The Carolina Panthers and the Oakland Raiders will go head to head on Sunday in one of three late afternoon starts in Week 12 for the NFL regular season. Both teams need the win today for very different reasons. The Raiders want the win to maintain their place in the number 1 seeding spot for the Playoffs, where as the Panthers are trying to make a late rally to work their way up the NFC South and steal a postseason spot.

The game has a scheduled start time of 4.25 p.m. ET and takes place from O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream via the link below.

The Raiders are the surprise package at the top of the AFC West division. Their 8-2 record trumping the 7-3 from the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. However, things are so tight that they dare not slip up here.

Their 8-2 sees them occupy the 1st seed spot at the moment in the AFC, and with it a bye through the First Round of the Playoffs.

But things can change quickly and the Raiders know they have to see out four more weeks to make sure their good work till now does not go to waste.

Meanwhile, the Panthers have struggled badly this season so far and at the moment they are in the basement of the NFC South.

However, they have been making improvements of late, and because no team seems to want to grab the division by the scruff of the neck, things are still very close in the NFC South. If the Panthers win out from here they could potentially turn the division on its head and still win the title.

The Panthers have a very tough run in though, and if they can win things out from here they would deserve their postseason berth.

They have three road games in their final four games, including today's game against the Oakland Raiders.

Following today's game, they will go on the road to Seattle to face the Seahawks - never an easy prospect for any team, let alone one that has struggled badly for consistency this year.

If they can navigate their way to two wins over the next two weeks they return home to face the San Diego Chargers, before ending their season on the road to the Washington Redskins, who themselves are fighting for their postseason lives.

Oakland meanwhile, are coming into today's game on the back of an impressive 27-20 win over the Houston Texans. After today's game they will have another home game, hosting the Buffalo Bills, before ending their season with two road games against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Diego Chargers.

Today's big game between the Carolina Panthers and the Oakland Raiders has a scheduled start time of 4.25 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream by clicking here.