Here’s a look at the announcing assignments for Week 18 of the NFL season, including a Saturday doubleheader. That includes some discussion of a featured game or games in each slot based on broadcasters, matchups, or both. All times are Eastern.
Saturday, January 4, afternoon window
Featured/only game: Cleveland at Baltimore
ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes 4:30 p.m.
Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Reddick, Laura Rutledge
Westwood One Radio: J.P. Shadrick, Mike Mayock
The 11-5 Ravens have major stakes in this game, as they need to beat the 3-13 Browns to clinch the AFC North.
And they’re 20-point home favorites, so the books, at least, are certainly expecting that. But Cleveland has certainly played spoiler at times. Still, there are many reasons for the Ravens to play hard, including individual ones: QB Lamar Jackson (3,955 yards, a 67.9 percent completion rate, 39 touchdowns and four interceptions) is the consensus second favorite for AP MVP, behind only Josh Allen.
For the Browns, keep an eye on their ground game. With Nick Chubb lost for the year earlier in the season, team-leading rusher Jerome Ford out due to an ankle injury, and Pierre Strong Jr. also on IR (due to a concussion), they’re down to D’Onta Freeman and the just-signed John Kelly Jr. Freeman had a team-high 13 carries for 49 yards against Miami last week. The Ravens are much more assured on the ground thanks to Derrick Henry, who is second in the league with 1,783 yards; he also has 14 touchdowns and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Saturday, January 4, evening window
Featured/only game: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes 8:15 p.m.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters
ESPN Deportes: Rebeca Landa, Sebastián Martinez-Christensen, MJ Acosta-Ruiz
Westwood One Radio: Ted Emrich, Ryan Harris
Whether this game will or will not carry much national interest may change dramatically depending on the earlier game. If the Browns somehow pull off a win against the Ravens, then the 10-6 Steelers can clinch the division with a win. If not, there aren’t a lot of stakes for them in terms of seeding, as they’re currently No. 6 in the AFC, hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the No. 7 Denver Broncos (9-7), and will be ahead in record of either the Bengals or the 8-8 Miami Dolphins if those teams can get in.
Meanwhile, the Bengals (2.5-point road favorites) need to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive (they would also lose the tiebreaker against Miami, so they need both the Broncos and Dolphins to fall). But if the Steelers have nothing to play for, that could be much easier. Still, there is always the AFC North grudge match factor to consider, and this one (like the previous game) should get a notable treatment from HBO/NFL Films’ Hard Knocks: In-Season docuseries on that division.
QB Joe Burrow is the third favorite for MVP for the Bengals, albeit a long shot. But he leads the league with 4,641 passing yards and has 42 touchdowns against eight interceptions (with a 69.8 percent completion mark), and his season deserves some notice despite his team’s struggles. For the Steelers, RB Najee Harris just passed the 1,000-yard mark: he has 1,007 yards and five rushing touchdowns this year, with an average of 4.0 yards per carry, and carried 13 times for 74 yards in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Sunday, January 5, early window
Featured game 1: Carolina at Atlanta
CBS 1 p.m.
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn
This is part of the only playoff berth struggle left in the NFC.
Following an overtime loss to the Washington Commanders last week, the 8-8 Falcons need both a win here and then a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints (in the below-featured game) to win the NFC South and get into the postseason. And many aren’t optimistic about their chances, with a computer model from SportsLine’s Stephen Oh giving them just 13.9 percent odds.
But they are eight-point home favorites, so there’s a good chance they’ll at least handle their end of the bargain.
Much of the discussion for Atlanta is about rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. and how he’s done so far. The team’s decision to draft him in the first round (eighth overall) in April drew a lot of talk and criticism, considering how they had just signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million free agent contract. But they did actually play Penix, benching Cousins following a 116-yard showing against the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 16.
Penix hasn’t been great in two games to date, throwing for a combined 425 yards and one touchdown (with one interception). Still, he’s received a lot of praise from head coach Raheem Morris, including “I’m probably overconfident with the kid because he’s so good and he’s so talented. He can do anything” this week.
The Panthers also have a lot of focus on a young pivot. They’ll be looking to rebound from a disastrous 48-14 road thumping by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, and QB Bryce Young will have to be part of that. And it’s been an up-and-down season for him; he was benched after two weeks for Andy Dalton but worked his way back to the starting spot after Dalton hurt his thumb in a car accident.
On the season, Young has thrown for 2,152 yards and 12 touchdowns with nine interceptions and a 59.7 completion mark. That’s not great, but he has improved since returning to the starting role. But his yardage numbers are still low (including 203 last week, albeit with two touchdowns and no picks), and he still has a lot to prove. We’ll see what he can do here.
Washington at Dallas
Fox 1 p.m.
Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, Kristina Pink
Chicago at Green Bay
Fox 1 p.m.
Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
Sports USA Radio: Josh Appel, James White
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Fox 1 p.m.
Jason Benetti, Brady Quinn, Sarah Kustok
Buffalo at New England
CBS 1 p.m.
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuletta, Aditi Kinkhabwala
NY Giants at Philadelphia
CBS 1 p.m.
Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty, AJ Ross
Featured game 2: New Orleans at Tampa Bay
Fox 1 p.m.
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
While it’s tough to imagine the 5-11 Saints as too exciting at the moment, especially after a 34-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers and a 25-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders across the past two weeks, this is indeed a notable one. The 9-7 Buccaneers still haven’t clinched the NFC South or a playoff spot, with the 8-8 Atlanta Falcons (also in action in this window against the Carolina Panthers in the above-featured game, both of which are going to much of the country thanks to the unusual Week 18 setup where both CBS and Fox get a doubleheader) holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.
