Patriots-Ravens flexed to SNF on Dec. 21
The Baltimore Ravens will host the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 16, the league announced Monday.
The Dec. 21 contest was originally slated for the 1:00 p.m. ET window and now swaps time slots with the matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins.
Cincinnati fell to 4-9 with Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills, all but extinguishing the Bengals' playoff hopes. The Dolphins have reeled off four straight wins to improve to 6-7 but remain outside the AFC playoff picture.
The flexed game gives a prime-time slot to a Patriots team that's tied for the best record in the NFL at 11-2. They're two games up on the 9-4 Bills in the AFC East, but Buffalo can close that gap as the two teams face off in Week 15.
Baltimore lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, dropping to 6-7. However, the Ravens are still just one game back of Pittsburgh in the AFC North race and will meet the Steelers again in their season finale Jan. 4.