The NFL can rearrange the schedule to get the best matchups into the primetime slots. This is precisely what they did for Week 16. There will be a new Sunday Night Football matchup, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins have been removed from the primetime game. Now, it’s set to display the potential NFL MVP.
NFL Flexes Week 16 Sunday Night Football
The New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens are set to square off on Sunday Night Football after the NFL flexed them in. This is a much more intriguing matchup than the Bengals and Dolphins, two teams with losing records at the moment.
The Dolphins and Bengals have virtually no chance at making the playoffs, even if they do win out.
Although the Ravens are currently sitting at a losing record, they sit just one game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.
The Ravens are doing their best to recover from a horrific 1-5 start to the season, but their losses to the Steelers and Bengals have severely hurt their chances.
Flex: Patriots-Ravens has moved into the week 16 Sunday night slot and Bengals-Dolphins has moved out.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 8, 2025
On the other hand, the Patriots are cruising in the AFC at the top of the AFC East. They sit at 11-2 and are in position to be the potential No. 1 seed in the AFC. They can thank their quarterback, Drake Maye, for their tremendous turnaround.
With Mike Vrabel as head coach, Maye has made considerable strides from a rookie QB who only showed flashes of brilliance into a real MVP candidate.
Maye ranks second in PFSN’s QB Impact score with a grade of 88.6. He leads the NFL in completion percentage and has his team with an NFL-high 11 wins. If he continues to play at this level, there’s a high chance that Maye could be walking away from the NFL Awards show with the MVP award.
This game should have significant playoff implications. The Patriots could potentially clinch the division with a win against Buffalo in Week 15, but the race for the No. 1 seed with the Broncos will be ongoing. The first-round bye is huge. One less game and home-field advantage are huge. The Patriots are interesting, though, as they have yet to lose a road game.
The Patriots will face a desperate Ravens team that is playing for its playoff lives. Any slip-up from Baltimore could end their season. The Patriots will need to be aware of their desperation and respond accordingly. It would be a nice early Christmas gift for New England to take this game and continue to fuel the Maye MVP campaign. But before they can look ahead, the Bills lie ahead in their most significant clash of the season.