Week 12 of the NFL season is here and the last stretch of the season is shaping up to be a good one. Multiple division races should be close as the playoffs near. There is no clear-cut MVP frontrunner. There isn't even really a Super Bowl frontrunner at this stage, as the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs look quite mortal after suffering their first loss of the year to the Buffalo Bills. There are strong contenders, to be sure, led by the Detroit Lions, but it's hard to say anybody has truly separated from the pack at this juncture.
All that means the football should be competitive as the season nears its conclusion. Fortunately there are still a lot of games left to be played before we get there.
Here are the coverage maps for Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.
What is the NFL Week 12 Coverage Map?
For those who are newer fans, the coverage map shows exactly what games will be broadcast where around the country on Sunday.
Each week, every non-primetime game (games on Thursday, Sunday night, Monday, and taking place overseas) is broadcast on either CBS or FOX at 1 p.m. ET or around 4 p.m. ET. Therefore, two games will be broadcast on all televisions every Sunday afternoon during football season.
Every team playing will have its game broadcast in its local market no matter what (i.e. the Cincinnati Bengals will always be on in Cincinnati). But that still leaves another game to be broadcast, which is assigned by the network. And in the case that the local team is playing during primetime or is on a bye week, there will still be a game broadcast in the window they'd normally play.
Ergo, the coverage map shows all that: what teams will be shown in what cities when the local team is not playing. Photos are all courtesy of 506sports.
FOX Early Window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on FOX that kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
FOX Late Window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on FOX that kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.
CBS Single Game Window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on CBS that kick off at 1 p.m. ET and 4:05 p.m. ET. Games kicking off at 4:05 p.m. ET are denoted as "LATE" on the map.
Key NFL Matchups in Week 12
The most consequential game of Sunday's slate is the Arizona Cardinals' trip to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals hold a one-game lead over the Seahawks and everybody else in the division for first place in the NFC West. This game will go a long way towards determining both teams' chances to make the playoffs, and everybody knows it, which should make it a very intense matchup. Not that NFC West grudge matches usually need much help.
The most entertaining game, however, must be the Green Bay Packers' battle with the San Francisco 49ers. The two teams have developed something of a rivalry going back to the Colin Kaepernick days and games between them often come down to the wire. Sunday will be aided by the fact that both teams desperately need a victory. The 49ers are 5-5 and need to keep pace in the division, while the Packers are somehow third in the NFC North despite boasting seven wins on the year already. The combination of that history with the importance of a win for both sides should make it a blast of an afternoon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL TV Coverage Map Week 12: Full Breakdown of CBS, FOX Broadcasts.
