The Bengals' Week 11 "Sunday Night Football" game vs. the Steelers is no more. Rather, it no longer will be played on "SNF."
Instead, Cincinnati's AFC North battle vs. Pittsburgh has been flexed to a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS, leaving the Chiefs-Chargers game to move up and take over the 8:20 p.m. ET slot on NBC.
The NFL made the announcement on Tuesday well in advance of the game, leaving all involved plenty of time to make the appropriate arrangements. That doesn't mean everybody was happy with the decision, however.
Just ask the Bengals, which issued a snarky response to the announcement with a perfect 6-second video of quarterback Joe Burrow:
Our official statement in response to being flexed out of Sunday Night Football. pic.twitter.com/CMkGBBZ571
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 8, 2022
It's no fun getting flexed out of one of the biggest games of the week, but it's clear the NFL views the AFC West meeting between the Chiefs and Chargers — and their high-powered quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, respectively — as the more interesting option.
Kansas City and Los Angeles are 6-2 and 5-3 and place first and second in their division, respectively. The Week 11 meeting could go a long way in determining which of those teams wins the AFC West.
Conversely, the meeting between the defending AFC champion Bengals (5-4) and Steelers (2-6) doesn't seem nearly as enticing, especially with the latter's offensive struggles this year.
Either way, here is the updated Week 11 NFL schedule, post-flex:
Week 11 NFL TV schedule
Thursday, Nov. 17
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Titans at Packers | 8:15 p.m. | Amazon Prime |
Sunday, Nov. 20
Changes in schedule due to flex are italicized.
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Bears at Falcons | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Panthers at Ravens | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Browns at Bills | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Commanders at Texans | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Eagles at Colts | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Jets at Patriots | 1 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Rams at Saints | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Lions at Giants | 1 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Raiders at Broncos | 4:05 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Bengals at Steelers | 4:25 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Cowboys at Vikings | 4:25 p.m. | CBS, fuboTV |
| Chiefs at Chargers | 8:20 p.m. | NBC, fuboTV |
Monday, Nov. 21
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers at Cardinals | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV |