The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Houston Texans in an NFL wild-card playoff game Monday night at Heinz Field. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m.
The McKeesport Area School District has already called an audible.
“Due to the Steelers’ playoff game,” the district announced on Sunday, “all district schools and offices will operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday, Jan. 13.” At McKeesport’s high school and middle school, students regularly arrive at 6:55 a.m; elementary students arrive at 8:15 a.m.
A football game generally lasts over 3 hours, once the commercials, half-time show, timeouts, official reviews and delays of game are factored in.
Before the 2009 Super Bowl, in which the Steelers were matched against the Arizona Cardinals, and which started at 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Public Schools announced a two-hour delay for the following day. “People will be staying up late; there will be some partying,” spokesperson Ebony Pugh said at the time. The Steelers won, 27-23, their sixth Super Bowl victory and the last one to date.