccord, the goalie for Seattle, has been a big factor in their recent success. With a 2.29 goals against average, he ranks fourth in the NHL. He has the fifth-best save percentage (.923). Daccord is 9-0-2 with two shutouts since December 12.

Vince Dunn, a defenseman, leads the Kraken with 35 points. Jared McCann, a former Penguin, leads them in goals scored with 16.

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