NFL Flexes Steelers-Ravens, Rams-Chargers Week 17 Games

The league announced a pair of schedule changes ahead of next week.

A pair of Week 17 matchups with possible playoff implications, including the latest chapter of one of the NFL’s most bitter rivalries, have been flexed, the league announced Sunday.

A battle of AFC North foes pitting the visiting Steelers against the Ravens has been moved to the primetime 8:20 p.m. ET time slot on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday. The contest will be replaced by the originally scheduled SNF matchup between the Rams (4–10) and Chargers, which will now kick off on CBS at 4:25 p.m. ET.

The Ravens (10–5) are the only team out of the four that have clinched a playoff spot after earning a wild card berth with a 17–9 home win over the Falcons on Saturday. Baltimore has won three of its last four, including a 16–14 Week 14 victory against Pittsburgh, despite losing Lamar Jackson (knee) early in a Week 13 win versus Denver. 

The Steelers (7–8) and Chargers (8–6) both remain in the playoff race entering the final two weeks of the season, though the margin of error will be slim for both clubs. Pittsburgh keeps its hopes alive with a 13–10 comeback win against Las Vegas on Saturday night, while L.A.—the AFC’s current No. 6 seed—can clinch a playoff spot with a win Monday night.

Thanks to losses by the Raiders and Jets, the Chargers will control their own destiny as they head on the road to face the Colts (4–9) on Monday Night Football.