Playoff fates will be decided in NFL Week 18 on TSN
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It all comes down to this, as multiple teams fight to decide their playoff fate in the NFL's regular season finale.
Take a look at which matchups will be on the network this week and where you can find them.
The battle for the AFC North crown
Week 18 kicks off on Saturday with a primetime clash between the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) and Cleveland Browns (3-13), where Baltimore has a chance to clinch its second-consecutive AFC North title.
To do so, they just need to beat the lowly Browns, who enter on a five-game losing streak.
Lamar Jackson has been putting on a show in recent weeks, as the electrifying quarterback is building a case to earn back-to-back MVP awards and the third of his career.
In Baltimore's last three games – two being multi-score victories over playoff teams – Jackson has thrown for 10 touchdowns against just one interception, and averaged over 10 yards per completion.
Later on, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) take the spotlight for a potentially significant game for both sides.
If Baltimore loses to Cleveland, the Steelers have a chance to take the division crown with a victory over Cincinnati, which would be their first division title since the 2020 season.
The game is monumental for Cincinnati no matter what happens earlier in the day though. The Bengals have fought all the way back to give themselves a shot at the postseason after starting 0-3. They even dropped to 4-8 after a loss to Pittsburgh in Week 13.
With the season looking like a lost cause, QB Joe Burrow ascended to new heights, throwing for three touchdowns or more in eight consecutive games and leading the league in passing yardage (4,641) and touchdowns (42) for the season.
The Bengals need a lot of help from other teams to clinch the final AFC wild-card slot, but it all starts with a win over their bitter division rivals.
Panthers battle Falcons in Sunday's early slot
Atlanta Falcons
It's been an up-and-down season for the Atlanta Falcons. At times, they look like an elite contender in the NFC. And at others, they appear dysfunctional.
Their overtime loss to the Washington Commanders a week ago encapsulated it all perfectly: Atlanta was in position to beat a playoff team, but poor clock management cost the team points at the end of the game and forced an overtime period in which Washington would score the winning touchdown.
“In hindsight, it could have been a better decision to take that timeout," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said after the loss to Washington. "I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there so you can always second guess those things ... Can always second-guess those motives. Can always go back and look at it to see if you could have snapped it a little quicker. But I really believe we can get our operation time a little faster and to save that timeout."
Atlanta (8-8) needs to start with a win against the Carolina Panthers (4-12) to have any hope of making the playoffs. If they beat their NFC South rival, it rests on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the winner of the division. Tampa Bay (9-7) plays before Atlanta, but the Falcons own the tiebreaker and will win the division with a win and a Bucs loss against the New Orleans Saints.
On TSN+, you can watch another chapter unfold in a historic rivalry as the Green Bay Packers (11-5) take on the Chicago Bears (4-12), who have lost 10 games in a row.
Dolphins clinging to slim playoff hopes in battle against Jets
De'Von Achane Miami Dolphins
There are three teams fighting for the final wild-card slot in the AFC, and the Denver Broncos (9-7) have the inside track to earn that spot.
The Miami Dolphins (8-8) need a win and a loss by the Broncos, while the Bengals need a win, a loss by Denver and a loss or tie by the Dolphins.
Working in Miami's favour is a matchup against the struggling New York Jets (4-12), a team they beat in overtime four weeks ago.
What isn't in their favour, though, is the health of QB Tua Tagovailoa, who will miss the finale with a rib injury that also caused him to sit out a week ago.
“It was not safe at all," McDaniel said of playing Tagovailoa in their Week 17 win over Cleveland, "based upon a litany of things that his body was vulnerable to as well as his inability to avoid and move within the pocket ... just leaving him really unprotected is the way that I would say, both on impact and the ability to avoid impact.”
Miami is 6-4 in games which Tagovailoa started and finished, and have averaged 11.6 points per game without Tua vs. 25.5 points per game with their star QB.
Vikings, Lions clash for top seed in the NFC
Minnesota Vikings Sam Darnold
The stakes for the final game of the regular season could not be higher, as the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) battle the Detroit Lions (14-2), with the winner taking home the NFC North crown and the top seed in the NFC.
This is the first time two teams are meeting in the final week of the year with the No. 1 seed on the line since the Dallas Cowboys battled the New York Giants in 1990.
The historical stakes don't stop there though – this is the most combined wins in a game in NFL regular-season history, and the first time a regular-season game has featured two teams with at least 14 wins.
The loser of the game will hold the unfortunate distinction of most wins for a wild-card team in NFL history.
“This is just fairytale stuff,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of the historic meeting between the NFC North rivals.