Best NFL games on Week 18 schedule
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Week 18 action kicks off with a Saturday doubleheader, however, which features the Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, and the Seattle Seahawks at the San Francisco 49ers at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
While a majority of playoff spots—and seeds—have already been clinched, there are still a handful of division championships up for grabs heading into the final slate. Because of that, the league naturally waits to schedule Week 18’s matchup until the last possible second in order to, among other things, maximize its television audience.
Every year, the NFL waits as long as possible before releasing the Week 18 schedule and that announcement finally came on Sunday night.
The NFL's Christmas tripleheader on Dec. 25 features matchups that have lost their initial appeal due to injuries.