Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. #7 poses for a photo in front of the camera 📸. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Happy New Year, my friends! 🎆 This Sunday (December 31) marks the final day of the calendar year 2023. Plus, it's the penultimate week of the regular season, so you know that this Sunday has major significance towards the path to the postseason.
Typically, a New Year's resolutions have something to do with one thing in particular: Look to improve and surpass what you did the previous year.
As this relates to football, roughly one third of the league's 32 teams arrive at Week 17 carrying a better record than last season, registering more victories in 2023 than in all of 2022.
Keep in mind that 24 teams still have a shot to win the Lombardi Trophy 🏆 at Super Bowl LVIII later on this season. This means that hope remains high for a potentially lengthy playoff run culminating with a Super Bowl victory for a host of teams across the league.
During the course of Week 17, CBS and FOX will combine to televise 13 games. CBS will have the doubleheader while FOX is showing regional coverage at either 1:00 PM ET or 4:00 PM ET, depending on your local market. Four of these games are divisional (Patriots/Bills, Saints/Buccaneers, Titans/Texans & Broncos/Chargers). Plus, several more contests have teams in Super Bowl pursuit as of the writing of this article (Dolphins/Ravens, Steelers/Seahawks, Bengals/Chiefs, to name a select few).
Before y'all celebrate the New Year on Sunday night/Monday morning with your friends, family, or simply by yourself, please consider spending some of your New Year's Eve Sunday watching some football 🏈 action.
(And as a side note, I am PISSED OFF 😠 by the fact that the Dolphins at Ravens game isn't at 4:25 PM ET or better yet, Sunday Night Football. C'mon, the Chiefs are struggling and the Bengals have a backup QB! But alas, we move on.)
Check out this week's highlights below:
- * Week 17 Highlights:
- The Best of the Best Meet in Baltimore: Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins (11-4) visit Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (12-3) on Sunday, December 31 at 1:00 PM ET on CBS. Currently, Miami and Baltimore have a hold of the two best records in the American Football Conference (AFC). The Ravens are coming off a dominant 33-19 win on Christmas night 🎄 against the 49ers. The Dolphins 🐬 squeezed out a win against the Cowboys 24-22 on Christmas Eve 🎄. And now, these two clubs butt heads with plenty of implications riding on this game. The best offense in the league (Miami, scoring 30.9 PPG) goes up against the defense in the league (Baltimore, yielding 16.3 PPG). The Ravens can secure the AFC's #1 seed with a victory, while the Dolphins need a victory in this one in order to keep their hopes alive for the #1 seed (and the conference's only bye in the AFC playoffs). In addition, a Miami victory or a Buffalo loss would capture Miami's first division title since 2008. 🎙 Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analyst) and Evan Washburn (reporter) are on the broadcast call for CBS.
- Southern Spotlight: Demario Davis and the New Orleans Saints (7-8) battle Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) on Sunday, December 31 at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. This matchup, of course, is a NFC South duel in the Sunshine State. With a victory in this game, Antoine Winfield Jr. (whose picture is located at the top of this article) and his Buccaneers would attain their third straight NFC South title. Tampa Bay is riding high right now, winners of four straight games following a 4-7 start. The Buccaneers have not won five straight games since their Super Bowl winning season in 2020. Can this time be the time? Mayfield has been excellent in his last three games, going 3-0 with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Cameron Jordan and the Saints, though, look to spoil Tampa Bay's division celebration (and as a side note, the Saints MUST have this game to keep their playoff hopes alive as a loss would eliminate them entirely from playoff contention). 🎙 Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews & Tom Rinaldi team up for the FOX broadcast presentation.
- Super Bowl XL (40) Re-match in the Pacific Northwest: Two teams that battled for the Vince Lombardi Trophy 🏆 at the end of the 2005 season renew acquaintances at Seattle's Lumen Field for a New Year's Eve contest that has major postseason implications on both sides. On Sunday, December 31, at 4:05 PM ET on FOX, Dionate Johnson and the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) make the cross county flight 🚁 to lace 'em up against Tyler Lockett and the Seattle Seahawks (8-7). Steelers HC Mike Tomlin has an impressive and astounding statistic that he can be proud of. Since Tomlin took over the reins as the Steelers' main man in 2007, the Steelers have never had a losing record under his stewardship. In fact, Pittsburgh's last losing season was way back in 2003. With a win in this game, the Steelers can extend this streak to 17 straight years (with a ninth victory). During Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll's 14 seasons, his Seahawks showed poise and confidence in the face of implausible adversity. The Seahawks have come from behind in two straight games now, via victories against Philadelphia in Week 15 and Tennessee in Week 16. The Seahawks look to make a statement towards moving closer to a playoff berth clinching. 🎙 Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma & Shannon Spake call the late afternoon FOX broadcast, which most of the nation can partake in watching on the television 📺 (see the listings below).
