The NFL is giving fans a gift on Christmas, with two high-profile matchups between AFC contenders with plenty of playoff implications.
gave Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers play at 1 pm ET, and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans play at 4:30 pm ET, both games airing exclusively on Netflix.
After many people experienced streaming issues during the Jack Paul-Mike Tyson fight in November, Netflix is under a lot of pressure to make sure their viewers have no problems watching the games.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is introduced before the game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
Also a Netflix subscriber Filed a case Due to constant glitches during the fight against Netflix for “breach of contract,” per TMZ.
This will be the first time an NFL game has been streamed exclusively on Netflix, and no matter what the viewing experience is like for fans on Wednesday, it won’t be the last game they stream. Look at the service.
The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they had agreed to a three-year deal where the streaming service would air at least one Christmas Day game over the life of the deal.
Brendan Rigg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the company learned from what went wrong in the Tyson-Paul fight.
“The sheer tonnage of people who came to watch was incredible. And for all the testing that the engineering team had done before, and I think they’re the best in the business, the only way to test this magnitude is is to achieve something of this magnitude,” Reg said.
Patrick Mahomes plays through a sprained ankle to lead the Chiefs to victory. Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson takes the field against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. (Charles LeClaire-Imagin Images)
“We never want to have technical issues or a frustrating experience for our members. There was a subset of people watching that struggled with it and we acknowledge that. The good news is that they’ve fixed the system. So pressure-tested that there are a lot of fixes and improvements that they feel they can do, and they’re implementing all of those things.”
Netflix’s first Test will be between Chiefs (14-1). And the Steelers (10-5).
The Chiefs have already clinched their ninth straight AFC West title and are now playing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, giving them the most important bye week opportunity.
If the Chiefs win Wednesday, they’ll have the No. 1 seed locked up before Week 18, giving head coach Andy Reid a chance 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 well played The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 33 yards and a touchdown despite playing through a sprained ankle.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens breaks through the Bengals defense for a touchdown reception on Dec. 1, 2024 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. (IMAGN)
The Steelers, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 34-17 loss against them. Arch-rivals Ravens On Saturday
It looked like the Steelers would have a chance to come back after the safety. Minkah Fitzpatrick Stopped Lamar Jackson down 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
However, the Ravens’ cornerback Marilyn Humphrey Russell Wilson’s pick-six on the ensuing drive thwarted any chance of a Steelers comeback, putting the Ravens up 31-17 and effectively sealing the win.
The Steelers defense had a tough time at running back Derek HenryWho rushed the ball 24 times for 162 yards in Baltimore’s win.
For the Steelers, their game against the Chiefs is crucial to clinch the AFC North. Pittsburgh has already clinched a playoff spot, but their loss on Saturday was a major blow to their 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. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)
Some 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 is sorely missed. In three games without Pickens, the Steelers are averaging just 248.3 yards per game, down nearly 77 yards from their season average of 324.9.
As big a blow as Saturday was for the Steelers, the Ravens’ win over Pittsburgh was just as big a boost for them.
The Ravens played well Saturday, outgaining the Steelers 418-315 in yards, with 220 of those yards coming on the ground.
Jackson threw up. Three touchdowns in the win, and he’ll have a chance to make his MVP case with the whole world on Wednesday.
The Ravens quarterback is having another stellar year, as Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen Two are considered favorites for the award.
The Texans added Pro Bowl wide receiver Deontay Johnson after a devastating injury to Tank Dale.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)
A win for the Ravens on Christmas Eve would go a long way in their race against the Steelers for the AFC North crown.
The Ravens (10-5) are taking over. Texas (9-6) in the second half of the NFL’s Christmas doubleheader on Netflix.
They are facing a Texas team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to the loss, the Texans also lost second-year wide receiver Tank Deal for the season after he suffered a serious leg injury while catching a touchdown in the loss.
Texas also lost a wide receiver. Stephen Diggs For the season after the star receiver tore his ACL, what was once a strong wide receiving corps is now thin.
A win against the Ravens on Christmas for the Texans would not only clinch them a playoff spot, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud goes up against Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drew Tranquil at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Amigan Images)
The Texans-Ravens matchup will also feature a special halftime performance by Beyoncé.
All four teams playing on Wednesday are playing their third match 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 things go off without a hitch.
Jackson Thompson of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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