At the start of the season, it was reasonable to expect the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 16 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens would hold significant meaning for both sides. And to play it on a Sunday night, in primetime football, would only heighten the stage.
But the Ravens have tumbled, assured of missing the playoffs. As a result, the NFL announced it will flex that game if the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins tonight on Monday Night Football. The news was first reported by Will Graves of The Associated Press.
Graves notes that if flexed, the Steelers/Ravens will play at 1 PM that day, December 27th. The Giants will take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night.
Though the Ravens beat the Steelers in overtime the first time around, they’re a much different looking team now. They’ve lost Steve Smith Sr. Justin Forsett, Joe Flacco, and Eugene Monroe. They’ve lost two straight, including a 35-6 blowout to the Seattle Seahawks on a day where they ran for just 16 yards and failed to score a touchdown for the first time in two seasons. Two of their three leading receivers Sunday were Jeremy Butler and Daniel Brown. Yikes.
Should that game be flexed, the Steelers will not play in primetime football for the rest of the regular season. They’ll play the Denver Broncos at 4:25 this upcoming Sunday and would finish with a pair of 1 PM starts against the Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
