The final week of the regular season starts with a pair of games on Saturday, each with playoff implications. First up, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers play with the NFC South title at stake. For the Panthers, it's simple: A win secures the division. The Bucs, meanwhile, need a win plus a Falcons loss. Next up, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers face off for the NFC West crown and No. 1 seed in the NFC.
On Sunday, some playoff positioning will be decided in the afternoon games before we get to Sunday Night Football that will complete the 14-team playoff field. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers play in the final regular season game of the 2025 NFL season, with the winner taking the AFC North title and the loser going home.
Both games on Saturday will be broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN, and the Ravens-Steelers game on Sunday night will air nationally on NBC and stream on Peacock. Keep reading to see all of the week 18 matchups, the full TV schedule for the weekend and the best ways to watch or stream any game no matter where you live.
Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night to decide the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
How to watch NFL Week 18 from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself less interested in the Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox that are being broadcast in your area or your access is blocked because of an internet location glitch or incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you have another option to watch another game that doesn't require subscribing to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus or searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a virtual private network. With a VPN, you can watch any of Sunday's games from anywhere.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic. Plus, it's a great idea for when you're traveling and find yourself needing to connect to a public Wi-Fi network, where you'll want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
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Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks. Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
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