The final weekend of the 2025-26 NFL regular season is officially here, and it’s kicking off with a matchup that could decide the NFC South’s champion.
The Carolina Panthers will head to Tampa Bay to face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As the playoff picture stands now, neither team is in, but the Panthers would be in if the regular season ended now. At 8-8, the Panthers are currently No. 1 in the NFC South with 7-9 Tampa Bay close behind.
With a win, the Panthers can clinch their first division title since 2015 and first playoff berth in eight years, but a Tampa Bay win wouldn’t be enough on its own to boost the Buccaneers into first; they’ll also need the Saints to beat Atlanta on Sunday.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers: what to know
- When: Jan. 3, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay, Florida)
- Channel: ESPN,ABC
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Here’s how to tune in to today’s Panthers vs. Bucs game without cable.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers start time:
Panthers vs. Buccaneers is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET today, Jan. 3, on ESPN.
How to watch Panthers vs. Buccaneers for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Panthers vs. Buccaneers for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching football live for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN and ABC. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange 1-Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN. Sling also has longer passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
Is there a ManningCast tonight?
While there is a ManningCast tonight, it will not be during the Panthers vs. Bucs game. Peyton and Eli will do one final regular season ManningCast on ESPN2 during the second game of the evening, Seahawks vs. 49ers.
NFL playoff schedule
- Wild Card Round: Jan. 10-12 (six games)
- Divisional Round: Jan 17-18 (four games)
- Conference Championships: Jan. 25 (two games)
- Pro Bowl Games: Feb. 3
- Super Bowl LX: Feb. 8
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Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on all of the best deals to shop at Bath & Body Works, and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