- Familiar Foes Duel at Arrowhead One More Time: In the national doubleheader window, Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) once again face off against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) on Sunday, December 31 at 4:25 PM ET on CBS. Both teams are coming off loss during Week 16 (with Cincinnati losing to Pittsburgh and Kansas City losing to Las Vegas). As you know by now, these teams are quite familiar with each other. This is the fifth meeting (!!) between these two clubs since January 2022 (including the last two AFC Championship Games). The Bengals continue life (and their playoff push) without their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow, who is OUT for the remainder of the season due to a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Kansas City looks to rebound following an upsetting and downright inexcusable Christmas loss to the Raiders. The Chiefs can clinch their 8th straight AFC West title with a victory in this one. 🎙 CBS will have their lead crew, Jim Nantz, Tony Romo & Tracy Wolfson on the broadcast.
As always, please check out the links to key information regarding the NFL weekly broadcasts on television 📺, including the weekly broadcast schedules and weekly television coverage maps:
Links Mentioned:
- CBS Schedule: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/05/2023-nfl-on-cbs-schedule.html
- FOX Schedule: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/05/2023-nfl-on-fox-schedule.html
- 506 Sports Maps: https://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2023&wk=17
Throughout the week and leading up to game day, I welcome you to visit this article as many times as you like. Attached are the Week 17 broadcast schedules for CBS Sports and FOX Sports. This information is subject to change, so be mindful of that.
- NFL on CBS: Week 17 Broadcast Schedule and Regionalization (Subject to Change)
Week 17: Doubleheader
Sunday, December 31
|| 12:00 PM ET:
The NFL Today
James Brown, Phil Simms, Nate Burleson, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason & Jonathan Jones
|| 1:00 PM ET:
@
. Miami Dolphins (11-4) at Baltimore Ravens (12-3) (Primary) - Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn
71% of Markets Include: Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Fort Myers, Fresno, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Mobile, Nashville, New York City, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Scranton, Seattle, Spokane, St. Louis, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington D.C. & West Palm Beach
@
. Atlanta Falcons (7-8) at Chicago Bears (6-9) - Chris Lewis, Ross Tucker, Jason McCourty, Amanda Renner
9% of Markets Include: Atlanta, Chicago & New Orleans
@
. New England Patriots (4-11) at Buffalo Bills (9-6) - Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins
7% of Markets Include: Boston, Buffalo, Hartford & Providence
@
. Carolina Panthers (2-13) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7) - Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala
6% of Markets Include: Charlotte, Jacksonville, Greensboro, Greenville & Raleigh
@
. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) at Indianapolis Colts (8-7) - Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan, AJ Ross
3% of Markets Include: Indianapolis & Las Vegas
NO GAME due to the local team enforcing a blackout: Tampa (1.671%) & Houston (2.154%) = 4%
|| 4:25 PM ET:
@
. Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) (Primary) - Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson
90% of Markets Include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Des Moines, Detroit, Fort Myers, Fresno, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, Scranton, Seattle, Spokane, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington D.C. & West Palm Beach
@
. Denver Broncos (7-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) - Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely, Tiffany Blackmon
10% of Markets Include: Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City & San Diego
- Rules Analyst: Gene Steratore (New York City)
- NFL on FOX: Week 17 Broadcast Schedule and Regionalization (Subject to Change)
Week 17: Regional Coverage
Sunday, December 31
|| 11:00 AM ET:
FOX NFL Kickoff
Charissa Thompson, Julian Edelman, Michael Vick, Charles Woodson & Peter Schrager
|| 12:00 PM ET:
FOX NFL Sunday
Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Howie Long, Rob Gronkowski & Jay Glazer
|| 1:00 PM ET:
@
. New Orleans Saints (7-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) - Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
15% of Markets Include: Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Fort Myers, Kansas City, Louisville, Mobile, New Orleans, Orlando, St. Louis & Tampa
15% of Markets Include: Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Fort Myers, Kansas City, Louisville, Mobile, New Orleans, Orlando, St. Louis & Tampa
@
. Los Angeles Rams (8-7) at New York Giants (5-10) - Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, Laura Okmin
15% of Markets Include: Hartford, Los Angeles, New York City & San Diego
15% of Markets Include: Hartford, Los Angeles, New York City & San Diego
@
. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) - Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver
14% of Markets Include: Albuquerque, Birmingham, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia & Phoenix
@
. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) at Washington Commanders (4-11) - Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink
12% of Markets Include: Denver, Fresno, Norfolk, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco & Washington D.C.
@
. Tennessee Titans (5-10) at Houston Texans (8-7) - Chris Myers, Robert Smith, Jennifer Hale
8% of Markets Include: Austin, Houston, Memphis, Nashville & San Antonio
|| 4:05 PM ET:
@
. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) at Seattle Seahawks (8-7) (Primary; LATE) - Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake
36% of Markets Include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Seattle & West Palm Beach
- Rules Analyst: Dean Blandino (Los Angeles)
^ Source for NFL team logos: SportsLogos.Net
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