NFL announces Week 18 schedule

The NFL’s Week 18 slate is always funky because of the mix of teams that are playing for draft position and teams playing for divisions or seeding in the postseason. The Green Bay Packers are locked into the seventh seed of the NFC playoffs, so no matter what happens when the Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18, Green Bay will be playing on the road against whoever the second-seeded team in the NFC is.

As of this second, the Chicago Bears are sitting in the second spot in the NFC playoffs. With that being said, there is the potential for them to fall further down in the NFC if the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions next week. If Chicago wins, they’ll be the Packers’ first postseason opponent.

The only way Green Bay doesn’t play in Chicago in the wild card round is if the Bears lose and the Philadelphia Eagles win, which is how the Packers would get a trip to Philadelphia.

Below is the Week 18 slate, if you want to keep up with the Packers’ potential postseason opponents:

Saturday

• Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3:30 pm CT, ABC/ESPN)
  • This game will decide the NFC South and the 4th seed in the NFC.
• Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers (7 pm CT, ABC/ESPN)
  • This game will decide the NFC West and the 1st seed in the NFC.

Sunday

• Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings (noon CT, CBS)
• Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals (noon CT, CBS)
• Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (noon CT, CBS)
• Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants (noon CT, FOX)
• New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons (noon CT, FOX)
• Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars (noon CT, FOX)
• Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos (4:25 pm CT, CBS)
• Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 pm CT, CBS)
• Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 pm CT, CBS)
• New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (4:25 pm CT, CBS)
• Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots (4:25 pm CT, FOX)
• Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams (4:25 pm CT, FOX)
• Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears (4:25 pm CT, FOX)
• Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers (7:20 pm CT, NBC)
  • This game will decide the AFC North.

The late slate on Sunday will determine who the Packers will face. Congrats on the free Saturday.