Puppy Bowl 2021: Time, Channel and How to Watch

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl LIV, which you can watch for free, a few furry, four-legged friends will be adorably battling it out to claim victory at Puppy Bowl 2021. This year's event will mark the 17th edition of the beloved Super Bowl Sunday game, in which Team Ruff and Team Fluff will go paw to paw in hopes of bringing home the "Lombarky" trophy.

The three-hour face-off kicks off Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. ET, just ahead of Super Bowl 2021 later in the afternoon. The barking good time will start a little earlier than that, though, with an hour-long Puppy Bowl XVII Pre-Game Show beginning at 1 p.m. ET. That pre-game show will be feature correspondents Rodt Weiler, James Hound, and Sheena Inu, who will offer insights and cast predictions of which team will take home the Lombarky Trophy. Brittany Spaniel and Herman Shepard, meanwhile, will pump up the crowd.

Puppy Bowl XVII will air live on Animal Planet. Americans across the country can also tune into the event on Discovery's new streaming service, discovery+. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial, with monthly plans available for $4.99 and $6.99 for an ad-free experience. Along with this year's Puppy Bowl, subscribers will be able to watch a slate of exclusive content, including a few HGTV series like Chip and Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper spinoff.

Those watching the event can expect to see 70 adoptable puppies from 22 shelters across the northeast U.S. making up Team Fluff and Team Ruff, who will be battling to reclaim their title after last year's loss. For the first time ever, the two teams will be cheered on the sidelines by adoptable puppy cheerleaders, who will root and howl for their favorite players. The game will be hosted by Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, with Stewart representing Team Ruff in an orange jersey while Snoop represents Team Fluff in a blue jersey. Stewart's French Bulldogs, Crème Brûlée and Bête Noire, and Chow Chows Empress Qin and Emperor Han, and Snoop's French Bulldogs, Juelz Broadus and Chalk, are expected to make appearances. Meanwhile, America's favorite "Rufferee," Dan Schachner, will return for the tenth year in a row to referee.

Midway through the game, the Puppy Bowl will shift the spotlight to some adorable felines during the Kitty Half-time Show. This year's halftime show will feature a neon dance party set to the purr-fect beats dropped by senior rescue cat DJ Grand Master Scratch. All of the cats will be available for adoption, with a special adoption update set to air as an after-party treat to see where they've found their loving new homes.

Puppy Bowl 2021 kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Animal Planet and will also be available for streaming on discovery+. After Team Fluff or Team Ruff takes home the Lombarky Trophy, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs will compete in Super Bowl LIV at 6:30 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for the latest updates.