Playoff spots are on the line in Week 18 of the NFL season, but what will be the key competitions you can watch in your area?
The end of the NFL regular season took on a slightly different tone in light of Damar Hamlin’s situation, but the league must be positively pleased that the Bills safety’s health is in the right direction. The NFL has decided against resuming the Bills-Bengals game, which could result in another Pandora’s box for the AFC playoffs, but Week 18 will determine whether a format change is necessary.
The playoff schedule will be influenced by the action, which includes a doubleheader on ESPN on Saturday afternoon and two doubleheaders on Sunday before a game 272 between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, which could be decisive. Find out which games will be available in your area, as well as which ones will be broadcast, with this week’s TV coverage maps from the experts at 506 Sports.
NFL Week 18 TV Coverage Charts
Saturday, January 7
Programme double ESPN/ABC
Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) – Las Vegas Raiders (6-10) (16h30 ET) : Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky
Tennessee Titans (7-9) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8) (8:15 p.m. ET): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Saturday’s doubleheader on ESPN is fraught with playoff implications. The Chiefs can secure top spot in the AFC playoffs with a win over the Raiders, while the game tonight will determine the AFC South winner.
Sunday January 8
CBS (Early Window)
New England Patriots (8-8) – Buffalo Bills (12-3) (Rouge) : Jim Nantz, Tony Romo
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) (Blue): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
Cleveland Browns (7-9) – Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8) (Green) : Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta
Houston Texans (2-13-1) at Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1) (Yellow): Spero Dedes, Jay Feely
The AFC Wild Card race will dominate the first window with most of the country hosting the Bills-Patriots game, which is taking a huge level of interest to see how Buffalo will perform in its first game after Hamlin’s hospitalization. . The other three games will only be broadcast in areas of regional interest.
FOX (Advanced Window)
New York Jets (7-9) – Miami Dolphins (8-8) (Rouge) : Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston
Minnesota Vikings (12-4) – Chicago Bears (3-13) (Bleu) : Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) – Atlanta Falcons (6-10) (Vert) : Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth
Carolina Panthers (6-10) – New Orleans Saints (7-9) (Jaune) : Jason Benetti, Matt Millen
The NFL has traded the Jets-Dolphins to FOX and this will be the showpiece game as Miami can earn a Wild Card spot with a win and a Patriots loss. The other game with a decent distribution is the Vikings-Bears game as Minnesota can stay alive for the NFC’s No. 2 spot with a win.
CBS (late window)
New York Giants (9-6-1) – Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) (Rouge) : Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) – Denver Broncos (4-12) (Bleu) : Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
CBS’ main game in the late window will feature the Philadelphia Eagles looking to secure home-court advantage in the NFC with a victory over the Giants, who have nothing to play for in this game. The other matchup in this slot is Chargers-Broncos, which might not make sense before kickoff since a Baltimore loss would put the Chargers fifth in the AFC.
FOX (Late Window)
Dallas Cowboys (12-4) – Washington Commanders (7-8-1) (Rouge) : Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen
Los Angeles Rams (5-11) – Seattle Seahawks (8-8) (Bleu) : Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez
Arizona Cardinals (4-12) – San Francisco 49ers (12-4) (Verts) : Chris Myers, Robert Smith
FOX’s main late game is Cowboys-Commanders, which will air across most of the country, but the network has done a good job of distributing games that directly impact markets for teams with playoff implications. Wisconsin and Michigan will host the Seahawks-Rams game, which impacts the Wild Cards draw, while Minnesota will host the San Francisco-Arizona game, which impacts seeding in the NFC playoff draw.
Sunday Night Football (NBC)
Detroit Lions (8-8) – Green Bay Packers (8-8) : Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth
This game is a game to win for the Packers, but it can only become a win or lose game if Seattle loses at 4:25 p.m. The NFL is clearly banking on a ratings win with Aaron Rodgers in a must-win game, as there’s a chance this game could turn into a blast if Detroit is eliminated before they enter the field.
Next : NFL Week 18: 3 teams on upset alert