For the first time, Netflix will be broadcasting live NFL games on Christmas day this year. By just having a Netflix subscription, you can watch both games that are being shown for free. This is a great way for Netflix to help the NFL by possibly creating more football fans and drawing in more attention to the NFL itself.
Last Christmas, the NFL recorded close to 30 million viewers for its three games across CBS, Fox, and ESPN, and Netflix will hope that its coverage of the league will attract and gain more subscribers around the festive period. The broadcasts will also boost Netflix’s advertising business, allowing it to increase revenue and reduce reliance on subscription income. It was announced in June that the company was selling advertising packages for its NFL coverage for more than $5 million.
This year, the two games that are being shown consist of four playoff bound teams. Every team playing is in the AFC, and all have at least 8 wins on the season. At 1:00 PM, Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers will battle the Kansas City Chiefs. After this game, former 2023 league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will be traveling to Houston to take on C.J. Stroud and the Texans at 4:30 PM. No team is favored to win by more than 10 points, as these two matchups should result in two very close finishes.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers: The first game being shown on Christmas Day will be between the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) in Pittsburgh at 1:00 PM. Both teams currently lead their divisions, and one is looking to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has won 10 or more games for 10 straight seasons, which is good enough for second all time. On the other hand, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 18 years as head coach. The Chiefs clinched the wildcard with their impressive record, and the Steelers are on pace to make the playoffs and hopefully do the same.
The Chiefs have been on an impressive run this year, beating every team they have gone against except the Bills, which put them 2nd in the league with the same amount of wins as the number one ranked NFC team, the Detroit Lions. Patrick Mahomes knows how to win games, as he has an outstanding record of 86-23 as a starter. The Chiefs are returning their star running back Isaiah Pacheco, who is coming off of a leg injury which took him out most of the year. Their best receiver, Travis Kelce, has had an off year so far, only scoring 2 touchdowns on the season.
The Steelers have also had a successful start to their season. They have a 10-3 record and have one of the toughest schedules in the whole league. They are currently first in the AFC North, being ahead of the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns, who are all very good teams. Their offense is led by their newly acquired veteran QB Russell Wilson, and young star WR George Pickens. The defense is led by a former defensive player of the year T.J Watt, and star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pittsburgh’s defense is currently the best in the league at forcing turnovers, with an average of 2 takeaways per game.
Both the Steelers and Chiefs have played exceptionally well this season, having a combined record of 21-4 this year. The Chiefs have tied the NFL record for most wins by 7 or fewer points in a single season. This game will be high scoring with lots of highlights from both teams, and will most likely go down to the final drive to determine the winner. The Chiefs are the favorites to win with a bet line of -200, and a bet line of -100 on the game going over 41 points. This matchup could be one of the best games of the year with two great teams going against each other on such a special day for football fans.
Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans: The second game out of the two will be a matchup between the Baltimore Ravens (8-5), and the Houston Texans (8-5) at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Both of these AFC teams currently have a solid 8 wins on the season. These teams are also led by some of the best quarterbacks in the league right now. Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud are game changers on the offensive side of the ball. Lamar Jackson is hoping to win his third MVP this season with his lights-out play. On the other hand, C.J. Stroud has not been playing as well as he might have expected, but he still finds ways to lead his team to victories. These guys can’t do it alone, as both teams have a significant amount of talent surrounding their star quarterbacks.
For the Ravens, superstar RB Derrick Henry has not slowed down one bit at the age of 30. Henry is currently second in rushing yards on the season, and is first in rushing touchdowns with 13. Second year WR Zay Flowers and veteran TE Mark Andrews have also contributed to the Ravens impressive scoring. On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens have not been as efficient, as they have given up the most yards to wide receivers out of any defense this year. Their starting kicker Justin Tucker has also been having the worst season of his Hall of Fame career so far. Tucker has not been automatic when kicking field goals, as he has missed a total of 8 kicks this year.
Houston matches well with Baltimore, as they are also loaded with weapons on the offensive side along with Stroud. At the start of the season, their WR core looked like the best in the whole league. But, star WR Stefon Diggs suffered a season ending ACL injury in week 8, after having a great start to the season. Elite players on their offense such as WR Nico Collins and RB Joe Mixon also missed some time towards the beginning of the year, but they both have returned and have been amazing so far. Nico Collins is top 20 in receiving yards on the year, even while missing 5 games. Joe Mixon is just outside of the top 10 in rushing yards on the season with 887, even though he was out for 3 weeks. Houston’s defensive play has also been stellar, as they rank 4th in yards given up per game, with only 308.5 yards.
Both the Ravens and the Texans have had good seasons so far, but they are both still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Texans have it easier, as their 8-5 record is good enough to put them in first place in their division, as the same record only gives the Ravens second in theirs. This game should be a shoutout on offense, with both teams scoring a lot of points efficiently throughout the game. The Ravens are picked to win this game, as they are 9.5-point favorites. The Texans are still very capable of flipping this narrative, as their team is talented enough to make some noise in this game. This matchup should ultimately be a very entertaining watch, as both teams are fighting to continue their strong seasons. NFL fans are in store for an incredibly jam-packed Christmas Day.