The hotly anticipated rematch between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13 will kick off earlier than expected.
The Browns and the NFL announced the game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 1 will kick off at 1 p.m. ET. It was originally scheduled as a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will remain as a CBS broadcast.
No official reason has been given for the time change. However, given the heated ending to the Week 11 Browns win in Cleveland, the earlier time slot takes away some of the prominence of the game. The NFL is likely trying to minimize the spotlight on Mason Rudolph’s rematch against a Browns team and national fan reaction that very strongly feels he instigated the chaotic violence in FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday night.
Two AFC games remain in the late-afternoon window, with the Chargers at Denver and the Raiders playing the Chiefs in AFC West matchups in Week 13.
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