The Baltimore Ravens will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on the penultimate edition of “Sunday Night Football” on Jan. 1 after the NFL flexed the Week 17 game into the primetime slot on Sunday.
The all-Los Angeles matchup between the Rams and Chargers is being flexed out of the primetime slot and into the afternoon.
It will be the first time the historic AFC North rivals play a primetime game against one another since 2018, and with playoff consequences aplenty.
The Ravens (10-5) beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-9 on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth and remain one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North. The Steelers (7-8) beat the Las Vegas Raiders 13-10 on Saturday night to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pittsburgh is tied with the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans at 7-8, one game behind the 8-7 Miami Dolphins for the seventh and final seed in the AFC. The Steelers need to win their final two games and get help from the other AFC teams in order to sneak into the playoffs.
It’s also unknown if former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson will return from his knee injury to quarterback the Ravens. Jackson hasn’t played since Dec. 4 against Denver and has missed three games.
The Ravens beat the Steelers 16-14 on Dec. 11 in Pittsburgh with Tyler Huntley under center in place of Jackson. The Ravens rushed for 215 yards that day.
The Rams-Chargers game will shift to 4:25 ET/1:25 PT. No other Week 17 games were flexed.
–Field Level Media