There was little doubt that the NFL would be flexing the Rams and Chargers out of Sunday Night Football in Week 17, but the game that will be taking its place comes as a surprise.
The league announced on Sunday that the Steelers and Ravens will now square off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The battle for Los Angeles will move to 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
While the Steelers and Ravens are longstanding rivals, the Steelers are playoff longshots who could be eliminated before kickoff and the Ravens may be without Lamar Jackson for the fourth straight game. There are also a couple of games that seemed like better candidates for the spotlight that comes with being on Sunday night.
The Buccaneers-Panthers game will help decide who wins the NFC South, the Dolphins-Patriots game has Wild Card implications in the AFC, and Sunday’s Packers win means their game against the Vikings can also factor into the playoff race.
Those games will all be played on Sunday afternoon, however, and the Steelers and Ravens will close out the day’s schedule.
