The New England Patriots return from their bye week for a major game in two weeks. They’ll be hosting the Buffalo Bills, in a game where they would clinch the AFC East with a win. Despite that significance, that game will remain in the crowd of the 1:00 p.m. ET window.
On Tuesday morning, multiple reports including 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Scott Zolak and CBS’s Dan Roche shared that, despite speculation, that game will not be flexed out of its originally scheduled time slot. However Roche noted that the game will be televised “nationally” which could be a sign the game will have the CBS ‘A’ crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson on the call. Other CBS games that week include Ravens-Bengals, Chargers-Chiefs, Colts-Seahawks, and Packers-Broncos.
That game could have been flexed to Sunday or Monday night. The matchups currently in those time slots are Vikings-Cowboys and Dolphins-Steelers, respectively. Even the late afternoon window is pretty loaded that day with games including Colts-Seahawks, Packers-Broncos, and Lions-Rams.
With that game not being flexed, some wondered if the Patriots game at the Baltimore Ravens could end up getting the primetime treatment instead. It’s currently also scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
The current Sunday night game for that week is a potential flex candidate, with the Bengals visiting the Dolphins (it’ll be the second primetime game in a row for the Dolphins, who are on Monday Night Football the week before). It’s worth noting that the NFL has already started announcing updates for the schedule that week- on Tuesday they assigned the timeslots for the two games scheduled for that Saturday.
Whatever time the Patriots end up playing, coverage of all games can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Patriots Radio Network. Pregame begins three hours before the scheduled kickoff.
