The Pittsburgh Steelers will face a short week between Weeks 11 and 12 this season. That’s because the black and gold will face the Denver Broncos during Thanksgiving week on Black Friday.
But thanks to a schedule change, the Steelers will have a few extra hours to prepare for the Broncos.
The Steelers announced Monday afternoon the NFL has flexed the team’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, November 22. Instead of 4:25 pm ET, the game will kick off at 1 pm ET.
The Steelers will visit their cross-state rival at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since December 2024.
“Our Week 11 game against the Eagles has been moved to 1 PM ET on CBS,” wrote the Steelers official X account.
Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley added more details about the switch on the team’s official website.
“In 2006, the NFL implemented ‘flexible scheduling,’ a procedure designed to promote quality matchups on Sunday nights and give surprise teams a chance to play their way onto primetime. For the 2026 season, flexible scheduling will include Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football,” wrote Varley.
“Please note that the NFL is continuously reviewing its scheduling procedures to ensure exciting and meaningful games are available for viewing by the largest number of fans and so further changes to flexible scheduling could be implemented in the future.”
NFL Changes Steelers-Eagles Kickoff Time
Steelers fans aren’t used to seeing their team flexed out of more important television windows. But the Steelers aren’t the reason for the Week 11 kickoff change in Philadelphia.
Obviously, the Eagles are the reason for the switch. Philadelphia dropped its seventh straight game to fall to 2-7 this season on Sunday. On a bye in Week 10, the Eagles won’t play again until the Steelers matchup.
While the NFL won’t be featuring the Pennsylvania showdown in Week 11 in the late afternoon window prior to Thanksgiving, it’s still a matchup the Steelers will have to take seriously.
No Steelers team has won a regular season game in Philadelphia during the Super Bowl era. Since 1965, the Steelers are 0-11 in Philadelphia.
The last time the Steelers won in eastern Pennsylvania, the Eagles still played at Franklin Field.
Will Pittsburgh Have Another 2026 Matchup Flexed?
With the Steelers sitting at 6-2, the likelihood they prime television-viewing slots is unlikely. But like the Week 11 game, the opponent will impact the league’s decision.
Pittsburgh’s matchup versus the Houston Texans is scheduled for “Sunday Night Football” on December 6 in Week 13. But the Texans sit at 3-5 after Week 9.
That game could be a flex candidate as well.
Of course, a Steelers late season game could also get flexed into a primetime slot. However, given that the team faces Baltimore Ravens twice, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers over the final four weeks of the campaign, the Steelers are unlikely to gain an extra night game before the postseason.
Steelers Announce Key Update on Eagles Week 11 Matchup