MVP candidate Drake Maye and the Patriots will appear in a prime-time game against the Baltimore Ravens. David Butler II / Imagn Images
The NFL flexed the Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots matchup into Week 16’s edition of “Sunday Night Football” in place of the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins, the league announced Monday. The Dolphins and Bengals will now play at 1 p.m. (ET); the Ravens and Patriots will kick off at 8:20 p.m. (ET).
The Bengals’ loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday put a significant dent in their already slim hopes for a playoff berth. The Bengals are now three games back of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North lead and four games behind the Houston Texans for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. They have a roughly 3 percent chance to make the postseason, according to The Athletic’s Playoff Simulator. The Dolphins got off to a miserable 2-7 start but are riding a four-game winning streak entering Week 15. However, their 6-7 record still puts them two games back of the Texans in the wild-card race, with games remaining against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patriots.
The Patriots-Ravens game has more at stake on both sides. The Patriots are in a tight battle with the Denver Broncos for the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Patriots and Broncos both enter Week 15 at 11-2. The Patriots also boast an MVP candidate in quarterback Drake Maye and a Coach of the Year candidate in Mike Vrabel.
The Ravens fell out of the current playoff picture after their loss Sunday to the Steelers, but they are still in the thick of the race for the AFC North crown. The Ravens are one game back of the Steelers, and the two division rivals play each other in the Week 18 regular-season finale, which could decide the division winner.
The flex gives the Patriots their fourth prime-time game of the season and second appearance on “Sunday Night Football.” They beat the Bills in Buffalo in a Week 5 Sunday night game and also own a Week 11 win over the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” and a Week 13 win over the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football.”
This will be the Ravens’ fifth prime-time game of 2025. They lost a Week 1 thriller to the Bills on Sunday night, dropped another close one to the Detroit Lions on Monday night in Week 3, beat the Dolphins in Week 9 on Thursday night and lost on Thanksgiving night to the Bengals.