Bucs’ Week 18 Game Gets Kickoff Time

When the NFL released the 2023 regular season schedule, it left the Week 18 slate full of “TBAs,” leaving flexibility to schedule games with higher stakes in better timeslots as the regular season came to a close over the course of Saturday and Sunday. With Week 17 in the books, the league announced next week’s schedule, meaning the Bucs have the kickoff time for their season finale against the Panthers in Charlotte.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

After failing to clinch the NFC South in Week 17, Tampa Bay will have another win-and-in scenario in Week 18. That game at Carolina is set for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff next Sunday, Jan. 7.

With the NFC South race still undecided, the Bucs’ Week 18 game now has playoff implications. Tampa Bay needs a win over Carolina to win the division and lock itself into the NFC’s No. 4 seed. Tampa Bay would then host the No. 5 seed — either the Cowboys or Eagles — on Super Wild Card Weekend in two weeks.

But with a loss by the Bucs, the winner of the game between the Saints and Falcons in New Orleans will win the division. That game will also kick off at 1:00 p.m. next Sunday. So, by the end of the early window, the NFC South will have been decided.

Tampa Bay’s game at Carolina will be televised by FOX, while Atlanta’s game at New Orleans will be a CBS game.

Bucs Will Look To Wrap Up The NFC South On The Season’s Final Day

Saints TE Taysom Hill and Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs missed an opportunity in Week 17, as they could’ve wrapped up an NFC South three-peat by beating the Saints at home. The team came out flat, falling behind 17-0 in the first half and never recovering. In a lot of ways, Tampa Bay didn’t look like a team playing for the division title. It looked like a team going through the motions at the end of a 4-13 or 5-12 season.

“Very disappointing,” Bucs linebacker and longtime captain Lavonte David said. “It was like we didn’t know what was at stake. We came out very flat on both sides of the ball. It’s something that we’ve got to take to the chin. They came out and beat us. We’ve definitely got to get better. Learn from it and get better next week.”

The Bucs trailed 17-0 at halftime and only had 44 total yards, prompting left tackle and first-time captain Tristan Wirfs to speak in the locker room before the team went out for the third quarter. The speech may not have led to a rally, but the sentiments still rang true after the game. And the Bucs would be wise to heed Wirfs’ words as they prepare for Week 18.

“This was a division game, this was for a third straight division title,” Wirfs said. “We came out looking like that. I said that’s unacceptable. We’ve got to do something different. Next week’s for the marbles. There’s no “next week” [after that], so we have to put it behind us, we have to move forward, look forward to next week and do the best we can to come home with a hat and t-shirt.”

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Everything from Sunday will largely be forgiven if the Bucs go out and beat the Panthers in their regular season finale. But the pressure is on Tampa Bay, and the team will need to play a better, more complete game than it did the first time around against Carolina. The team’s four-game winning streak in December began with a 21-18 home win over the Panthers, but it was an uninspired win almost the whole way.

The one-game-at-a-time mentality that Tampa Bay used to break off those four consecutive wins will really be key for this final game against the Panthers. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said as much after Sunday’s game.

“Same thing. One-game-at-a-time mentality. It doesn’t change for us,” Mayfield said. “We’ve got to win this next game in Carolina to win the division and go from there. All you need is to get a chance to get in and we’re still sitting right where we need to be. Obviously, would’ve loved to have done it today with two games left, but it didn’t happen. SO, one-game mentality and our season is on the line.”

Tampa Bay will be looking to sweep the season series with Carolina for the third time in four seasons, clinch the NFC South for the third straight year and wrap up its fourth consecutive playoff appearance. It’s all on the line in Week 18.

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