The NFL is giving fans a gift this Christmas, with two high-profile matchups between AFC contenders with plenty of playoff implications.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers play at 1 p.m. ET, and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans play at 4:30 p.m. ET, with both games streaming exclusively on Netflix.
After many experienced streaming issues during the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in November, Netflix is under a lot of pressure to ensure its viewers don’t have any problems watching the games.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is introduced before a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Images by Denny Medley-Imagn)
One Netflix subscriber even filed a lawsuit against Netflix for “breach of contract” due to constant glitches during the fight, according to TMZ.
This will be the first time an NFL game has been streamed exclusively on Netflix, and no matter what the viewing experience looks like for fans on Wednesday, it won’t be the last game they watch on the streaming service.
The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they agreed to a three-year deal in which the streaming service will air at least one Christmas Day game over the life of the deal.
Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of sports and nonfiction series, said the company learned from what went wrong in the Tyson-Paul fight.
“The sheer number of people who came to see it was incredible. And despite all the testing that the engineering team had done before that, and I think they are the best in the business, the only way to test something of that magnitude is to have something of that magnitude,” Riegg said.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson takes the field against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. (Images by Charles LeClaire-Imagn)
“We never want to have technical problems or a disappointing experience for our members. There was a subset of people who were watching who had problems with that and we recognize that. The good news is that they tested the system to such an extent that there are that they could make a lot of these fixes and improvements and are implementing all of those things.
Netflix’s first test will be a matchup between the Chiefs (14-1) and the Steelers (10-5).
The Chiefs have already secured their ninth consecutive AFC West title and are now playing for the number one seed in the AFC, which would give them the important bye week.
If the Chiefs were to win on Wednesday, they would have secured the No. 1 seed heading into Week 18, giving head coach Andy Reid the opportunity to rest his starters during the final week of the regular season.
The Chiefs are coming off a 27-19 win over the Texans on Saturday, where quarterback Patrick Mahomes played well. The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 33 yards and a touchdown despite playing with a sprained ankle.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens breaks through the Bengals defense for a touchdown reception at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 2024. (IMAGE)
The Steelers, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 34-17 loss against their archrival Ravens on Saturday.
It looked like the Steelers would have a chance to come back after safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Lamar Jackson down 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
However, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey thwarted any chance of a Steelers comeback with a Russell Wilson Pick Six on the next series, putting the Ravens up 31-17 and effectively sealing the victory.
The Steelers defense had a difficult time handling running back Derrick Henry, who ran the ball 24 times for 162 yards in Baltimore’s victory.
For the Steelers, their game against the Chiefs is crucial to winning the AFC North. Pittsburgh already clinched a playoff spot, but its loss on Saturday was a big blow to its chances of winning the division, as the Ravens are also 10-5.
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Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey returns an interception for a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Images by Tommy Gilligan-Imagn)
Good news for the Steelers is that wide receiver George Pickens has a “real chance” to play against the Chiefs, coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday.
Pickens has missed the last three games and has been greatly missed. In the three games without Pickens, the Steelers are averaging just 248.3 yards per game, nearly 77 yards less than their season average of 324.9.
As big of a loss as it was for the Steelers on Saturday, the Ravens’ win over Pittsburgh was a huge boost for them.
The Ravens played well on Saturday, outscoring the Steelers 418-315 in terms of yards, with 220 of those yards coming on the ground.
Jackson threw three touchdowns in the victory and will have a chance to make his MVP case to the entire world on Wednesday.
The Ravens quarterback is having another fantastic year, as Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen are considered the two favorites for the award.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Images by Tommy Gilligan-Imagn)
A Ravens win on Christmas would go a long way in their race against the Steelers for the AFC North crown.
The Ravens (10-5) face the Texans (9-6) in the second half of the NFL holiday doubleheader on Netflix.
They face a Texans team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to the loss, the Texans also lost second-year receiver Tank Dell for the season after he suffered a serious leg injury while catching a touchdown in the loss.
The Texans also lost wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the season after the star receiver tore his ACL, leaving what was once a strong receiving corps now thin.
A win over the Ravens on Christmas for the Texans would not only secure them a playoff spot, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.
Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud battles Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Images by Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn)
The Texans-Ravens matchup will also feature a special halftime performance by Beyoncé.
The four teams that will play on Wednesday will play their third game in 11 days.
With so many playoff implications and a big halftime performance, Netflix will be under a lot of pressure from NFL fans and the “BeyHive” to make sure everything goes smoothly.
