The NFL’s first 17-game regular season is finally coming to an end. Week 18 of the NFL season will see division rivals face off across the league with teams wanting to spoil their opponent’s playoff hopes. With the playoffs beginning next week, teams will be competing for home-field advantage and seeding, while other teams are preparing for the future and the 2022 NFL Draft.
The regular season final will be a high-stakes event and this week there’s an unprecedented number of crucial 4:25 PM ET games. Six games across the NFL will kick off during that time slot and cord cutters can find out how to watch them and the rest of Week 18 below.
Games, Kickoff Times, & Channels
Saturday, January 8
Game | Kickoff Time | Network |
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos | 4:30 PM | ESPN/ABC/ESPn+ |
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles | 8:15 PM | ESPN/ABC/ESPN+ |
Sunday, January 9
Game | Kickoff Time (ET) | Network |
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns | 1:00 PM | FOX |
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 PM | CBS |
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans | 1:00 PM | CBS |
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars | 1:00 PM | CBS |
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions | 1:00 PM | FOX |
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 PM | FOX |
Washington Football Team at New York Giants | 1:00 PM | FOX |
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams | 4:25 PM | FOX |
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4:25 PM | CBS |
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 PM | FOX |
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins | 4:25 PM | CBS |
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons | 4:25 PM | FOX |
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills | 4:25 PM | CBS |
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders | 8:20 PM | NBC |
How to Watch Week 18 of the NFL Season Without Cable
Fans will have plenty of options to watch all their favorite NFL teams and stars compete on the gridiron without spending a fortune.
AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to find out which affiliate in your area will broadcast the local games on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.
Select games are available to stream through NFL digital properties such as NFL.com, the NFL app, and the digital properties of the respective teams. Plus, fans can watch the game on their phones via the Yahoo Sports app.
Most of the major subscription live TV streaming services carry this week’s games, so fans can watch the game from anywhere.
- DIRECTV STREAM has ABC, CBS,ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX, and NBC for $70/mo.
- fuboTV offers ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, NBC, NFL Network, and FOX in their Family package for $65/mo. Sports Plus with NFL RedZone is only $10.99/mo for fans who want to watch every score and the biggest plays around the league on NFL RedZone.
- Hulu + Live TV includes ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX, and NBC for only $70/mo. Fans can watch the biggest plays of the day on NFL RedZone with the Sports add-on for only $10/mo.
- Sling TV includes ESPN, ESPN 2, NBC, NFL Network, and FOX with their Orange + Blue package for only $50/mo. Big plays, highlights, scores, and the best moments of the day are available on NFL RedZone with the Sports Extra add-on package for $11/mo.
- Vidgo offers ABC, NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, and FOX for only $55/mo.; however, new and returning subscribers can take advantage of their $10/mo. special. Vidgo is the perfect service to catch all the big scores of the day as it includes NFL RedZone.
- YouTube TV has ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX, NBC, and NFL Network for only $65/mo. With the Sports Plus add-on, fans can watch the biggest plays and scores on NFL RedZone for $11/mo.
- ESPN+: Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli will be available to stream on ESPN+. What has been dubbed as “The Manningcast,” will be available for 10 select games throughout the season and will be simulcasted on ESPN 2. For only $6.99/month, or annually for 69.99/year, subscribers can watch Peyton and Eli Manning(and guests) offer fans an in-depth and alternative perspective on Monday night’s game and the 2021-22 NFL season.
- The Disney Bundle: Enjoy the Manningcast on ESPN+, and hit movies, shows, and classics on Disney+ and Hulu (w/Ads) for only $13.99/month, or upgrade to Hulu (No Ads) for $19.99/month via The Disney Bundle.
- Peacock Premium subscribers can watch every Sunday Night Football game, Thanksgiving Day game, and Super Bowl LVI for only $5/mo.
- Paramount+ is an inexpensive way to watch live games on CBS for only $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
- Prime Video will be broadcasting Thursday Night Football and will soon become its exclusive home. The streaming service will have a loaded schedule of games over the upcoming weeks. Fans can subscribe to Amazon Prime for $12.99 per month or $119 per year and get access to Prime Video, Free Two-Day Shipping, Amazon Music Prime, and much more. For 8.99 per month, fans can subscribe to Prime Video to watch TNF, thousands of TV shows, and movies.
Playoff Scenarios
With the playoffs starting next week, there is a lot at stake for many teams during the regular-season finale. Here’s are the many different playoff scenarios for each qualifying team.