But Tampa Bay is a 14-point home favorite here and could move up to the NFC’s No. 3 slot with a win and a Los Angeles Rams loss (the Rams look likely to rest many starters against the Seattle Seahawks). On the announcing side, this one is also notable for Fox’s “A” booth getting its last regular-season reps ahead of its playoff work and its call of Super Bowl LIX. We’ll see how they call this one.
As for players to watch, Bucs’ QB Baker Mayfield remains remarkable. Long after many wrote him off, he’s put up a season where he’s third in the league in passing yards with 4,279 while notching a 71.8 percent completion mark and 39 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. And he threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns (with no interceptions and an 84.4 percent completion mark) last week against the Panthers. But the Saints have some defenders who might make his life tough, perhaps especially DT Bryan Bresee, who leads the team with 7.5 sacks.
Houston at Tennessee
CBS 1 p.m.
Tom McCarthy, Jay Feely, Ross Tucker, Amanda Baliones
Sunday, January 5, afternoon window
San Francisco at Arizona
Fox 4:25 p.m.
Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale
Featured game 1: Kansas City at Denver
CBS 4:25 p.m.
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson
ESPN Radio: Steve Levy, Harry Douglas
The 9-7 Broncos hold the AFC’s seventh and final playoff seed at the moment, and they can clinch it with a win here regardless of what happens elsewhere. It would seem hard for them to beat 15-1 Kansas City on paper, but the Chiefs have clinched the top seed, so how hard they’ll play is a matter of debate. (Many are figuring “not very”: they’re resting key starters, including QB Patrick Mahomes, and they’re 10.5-point road underdogs here.)
For Denver, watch linebacker Nik Bonitto, who leads the Broncos with 11.5 sacks this year and also has two forced fumbles. He may pressure Chiefs’ starter Carson Wentz, who will be interesting to watch in his own right. Wentz has only appeared in two games this year, attempting (and completing) just two passes for 20 yards.
It’s Wentz’s second-straight season of limited action as a backup (following one with the Los Angeles Rams last year), and he only appeared in eight games with the Washington Commanders the year before (partly due to injury, but he lost his job to Taylor Heinicke while he was out). It will be worth watching what he can do here, in case he’s needed in the postseason and in terms of what interest he might draw in the offseason. He is on just a one-year contract.
Featured game 2: Miami at NY Jets
Fox 4:25 p.m.
Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver
Compass Media Radio: Chris Carrino, Brian Baldinger
This is the other potential playoff berth impact. The 8-8 Dolphins can get in with a win and a Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs, but Oh’s SportsLine model only has their chances at 19.1 percent, given everything mentioned above in the Kansas City-Denver section. And they’re only 1-point road favorites here against the lowly 4-12 Jets, so the books don’t have much confidence that they can even hold up their end of the bargain. But this one could get very interesting if strange things happen in Chiefs-Broncos.
QB Tua Tagavailoa is “unlikely” to play for the Dolphins due to a hip injury, so backup Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is expected to get his fifth start of the season. Huntley was great last week in a win over the Cleveland Browns, completing 22 of 26 passes (84.6 percent) for 225 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. On the year, he’s thrown for 602 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a 66.3 percent completion mark.
For the Jets, this one may mark the end of the Aaron Rodgers era in New York. The 41-year-old Rodgers has said he hasn’t decided if he’ll play another year, but he’s open to playing elsewhere if he wants to keep playing and the Jets don’t want to bring him back. The numbers he’s put up this season (3,623 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 63.6 percent completion mark) certainly aren’t awe-inspiring (although they are one of the best statistical seasons by a Jets’ QB). Neither is the team’s overall play with him under center, but other teams may still be interested in him. A strong showing in this game could either be a fitting coda to his playing career or a way to suggest he’s got some gas left in the tank.
Seattle at LA Rams
Fox 4:25 p.m.
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan Olivi
LA Chargers at Las Vegas
CBS 4:25 p.m.
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins
Sports USA Radio: Larry Kahn, Ron Rivera
Sunday, January 5, Sunday Night Football
Featured/only game: Minnesota at Detroit
NBC/Universo/Peacock 8:20 p.m.
Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark
Universo: Miguel Gurwitz, Rolando Cantú, Ariana Figuera
Westwood One Radio: Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic
This one is for the NFC North and the first overall seed in the conference, with both teams entering it 14-2. The Lions (2.5-point home favorites here) are coming off a 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers, while the Vikings narrowly beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 last week. The winner gets a first-round bye, while the loser gets the fifth seed and will start on the road, so there are plenty of stakes to this one.
For the Vikings, QB Sam Darnold remains a key story. He’s had a remarkable season, throwing for 4,153 yards (fourth in the league) and 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions to date with a 68.1 percent completion mark. And he was great in that win over Green Bay last week, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns with one pick. We’ll see what he can do in this one.
For the Lions, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (who isn’t happy about the team potentially getting seeded fifth despite their record and has even called for changes to those rules in the future) is crucial to their offense. He leads the team with 1,186 receiving yards and also has team highs in touchdowns (12) and receptions (109). That latter number is more than double the second-place mark held by Jameson Williams (52). St. Brown’s role as a vital target and possession receiver has paved the way for big-play throws to Williams (who has 967 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 18.6 yards per reception). We’ll see if that continues Sunday.
H/T Sammy for the listings!