Acme Packing Company
The NFL scheduled a pair of games for Saturday of Week 18 to close out this year’s regular season, and both of them will have major impacts on the NFC playoff picture. While neither one will affect the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, there could be later effects for the Packers if Green Bay is able to advance.
First up in the afternoon is an NFC South matchup in which the Carolina Panthers can clinch the division. Carolina heads to Tampa Bay, who could pull even with the Panthers. However, a bizarre scenario exists where the Panthers could win the division even with a loss — if that happens and the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, there would be a 3-way tie for first place. If the Panthers and Bucs are tied, Tampa gets the win, but Carolina gets the division over the Buccaneers if the 3-way tie happens due to the head-to-head tiebreakers changing.
Of course, Carolina can make it all moot with a win this afternoon. But if you’re a fan of chaos, root for the Bucs so that other game in the division on Sunday has a chance to create some hilarity.
The evening game is a really big deal, however; the winner of tonight’s game between the Seahawks and 49ers will win the NFC West and earn the conference’s #1 seed. The loser ends up no better than the #5 seed, potentially earning a trip to visit the NFC South winners.
For the Packers, the latter game could be important; a Packers win in the Wild Card round would send them on the road to play the #1 seed a week later in the Divisional Playoffs. Would you rather face the 49ers in a house of horrors for the Packers over the past decade and a half, or deal with Seattle and their far superior defense? Let us know in the comments and join us for both games today.
Game time: 4:30 PM Eastern Time (3:30 PM Central)
TV Channel: ESPN & ABC
Streaming: ESPN app, NFL+
Commentators: Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick
Point spread: Buccaneers -3
Over/under total: 43.5
Game time: 5:00 PM Pacific Time (7:00 PM Central)
TV Channel: ESPN & ABC
Streaming: ESPN app, NFL+
Commentators: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Point spread: Seahawks -1.5
Over/under total: 47.5
