Check out the top moments that helped define the outcomes of Sunday's NFL matchups. USA TODAY Sports
The NFL has finalized its schedule for Week 17, and in a surprise it will not include a Sunday night game.
Instead, the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans games were moved from the 1 p.m. ET time slot to 4:25 p.m. ET. All games still will be broadcast on CBS. The Carolina Panthers-Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints-Tampa Bay Buccaneers games were moved from 1 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET, and will remain on FOX.
Also surprising is that NBC will not have an NFL game to broadcast in Week 17.
“We felt that both from a competitive standpoint and from a fan perspective, the most fair thing to do is to schedule all Week 17 games in either the 1 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET windows,” NFL senior vice president of broadcasting Howard Katz said in a league release. “This ensures that we do not have a matchup on Sunday Night Football on New Year’s Eve that because of earlier results has no playoff implications for one or both of the competing teams.”
This a break from tradition, as the league has typically placed a game with major playoff implications into the Sunday night prime-time TV slot. Going back to the 2003 season — when the league stopped doing Monday night games during the final regular-season week — every season had concluded with a Sunday night game.
Also, this will be the first time since 1977 that the NFL regular season won't end with a prime-time TV game. From 1978-2002, the NFL regular season concluded with a Monday Night Football game, and then a Sunday Night Football game from 2003-2016.
NFL playoff picture: Four more teams clinch berths in Week 16
More: NFC South takes spotlight as NFL's best Week 17 drama
More: 40 things we learned in Week 16 in the NFL
The NFC South is the only division title that still has to be decided. A Saints win against the Buccaneers clinches New Orleans its first division title since 2011. A Saints loss and Panthers win earns Carolina — which already has earned a playoff berth — a division crown. The Panthers' Week 17 opponent, the Falcons, need a win or Seattle Seahawks loss to clinch a playoff berth.
The Bills need to win and get losses by the Titans and Los Angeles Chargers (who play the Oakland Raiders) in order to end the NFL's longest playoff drought and make their first postseason appearance since 1999.
In 2006, Week 17 landed on Sunday, Dec. 31. That year, the Chicago Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers for a Sunday night game.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 16
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1 of 53![Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) celebrates]()
2 of 53![Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wears a Santa costume during]()
3 of 53![Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) is]()
4 of 53![San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10)]()
5 of 53![Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jaelen Strong (10)]()
6 of 53![San Francisco 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson scores]()
7 of 53![Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11)]()
8 of 53![New York Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon (54) and]()
9 of 53![An Arizona Cardinals fan dressed as Darth Vader looks]()
10 of 53![Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates]()
11 of 53![Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3)]()
12 of 53![Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris (84)]()
13 of 53![Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) is unable]()
14 of 53![Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley II (30) escapes]()
15 of 53![Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) celebrates]()
16 of 53![DCleveland Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer (7) looks]()
17 of 53![Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) passes]()
18 of 53![Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams]()
19 of 53![Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28)]()
20 of 53![Chargers linebacker Hayes Pillard (50) recovers a fumble]()
21 of 53![Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams celebrates after]()
22 of 53![Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder (80)]()
23 of 53![Lions cornerback Darius Slay tries to intercept a pass]()
24 of 53![Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict reacts after making]()
25 of 53![Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphriesattempts to]()
26 of 53![Patriots players celebrate a Rob Gronkowski touchdown]()
27 of 53![Bills safety Jordan Poyer ) celebrates after returning]()
28 of 53![Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins carries the ball against]()
29 of 53![Broncos running back Devontae Booker dives with the]()
30 of 53![Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws under pressure]()
31 of 53![Browns linebacker Joe Schobert defends against Bears]()
32 of 53![Saints running back Mark Ingram celebrates with fans]()
33 of 53![Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates after throwing]()
34 of 53![Saints quarterback Drew Brees takes the field against]()
35 of 53![Cleveland Browns defensive end Lavar Edwards (92) catches]()
36 of 53![Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray (25)]()
37 of 53![Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley (7) is]()
38 of 53![Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) catches]()
39 of 53![Green Bay Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell (51) tackles]()
40 of 53![Green Bay Packers fans cheer at Lambeau Field.]()
41 of 53![A Green Bay Packers fan shows how he feels about the]()
42 of 53![Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) reacts]()
43 of 53![Baltimore Ravens tight end Maxx Williams (87) celebrates]()
44 of 53![Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) is sacked]()
45 of 53![Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle (84) is tackled]()
46 of 53![Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) dives]()
47 of 53![Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) is]()
48 of 53![Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) tackles]()
49 of 53![Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) scrambles]()
50 of 53![Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson (82) runs]()
51 of 53![Indianapolis Colts linebacker Jabaal Sheard (93) applies]()
52 of 53![Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7)]()
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