NFL shifts Tampa Bay Bucs - Carolina Panthers game to 4:25 p.m. Sunday
- The NFL has shifted next Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Carolina Panthers game to 4:25 p.m. EST.
The Panthers (14-1) will be trying to clinch the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Bucs (6-9) are out of the playoff picture.
The game will take place at the same time as the Arizona Cardinals are hosting the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals (13-2) would clinch the NFC’s top spot if Carolina loses and Arizona beats the Seahawks.
#Panthers game Jan 3 vs Tampa moved from 1 pm to 4:25 pm - so ARZ and CAR will play at same time Sunday with No.1 seed up for grabs.
— scott_fowler (@scott_fowler) December 28, 2015Also Sunday, the NFL announced that the Vikings-Packers game at Green Bay that will decide the NFC North title has been moved to Sunday night.
Through its flex scheduling option, the NFL placed that game in prime time, with the winner taking the division crown.
#AsExpected Bucs-Panthers slides to 4:25 pm. They want that game to go with Arizona-Seattle
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 28, 2015Ten games are set for a 1 p.m. EST kickoff, with the New York Jets at Buffalo, and Pittsburgh at Cleveland involving a potential AFC wild card. Houston, which will win the AFC South by beating Jacksonville at home, also is at 1 p.m.
Among the five 4:25 p.m. EST matchups are Oakland at Kansas City, and San Diego at Denver, which will play a role in deciding the AFC West title.
Mike Reader (@mreader) and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 11:43 PM with the headline "NFL shifts Tampa Bay Bucs - Carolina Panthers game to 4:25 p.m. Sunday."