Puppy Bowl XII Sunday 3 p.m.-1 a.m., Animal Planet

Panthers blah blah blah Broncos blah blah blah commercials blah. The real Super Bowl is, of course, the Puppy Bowl, as Team Ruff and Team Fluff duke it out for the second year in a row. This is where the truly important things are going to go down on Sunday. Which group will be the new super champions of the cuteness realm? Which li’l guy or gal will be named the competition’s MFP — most fetching player? And which one of the many deserving pups this year will take home the coveted prize for BPB — best puppy breath? It’s anyone’s guess as we head into the competition. By the way, I don’t know this for certain, but I’ve heard a rumor that, since Three Dog Night is not available, and Cat Power and Cat Stevens would just not be appropriate, Snoop Dogg might be the half-time performer.

Animals 11:30 p.m., HBO

Is mediocre sitcom humor funnier when it comes out of the mouths of animated animals including rats, bedbugs, and horses? Yup, it is. This slight but decent new half-hour cartoon, produced by the Duplass brothers, has fun with anthropomorphism, as the critters of New York City banter about their busy lives.

Downton Abbey Sunday at 9 p.m., WGBH 2

Cora does an end run around Violet.

Shameless Sunday at 9 p.m., Showtime

Lip gets tackled by Amanda.

Billions Sunday at 10 p.m., Showtime

Axe tries a quarterback sneak.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.