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NFL Flexes Patriots–Ravens Into Week 16 Sunday Night Football, Moves Bengals–Dolphins to 1 p.m.

The league made its first prime-time flex of 2025 to feature higher playoff stakes, prioritizing TV appeal.

Overview

  • New England at Baltimore shifts to the Dec. 21 Sunday Night Football slot on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET, while Cincinnati at Miami moves to 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
  • The decision follows team trajectories: Patriots are 11-2 atop the AFC race, the Ravens are 6-7 and one game back in the AFC North, the Dolphins are 6-7, and the Bengals are 4-9.
  • This marks the season’s first prime-time flex under the NFL policy that allows Sunday night changes between Weeks 11 and 17 with six-day notice in late-season weeks.
  • Baltimore gains a high-profile home telecast that becomes its fifth primetime game of 2025, as Cincinnati loses a national showcase in a season with dwindling playoff odds.
  • Coverage cited quarterback appeal and playoff implications, highlighting Drake Maye’s MVP-caliber season opposite two-time MVP Lamar Jackson; Adam Schefter first reported the switch.