NFL Preview Pairings: Saints Face Bears on Sunday
The pairings for the 2020 NFL Playoffs were released on Sunday night, with the New Orleans Saints scheduled to play next Sunday afternoon.
New Orleans, the number two-seed in the NFC Playoffs, will play host to the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at 3:40 p.m. at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La.
The Saints are winners of the NFC South, while the Bears, the number seven-seed, will head into the playoffs as a wild-card participant.
New Orleans defeated Chicago, 26-23, back on November 1 in Chicago, Illinois during the regular season.
Playing on Sunday instead of Saturday could prove to be beneficial for the Saints, as it is possible that running back Alvin Kamara could play against the Bears, after missing Sunday's regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers are the top-seed, followed by the Saints, Seahawks, Washington, Buccaneers, Rams, and Bears.
If the Saints defeat the Bears on Sunday, they would host the Seahawks/Rams winner in the Divisional Round.
In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs are the top-seed, followed by Bills, Steelers, Titans, Ravens, Browns, and Colts.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic this year, there are seven teams from each conference in the playoffs, with only the top-seed in his conference drawing a bye in the opening round.
Playoff action begins on Saturday with the Bills hosting the Colts (12:05 p.m.), while the Rams visit the Seahawks (3:40 p.m.), and the Buccaneers travel to meet Washington (7:15 p.m.).
On Sunday, the Titans will play host to the Ravens (12:05 p.m.), while the Saints entertain the Bears (3:40 p.m.), and the Browns visit the Steelers (7:15 p.m.).