CNN —
Tom Brady is no stranger to high-pressure situations — although they usually occur in the playoffs, as opposed to weeks before when his stuttering Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to secure their postseason spot.
Brady has now spent more time in his life in the NFL than out of the league — he was drafted on April 16, 2000 at the age of 22 years and eight months (8,292 days), and by the time the Bucs meet their division rivals Carolina Panthers on Sunday, it will have been 8,295 days since that Date.
Few seasons have been so turbulent for the seven-time Super Bowl winner, who retired in a matter of weeks last offseason and never retired again.
The Bucs are 7-8, at the top of the NFC South Division but just a game ahead of the Panthers.
A loss in Tampa on Sunday would leave the teams going into the final week with identical records and Carolina ahead in the neck-and-neck tiebreak — not a way Brady or head coach Todd Bowles anticipated when the team was with started the year with two victories.
Carolina is buoyed by their 21-3 win over Tampa in Week 7, although that came with PJ Walker in the quarterback slot. Sam Darnold is taking over that mantelpiece this weekend, trying to back up his 250-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Detroit Lions last time out with another win.
Kick-off is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
While Monday Night Football’s game might not possess the Carolina @ Tampa Bay playoff threat, it does represent something equally alluring — a late-season clash between two teams with real Super Bowl credentials and two of the league’s best quarterbacks .
Josh Allen is hoping to fuel the Bills’ 13th win this year and their seventh straight as the team has already won the AFC East division.
With an identical record to the ever-contesting Kansas City Chiefs but a head-to-head tiebreak advantage, a Bills win this weekend would secure the all-important No. 1 in the AFC — and give them a playoff bye and bring home game. Field advantage during the conference playoffs.
Joe Burrow has been in impressive form for the Bengals lately.
The 26-year-old won AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 375 yards and three touchdown passing performance against the New England Patriots — and his relationship with fellow LSU Ja’Marr Chase was the driving force behind Cincinnati’s seven- Games winning streak.
The game begins Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Baltimore has already secured its place in the postseason, but the final two games of the regular season will have a drastic impact on a potential Super Bowl path.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson has missed three games in a row with a knee injury couldn’t practice on Wednesday for the tenth day in a row. That would indicate Tyler Huntley will be running for another start this weekend in place of the 2019 MVP.
A win for the Ravens would make their Week 18 clash with the Bengals an AFC North Championship decider after beating the same opponent in Week five. It would also give Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin the first losing season of his 15-year career.
The Steelers’ faint playoff hopes were hit again when the Los Angeles Chargers secured their spot with a win over Indianapolis on Monday, but more than just Tomlin’s impressive career record is at stake Sunday night.
The rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens is one of the most storied and intense in the NFL, with the AFC North teams meeting four times in postseason history and winning four Super Bowl titles together.
Tune in Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET to see who takes the loot.
Losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in late November seemed to have ended any realistic dreams of a second Super Bowl title for Aaron Rodgers, but Packers and their Cheeseheaded supporters have recently seen a rebound, combined with some crumbling NFC rivals in an unlikely path to Wildcard Weekend Football.
Standing in their way are division champions Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Packers in a one-sided week one matchup.
It was one of Minnesota’s few victories this season, but the team has shown remarkable bravery in close affairs – winning 11 games on a single possession. They are the first team in NFL history to have so many wins like this.
A big part of that was the electric form of third-year wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has been a defense nightmare all season.
His recent virtuoso performance against the New York Giants last weekend eclipsed Vikings legend Randy Moss’ record for most yards in a season in franchise history – and the 23-year-old is now just 209 yards behind Calvin Johnson’s league record of 1,964 yards in a season.
The game begins Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.
After looking destined for the franchise’s first playoff spot since 2016 for most of the season, the Miami Dolphins now face the very real possibility of squandering another seemingly promising year after losing their last four games.
Adding to Miami’s woes this week was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering his second concussion in a controversial season during Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.
This injury means the team will likely continue with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.
The Dolphins are yet to win a game this season without Tua and need at least one win from their two remaining AFC East duels to end their playoff drought, depending on other results in the league.
The Patriots, meanwhile, find themselves in must-win territory if they are to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Their stingy defense has conceded the fifth fewest points per game this year, but the team is struggling on the other side of the ball with second quarterback Mac Jones, who ranks 32nd on ESPN’s QBR metric.
Watch Sunday’s competition at 1:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
Here’s how to catch these teams and others from across the league in action, no matter where you are.
Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus
Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN
Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN
Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN
Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
UK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5
US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime