It raised eyebrows when the NFL placed Ravens vs. Bills in Week 8 at 1 p.m., rather than in primetime.
However, a Ravens-Bills matchup doesn't need primetime to attract a huge audience. That contributed to the NFL's decision. The league wants to make sure it offers compelling games in the early afternoon, and Ravens vs. Bills fits that description.
"You could put Baltimore-Buffalo in any of our primetime packages and any one of our partners would have been thrilled to get it, and you might've had 18 or 20 million people watching that game," NFL Vice President of Marketing Mike North said during a Friday conference call.
"As a 1 o'clock anchor for CBS, it may get 75% of the country. You might have more people watching that game Sunday on CBS at 1 o'clock than you might have if it was on Monday night or Thursday night. It reaffirms our commitment to keeping Sunday afternoon strong."
North said there are other primetime-worthy 1 p.m. matchups on the 2026 schedule, such as the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 on FOX.
"The 1 o'clock window still matters," North said. "It matters to the league, it matters to our partners, it matters to our fans.
"We're not just going to take the 272 [games] and rank them and take the top 70 and put them in primetime. Frankly, it speaks to the value of the Sunday Ticket product. If you want to catch a Rams-Eagles [game] that week and you're getting Texans-Cowboys instead, that's exactly what that product is for."
The Ravens-Bills rivalry has become one of the league's best, with MVPs Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen headlining the matchup. The three most recent meetings between the two AFC heavyweights have been on primetime.
North also addressed the Ravens' schedule being backloaded with AFC North games down the stretch. Baltimore's final four games are against divisional opponents for the first time in franchise history.
There's been an increased effort to have divisional opponents face each other late in the season. North doesn't think four straight AFC North games to close the season is extreme.
"Division games late in the season always matter," North said. "Throw out the records. If both teams are competitive, that's spectacular. If only one team is fighting for a playoff spot, then the other team has everything to play for now. '[If] we can't have a good season, the best thing we can do is ruin theirs.'
"We love division games late in the season. Here's hoping that both Steelers-Ravens games down the stretch matter and decide the division. I'm not sure [about] six division games to finish the season. But no hesitation to play more division games late."
