The Patriots will avoid their fourth-straight game on national television according to schedule changes announced by the NFL.Mike Dussault

The NFL announced on Monday afternoon that the Week 15 matchup between the Patriots and Raiders will no longer be played in front of a national television audience on Sunday Night Football on NBC and will instead be flexed back to a 4:05pm EST kickoff on Sunday, December 18, 2022. In their place, the Commanders and Giants will meet in the national game on Sunday night in a battle for the NFC East, while the NFL also enhanced a slate of Saturday's games with a tripleheader that culminates with Dolphins at Bills at 8:15pm on NFL Network.

After playing three nationally televised games in a row, the Patriots will get a slight reprieve from the intensive schedule and attention, though their travel plans to remain in Arizona in between their matchups against the Cardinals and Raiders are likely to remain unchanged.

New England is 6-6 while the Raiders are 5-7 with a current two-game winning streak. Both teams are very much alive in the AFC playoff race, likely vying for the seventh and final spot in the conference and this still figures to be a critical game for both teams.

The Patriots face the Cardinals on Monday Night Football this week, while the Raiders travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams.

The updated schedule for Week 15 is as follows:

Thursday, December 15, 2022

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 PM Prime Video

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 PM NFLNBaltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 4:30 PM NFLNMiami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 PM NFLN

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM FOXPittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM CBSPhiladelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM FOXKansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans, 1:00 PM CBSDallas Cowboys at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 PM FOXDetroit Lions at New York Jets, 1:00 PM CBSArizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos, 4:05 PM FOXNew England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 PM FOXTennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 PM CBSCincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:25 PM CBSNew York Giants at Washington Commanders, 8:20 PM NBC

Monday, December 19, 2022

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers, 8:15 PM ESPN