Patriots
This marks the first time that the NFL has flexed out a Monday Night Football game.
How bad is it going for the 2-9 Patriots?
Not even the presence of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce (and potentially Taylor Swift) in Foxborough during Week 15 is enough to warrant the Patriots earning a primetime slot on national TV.
The NFL announced on Thursday that it has flexed the Patriots out of their scheduled Monday Night Football showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 18 — with New England now set to host the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m.
Patriots-Chiefs will be replaced on Monday Night Football by the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks game.
Once the top draw across the U.S. during their two-decade dynasty with Tom Brady, the 2023 Patriots have quickly devolved into a cellar-dweller in the AFC — prompting the NFL to pull them from a featured national timeslot.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, this is the first time that the NFL has ever flexed out a Monday Night Football game.
This season marks the first time the NFL has opened the door for games to be flexed in and out of Monday Night Football between Weeks 12 and 17. The deadline to augment the scheduled Monday games is 12 days before kickoff.
With the Patriots in the midst of a four-game losing streak entering Sunday’s home game against the Chargers, it seems like the NFL isn’t interested in showing Bailey Zappe’s possible rise as the team’s QB1 on a featured broadcast.
However, New England still does have a few more primetime matchups on the docket to round out the 2023 season.
The Patriots are still scheduled to take on the Steelers in Week 14 for the league’s Thursday Night Football matchup on Dec. 7. New England is also still on tap to play the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve for the NFL Network’s Sunday night timeslot.
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