Streaming Guide for NFL Week 18: Schedule, Broadcasts and VPN Advice

The final weekend of the NFL regular season features decisive matchups that will determine division winners and playoff seeding, alongside a range of viewing options for fans at home or traveling. Two Saturday games carry immediate playoff implications, and the slate on Sunday includes afternoon windows across CBS and Fox followed by Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Saturday’s nationally televised games air on ABC and ESPN: Carolina at Tampa Bay kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET with the NFC South title on the line, and Seattle at San Francisco follows at 8 p.m. ET to decide the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Sunday’s schedule begins with multiple 1 p.m. ET games, runs through the late afternoon windows and concludes with Baltimore at Pittsburgh at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, which will also stream the game on Peacock.

Below is the broadcast and streaming schedule for the weekend as presented by the source material.

Saturday schedule (all times ET)

• Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 4:30 p.m. — ABC/ESPN — ESPN Unlimited
• Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers — 8:00 p.m. — ABC/ESPN — ESPN Unlimited

Sunday schedule (selected highlights; all times ET)

• 1:00 p.m. windows on CBS and Fox include Green Bay at Minnesota, Cleveland at Cincinnati, Indianapolis at Houston, New Orleans at Atlanta, Dallas at New York Giants and Tennessee at Jacksonville.
• 4:25 p.m. late-window games on CBS and Fox include New York Jets at Buffalo, Los Angeles Chargers at Denver, Kansas City at Las Vegas, Washington at Philadelphia, Detroit at Chicago, Arizona at Los Angeles Rams and Miami at New England.
• 8:20 p.m. — Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers — NBC — Peacock

Network and direct-to-consumer streaming options differ by game and market. CBS games can be streamed with Paramount Plus, Fox games via Fox’s direct-to-consumer service (Fox One) and NBC games on Peacock. ESPN’s streaming offering is required for the two Saturday games.

Key streaming services and plans

• ESPN: ESPN Unlimited provides access to linear ESPN networks and ESPN on ABC programming and is required to stream the Saturday games. The Unlimited plan is listed at $30 per month or $300 per year. ESPN Select is a separate $12 per month tier that does not include the NFL linear broadcasts.
• Paramount Plus: The Essentials tier streams CBS Sunday afternoon games and is cited at $8 per month for live CBS access.
• Fox One: Fox’s direct-to-consumer service is available for $20 per month or $200 per year for local Sunday afternoon games and Fox’s sports portfolio.
• Peacock: NBC’s streaming service can be used to watch Sunday Night Football with its Premium plan, referenced at $11 per month.

Live TV streaming bundles

For viewers who want to switch quickly among networks during overlapping windows, live TV streaming services carry CBS, Fox and NBC along with ESPN and other channels. Representative plans cited include:

• DirecTV: The MySports plan is listed at $70 per month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network. A full package costs $85 per month and supports the RedZone add-on for an additional fee.
• YouTube TV: Carries the main channels needed for NFL coverage and is cited at $83 per month, with RedZone available for an extra cost.
• Fubo: The main package is referenced at $85 per month and includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and NFL Network. A new Fubo Sports plan priced at $56 per month (with a first-month price of $46) is in limited regional rollout and omits NBC for Sunday Night Football.

Using a VPN to watch games from anywhere

When location-based restrictions, misapplied blackouts or regional coverage limit access to a desired game, a virtual private network (VPN) can be used to change the virtual location of a device and access the correct broadcast stream. The source material notes VPNs can also reduce ISP throttling and add privacy on public Wi‑Fi networks.

Legal and operational considerations highlighted in the material include:

• Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in jurisdictions where VPNs are legal — including the US and Canada — provided the viewer has a legitimate subscription to the streaming service being used.
• Streaming services may terminate accounts if they determine a user is circumventing properly applied blackout restrictions.

VPN recommendations and setup tips

The source material recommends a leading VPN and offers practical setup advice. ExpressVPN is named as an Editors’ Choice pick and described with testing details (no DNS leaks detected and an 18% speed loss in 2025 tests), jurisdiction in the British Virgin Islands and a network of more than 3,000 servers in 105 countries. Pricing references include a monthly rate and multi-year plan options.

Practical tips for successful VPN use include ensuring the streaming account’s registered address corresponds to the intended viewing area, installing the VPN on a router or mobile hotspot for smart TVs that don’t support native VPN apps, using the VPN provider’s city search option if a location is not visible by default and employing a privacy-focused browser to avoid location leaks.

Fans planning their weekend viewing should confirm channel availability in their area and the specific streaming plan requirements for each game. Live TV services and direct-to-consumer apps offer different trade-offs between channel breadth and cost, and a VPN can help address regional access issues when used in compliance with service terms.

Key Topics

Nfl Final Weekend Schedule, Saturday Games On Abc/espn, Sunday Afternoon Windows On Cbs And Fox, Sunday Night Football On Nbc, Playoff Implications And Division Titles, Streaming Options For Nfl Games, Espn Unlimited Plan, Paramount Plus Essentials, Fox One Streaming Service, Peacock Premium For Sunday Night, Live Tv Streaming Bundles, Vpns For Streaming Sports, Expressvpn Recommendation, Vpn Setup And Best Practices, Regional Blackouts And Legal Considerations