CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The NFL has moved the regular-season finale between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Sunday to Saturday as both teams will look to punch their playoff ticket.
The Week 18 showdown in Tampa Bay was originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 4, but was flexed to Saturday, Jan. 3, and will now be played in front of a national audience.
The change was announced late Sunday night, and will give the Panthers and Bucs six days to prepare for what will likely be a winner-take-all matchup with the NFC South division title and spot in the playoffs on the line.
With Tampa Bay’s 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Carolina could have clinched the division but lost to Seattle 27-10.
Now, there is a good chance that the winner of this coming Saturday’s Panthers-Bucs will determine who makes the postseason.
Carolina comes in with an 8-8 record, while Tampa Bay sits at 7-9. If the Panthers win, the division is theirs, no questions asked.
The only way Carolina could lose to Tampa is if the Atlanta Falcons win their last two games. In that case, the Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons would all finish with 8-9 records and the Panthers would win the tiebreaker.
Atlanta plays its next to last game on Dec. 29 on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams. The Falcons’ last game is at home versus the New Orleans Saints.
Saturday’s Panthers game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. EST, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and ABC.
The Panthers were listed as three-point underdogs as of Monday morning, according to FanDuel. All eight of Carolina’s wins in 2025 have come as the underdog.
The Panthers beat the Buccaneers, 23-20 on Dec. 21 in Charlotte.
The Panthers will play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Saturday, Jan. 3, with a playoff spot likely on the line.(Jacob Kupferman | AP)
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