It wasn’t pretty, but Tampa Bay managed to squeak by the Saints and capture the division crown for the fourth year in a row.
The NFC South champion is the final puzzle piece to the playoff picture on the NFC side of the 2024 NFL playoff bracket, and the winner will either be the 9-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the 8-8 Atlanta Falcons. For Tampa Bay, it’s simple — beat or tie the New Orleans Saints and win the division. But if the Buccaneers were to lose the game, the Falcons would win the division with a victory over the Carolina Panthers. If both clubs lose, the Bucs take the division crown. Both Atlanta and Tampa Bay head into Week 18 as big home favorites over the two clubs at the bottom of their division.
Elsewhere around the NFL in the Week 18 early window, the Bills (at Patriots) and the Eagles (vs. Giants) are both locked into the No. 2 seeds in their respective conferences and will be resting some starters ahead of the upcoming wild-card weekend. That includes Philadelphia resting Saquon Barkley, who is 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL rushing record. In the NFC, the Rams, Packers and Commanders have all clinched postseason berths, but can maintain — or improve on — their seeding with Week 18 wins.
NFL Week 18 Sunday schedule
Early window
Saints vs. Buccaneers — 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Panthers vs. Falcons — 1 p.m ET | CBS
Giants vs. Eagles — 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Bills vs. Patriots — 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Jaguars vs. Colts — 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Texans vs. Titans — 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Bears vs. Packers — 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Commanders vs. Cowboys — 1 p.m. ET | Fox
Late window
Chiefs vs Broncos — 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Dolphins vs. Jets — 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox
Seahawks vs. Rams — 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox
Chargers vs. Raiders — 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Sunday Night Football
Vikings vs. Lions — 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC
