The time has come for the NFL playoffs. While this year’s postseason could lead to memorable moments on the field, it already promises to showcase a unique mix of facilities. From stadiums that have become postseason mainstays, to those making their debuts and ending long droughts, the current playoff slate covers a broad spectrum of NFL venues.
The NFL postseason will begin this weekend with the Wild Card Round. On Saturday, the sites of postseason action will be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Arrowhead Stadium, two facilities with long histories in the league.
The Coliseum is preparing to host its first playoff game since January 9, 1994, when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos in a Wild Card Round matchup. Perhaps more significantly, however, this is the first time since the 1989-90 NFL postseason that the Rams have made the playoffs while playing in the Los Angeles area. Furthermore, Saturday’s matchup between the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons will be the first postseason game that the Rams have played at the Coliseum since January 7, 1979, when they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game.
At Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Tennessee Titans. This marks the Chiefs’ third consecutive playoff appearance, and the second straight in which they will host a game at Arrowhead Stadium. Arrowhead Stadium has been home to the Chiefs since 1972, and has previously hosted playoff games in 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2011, and 2017.
Following Saturday’s games, the pair of contests on Sunday will feature two stadiums with strikingly different histories: the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and EverBank Field.
The Superdome is not unfamiliar to the big stage, as it has been the site of seven Super Bowls over its history. As the home of the New Orleans Saints since 1975, it has been the team’s home facility during all of its playoff seasons. The upcoming contest against the Carolina Panthers, however, will be the Saints’ first home playoff home game since 2012.
Meanwhile, EverBank Field will be hosting its first Jacksonville Jaguars’ playoff game since 2000, as it is the site of Sunday’s matchup between the Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills. Leading up to the game, the Jaguars signaled that they are expecting a large crowd by receiving permission to uncover sections of the upper deck to expand EverBank Field’s seating capacity.
In round two of the NFL playoffs, the AFC will see Heinz Field and Gillette Stadium continue their roles as postseason mainstays as the respective homes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Over in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles will host a game at Lincoln Financial Field—the first playoff matchup there since 2014—while the Minnesota Vikings will play their first postseason contest at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings will of course work to become the first team in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl that is staged at its home stadium. The action over the few weeks will determine whether that happens, but regardless this year’s NFL playoffs is already offering a strong slate of host stadiums.
Image courtesy Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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