Overview
- An ESPN/ABC doubleheader opens Saturday with Panthers at Buccaneers at 4:30 p.m. ET (Fowler, Orlovsky, Riddick, George, Schrager) followed by Seahawks at 49ers at 8 p.m. ET (Buck, Aikman, Salters, Rutledge).
- NBC’s Game 272 features Ravens at Steelers on Jan. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark calling a winner-take-all AFC North title game.
- USA TODAY published BetMGM lines and Tyler Dragon’s picks, including Bucs (-3) with a 21–17 prediction over the Panthers, 49ers (-1.5) with a predicted Seahawks upset 28–25, and Ravens (-3.5) picked 25–20 over the Steelers.
- The NFC South title and the conference’s final playoff berth hinge on Panthers–Buccaneers, while Seahawks–49ers offers a path to the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
- USA TODAY notes some clinched teams may rest players in Week 18, including the Packers locked into the NFC No. 7 seed and the Chargers as a possibility, which could influence competitiveness and betting outlooks.