File this under the some things you never thought you’d see department.

On Dec. 22, NBC was slated to get New England-Baltimore on Sunday night. Tom Brady vs. Joe Flacco and the defending Super Bowl champs. Sounds like a good game for primetime, right?

Well, the NFL announced today that it will flex the Chicago-Philadelphia game to that Sunday evening, moving Patriots-Ravens to 4:25 p.m.

Really? Has the country all of the sudden caught Josh McCown fever after last night’s performance (4 pass TDs, 1 rush TD)? I know we have in Chicago.

Meanwhile, the Eagles quarterback is Nick Foles, not Michael Vick. Yet the battle of the backups (assuming the Bears stick with McCown) will be in primetime.

Actually, there might be more to this shift. If you look at the schedule, Pittsburgh at Green Bay was slated to be the doubleheader game on CBS. Obviously, not much of a game now.

In looking at the AFC schedule, NE-Baltimore was the best possible alternative for CBS. Hence, the flex.

It gives CBS a good game in the afternoon, and NBC should get a game with playoff implications in primetime.