Steelers-Eagles Week 11 game flexed to 1 p.m. as Philadelphia's slide costs it the late window

The Pittsburgh Steelers' trip across the state to face the Philadelphia Eagles has a new start time. The NFL moved the Week 11 game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Nov. 22 from its original 4:25 p.m. kickoff to 1 p.m., Steelers.com announced Monday. The game stays on CBS, which is KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers didn't cause the move. Philadelphia did. NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that the Eagles are 2-7. They won their first two games, then lost seven straight, the latest to the Giants, and they head into their bye week in that state. The league gave the 4:25 p.m. national window to Jacksonville (6-2) at the New York Giants (5-2-1). WPXI also reported the swap. NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro expects more of these moves for Philadelphia, writing that this "probably won't be the last time" the Eagles get pulled out of a national game this season.

For Pittsburgh, the change mostly matters for travel and the TV audience. Fans going to Philadelphia will need to arrive about three and a half hours earlier than planned. A regional 1 p.m. broadcast also means fewer viewers around the country will see a 6-2 team that is playing well right now. Nothing else about the matchup changes. Pittsburgh still faces a struggling opponent on the road, a week after a division game.

What it means for Cincinnati

The Eagles game comes after Sunday night's game at Cincinnati on NBC on Nov. 15. The Steelers have won four straight: 34-22 over Indianapolis, 26-19 at Tampa Bay, 16-10 over New Orleans and 27-6 over Cleveland in their last game. Over the last three games the defense has allowed 6, 10 and 19 points. At 6-2, Pittsburgh has already beaten the Bengals once, 30-27 at home.

The Steelers have been much better at home than on the road. They are 5-0 at home and 1-2 away. They lost 20-3 at New England and 27-24 at Cleveland, and their only road win came in Tampa. So the next two weekends are both road games, first at Cincinnati and then at Philadelphia.

The board for Steelers at Bengals tracks 11 venues, and Cincinnati is favored despite the earlier loss. Novig has the Bengals at -182 on the moneyline. The best price anywhere is -180 at DraftKings, so the venues are close at the top of the market. Novig lists Pittsburgh at +174, which returns $174 profit per $100. Novig's spread has Cincinnati at -3.5 (-102) and the Steelers at +3.5 (-106). The total is 48.5, with the over at -102 and the under at -100. For comparison, sportsbook hold runs 3.2% to 5.1% on the moneyline, 2.9% to 4.8% on the spread and 4.0% to 4.8% on the total.

A total of 48.5 points is higher than most of Pittsburgh's recent games. Only one of the Steelers' last three games produced more than 40 combined points. A 3.5-point spread means Cincinnati is expected to win by more than a field goal. That is a big ask against a team riding a four-game winning streak, though Pittsburgh has lost two of its three road games.

After the Bengals game, the Steelers will play the 1 p.m. game in Philadelphia. More coverage of the season is on the Steelers team page.