With major playoff implications on the line, the NFL has announced the official start times and dates for the last slate of regular-season action. Heading into Week 18, all of the games were listed with a TBD label so the NFL could slot games in spots that made sense as it relates to the playoff race. Now, that list is final.
NFL Week 18 Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 7
- Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ABC - Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN/ABC
Sunday, Jan. 8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1 p.m. ET | FOX - New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
1 p.m. ET | CBS - Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
1 p.m. ET | FOX - Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
1 p.m. ET | CBS - New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
1 p.m. ET | FOX - Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
1 p.m. ET | FOX - Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
1 p.m. ET | CBS - Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
1 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
The Week 18 Baltimore-Cincinnati game will be played on Sunday at either 1 p.m. ET or 4:25 p.m. ET, depending on the result of tonight’s Buffalo-Cincinnati game. If Buffalo wins, the game will be played at 4:25 p.m. If Cincinnati wins, it will be played at 1 p.m.
- Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
4:25 p.m. ET | CBS - New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
4:25 p.m. ET | CBS - Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers
4:25 p.m. ET | FOX - Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
4:25 p.m. ET | FOX - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
4:25 p.m. ET | FOX - Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
8:20 p.m. ET | NBC
Why Did the NFL Wait To Announce the Week 18 Schedule?
Since 2006, the NFL has waited until the last possible moment to announce the times and TV channels for its Week 18 games to try and maximize viewership and take advantage of the juiciest playoff storylines. This practice has been quite fruitful for the NFL, especially last season when the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders went down to the wire on Sunday Night Football in a win-and-get-in scenario.
With no Monday Night Football game scheduled for Week 18, the last game of the year is played on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. By waiting to announce the Week 18 schedule, the NFL has the opportunity to ensure that whichever game gets that coveted prime-time slot has the most playoff implications surrounding it.
MORE: List of NFL Teams Eliminated From Playoffs in 2022
Additionally, the flexibility of being able to announce the Week 18 schedule at the very last minute means the NFL can also ensure they schedule two games with actual playoff implications for their Saturday schedule.
The way the season has played out this year, the NFL dragged out the release of the Week 18 schedule later than usual. In past years, the league has announced the Week 18 schedule during the second half of Sunday Night Football. However, this year, the NFL waited until just hours before the Monday Night Football matchup.