NFC
Entering Week 18, the Packers have secured the NFC North, the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cowboys and Buccaneers have won the NFC East and NFC South, respectively. The Cardinals, Rams, and Eagles have secured the remaining playoff spots.
On Sunday, the Rams or Cardinals will lock up the NFC West. The Cardinals will win the division if they win AND the Rams lose. If the Rams are victorious, or if they tie, OR Arizona loses or tie, LA’s team will win their first division title since 2018.
The Saints and the 49ers are the only two teams in the hunt for the last wildcard spot in the NFC. For the 49ers, if they win or tie they’re in, OR if New Orleans loses or ties. Sunday’s game is a must-win for the Saints, and they’ll need a 49ers loss against the Rams to secure a wildcard berth.
AFC
The American Football Conference’s playoff picture is chaotic with a plethora of variables. The Bengals (AFC North), Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West), and Tennessee Titans (AFC South) have all secured their division titles and a playoff berth.
The AFC East is up for grabs, the Patriots and Bills have both secured playoff spots but only one can win the division. If Buffalo wins, OR New England loses, OR if both Buffalo and New England tie the Bills will secure the AFC East title. For the Patriots, they can win the AFC East with a win and a Buffalo loss or tie, OR a tie and a Buffalo loss.
The No. 1 seed in the AFC is still up for grabs. The top seed gets a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the playoffs. Four teams are in the race for the top seed and below is each scenario heading into Week 18.
Cincinnati Bengals:
- A win AND a Titans loss AND Chiefs loss AND Patriots loss or tie OR
- A win AND a Titans loss AND Chiefs loss AND Buffalo win
Kansas City Chiefs:
- A win AND Titans loss or tie OR
- A tie AND Titans loss
New England Patriots:
- A win AND Bills loss or tie AND Chiefs loss AND Titans loss
Tennessee Titans:
- A win OR
- A tie AND Chiefs loss or tie OR
- Chiefs loss AND Bengals loss or tie AND Patriots loss or tie OR
- Chiefs loss AND Bengals loss or tie AND Bills win
There are 5 teams in the hunt with only 2 playoff spots available. The Steelers, Ravens, Raiders, Chargers, and Colts enter the regular-season finale trying to secure the final spots, which won’t be an easy task.
Baltimore Ravens:
- A win AND Chargers loss AND Colts loss AND Dolphins loss or tie.
Indianapolis Colts:
- A win or tie OR
- Chargers loss AND Ravens-Steelers tie OR
- Chargers loss AND Steelers loss AND Dolphins win
Los Angeles Chargers:
- A win or tie
Las Vegas Raiders:
- A win OR
- A tie AND Colts loss OR
- Colts loss AND Steelers loss or tie
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- A win AND Colts loss AND Raiders-Chargers that does not end in a tie
Predicting the Winners
Teams will be looking to seal their fate for the postseason and embrace their futures for the 2022 NFL Draft. This may be the last game some coaches will coach with their current team, so expect their players to leave it all on the field. Below are our predictions for the NFL regular-season finale.
- Chiefs
- Eagles
- Packers
- Colts
- Giants
- Titans
- Ravens
- Bengals
- Rams
- Panthers
- Seahawks
- Patriots
- Falcons
- Bills
- Chargers
How to Watch Your Favorite NFL Team
AFC East
- How to watch the Buffalo Bills
- How to watch the Miami Dolphins
- How to watch the New England Patriots
- How to watch the New York Jets
AFC West
- How to watch the Las Vegas Raiders
- How to watch the Kansas City Chiefs
- How to watch the Denver Broncos
- How to watch the Los Angeles Chargers
AFC North
- How to watch the Cleveland Browns
- How to watch the Baltimore Ravens
- How to watch the Cincinnati Bengals
- How to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- How to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars
- How to watch the Tennessee Titans
- How to watch the Houston Texans
- How to watch the Indianapolis Colts
NFC East
- How to watch the Washington Football Team
- How to watch the Philadelphia Eagles
- How to watch the Dallas Cowboys
- How to watch the New York Giants
NFC West
- How to watch the Los Angeles Rams
- How to watch the Seattle Seahawks
- How to watch the Arizona Cardinals
- How to watch the San Francisco 49ers
NFC North
- How to watch the Chicago Bears
- How to watch the Minnesota Vikings
- How to watch the Green Bay Packers
- How to watch the Detroit Lions