The season finale between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts begins Sunday.
With both teams out of contention for the top seed and the Colts missing the playoffs entirely, the Texans will begin Week 18 at NRG Stadium on CBS. With the win, Houston would have its most wins since DeMeco Ryans played under Gary Kubiak in 2012.
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Entering Monday night, the Texans (11-5) currently hold the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. A loss could drop Houston to the seventh seed, but a win would still give them a chance to clinch a third straight AFC South title. The most important thing for Houston is that the Tennessee Titans must beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to tie the two teams at 12-5.
With the same record, Houston defeated its AFC opponents 5-1 to clinch the division title, while the Jaguars won 4-2. The Texans will also lock up the AFC’s No. 3 seed based on division record tiebreaker, meaning they will host the No. 6 seed, which could be the Jaguars, Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers.
A win for the Texans and Jaguars would give Houston the fifth seed, as it has tiebreakers with the sixth-seeded Chargers (11-5) and seventh-seeded Bills (11-5). If all three teams lose on Sunday, the Texans will still have the tiebreaker, making them the highest seed.
In the NFL, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin Week 18 on Saturday for a chance at the NFC South title. After this game, the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will compete for the chance to win the NFC West and the top seed.
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The Baltimore Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night for the AFC North title. If the Texans win, they will automatically face the winner of the final as the division winner.
Here’s the list of games for Sunday’s regular season finale.
Saturday
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Panthers vs. Buccaneers, 3:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
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Seahawks vs. 49ers, 7 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Sunday
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Colts vs. Texans, noon (CBS)
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Chiefs vs. Raiders, 3:25 p.m.
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Eagles Commander, 3:25 p.m.
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Dolphins at Patriots, 3:25 p.m.
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Cardinals vs. Rams, 3:25 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL releases kickoff time for Texans vs. Colts for Week 18