Flexed Out: Patriots-Raiders Bumped From Sunday Night Football

The long-awaited matchup between Bill Belichick’s Patriots and Josh McDaniels’ Raiders will move to an afternoon time slot on Sunday, Dec. 18.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are apparently no longer ready for prime time. 

The Pats Week 15 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders had been scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, NV. However, as first reported by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Scott Zolak, the game has been flexed out of the coveted night-time slot and moved to a 4:05 p.m. kickoff.

The New York Giants and Washington Commanders, who battled to an exciting 20-20 tie in Week 13, will take the spot on Sunday Night Football from FedEx Field in Landover, MD. 

The Pats are currently clinging to the slimmest of playoff hopes after a 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills dropped them to 6-6 on the season, and currently out of playoff-seeding. Conversely, the Raiders have surprisingly struggled, sitting with a 5-7 record and out of playoff contention. They did however score an impressive 27-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.  

In the offseason, Las Vegas hired former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as its head coach. They did so shortly after securing the services of general manager Dave Ziegler, who has previously served as New England’s director of player personnel. McDaniels has also hired former Pats assistants Mick Lombardi (offensive coordinator), Carmen Bricillo (offensive line coach), Bo Hardegree (quarterbacks coach), who were on New England’s staff in 2021. The Raiders 2022 coaching contingent also features defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, senior offensive assistant Jerry Schuplinski and senior defensive assistant Rob Ryan, all of whom have spent time with the Patriots organization.

The Raiders roster contains several former Patriots players, including reserve quarterback Jarrett Stidham, running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Jakob Johnson, and defensive end Chandler Jones. 

The Patriots return to the practice fields on Tuesday to begin preparations for their Week 14 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Monday night Dec. 12. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. 

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