The NFL gives the fans a gift for Christmas with two top-class duels between AFC contenders with many playoff implications.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers play at 1:00 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 issues watching the matches.
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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. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)
Even a Netflix subscriber filed a lawsuit against Netflix for “breach of contract” due to constant glitches during the fight, according to TMZ.
This is the first time an NFL game will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, and no matter what the viewing experience is for fans on Wednesday, it won’t be the last game they see on the streaming service.
The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they had agreed to a three-year deal that would see the streaming service air at least one Christmas game during the term of the deal.
Brandon Riegg, Netflix vice president of factual series and sports, said the company learned from the mistakes in the Tyson-Paul fight.
“The sheer amount of people who came to watch was incredible. And despite all the testing the engineering team has done before, and I think they’re the best in the business, there’s only one way to test something of this magnitude,” Riegg said.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson takes on the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
“We never want our members to have technical problems or a disappointing experience. There was a subset of viewers who struggled with this, and we recognize that. The good news is that they’ve stress tested the system so much that it’s like this. They’ve realized that they can make a lot of these fixes and improvements, and they’re applying all of these things.
Netflix’s first test will be a showdown between the Chiefs (14-1). and Steelers (10-5).
The Chiefs have already secured their ninth straight AFC West title and are now playing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would give them the crucial release week.
Should the Chiefs win on Wednesday, the No. 1 seed would move into Week 18, giving head coach Andy Reid a chance to rest his starters in the final week of the regular season.
The Chiefs are coming off a 27-19 win against the Texans at quarterback on Saturday Patrick Mahomes played well. The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while managing a sprained ankle for 33 yards and a touchdown.
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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 December 1, 2024. (IMAGN)
The Steelers, on the other hand, suffered a heavy 34:17 defeat against the Steelers Arch-rival Ravens on Saturday.
It looked like the Steelers had a chance at a comeback after the safety Minkah Fitzpatrick caught Lamar Jackson making it 24:17 in the fourth quarter.
However, the Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey thwarted any chance of a Steelers comeback with a pick six to Russell Wilson on the ensuing drive, putting the Ravens ahead 31-17 and effectively sealing the victory.
The Steelers defense had a lot of trouble with the running back Derrick Henrywho ran the ball 24 times for 162 yards in the win for Baltimore.
For the Steelers, their game against the Chiefs is crucial to winning the AFC North. Pittsburgh has already secured a spot in the playoffs, but Saturday’s loss 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)
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 he has been sorely missed. In the three games without Pickens, the Steelers averaged just 248.3 yards per game, nearly 77 yards fewer than their season average of 324.9.
As tough as the Steelers’ loss was on Saturday, the Ravens’ win over Pittsburgh was just as big a boost for them.
The Ravens played well on Saturday, outscoring the Steelers 418-315 yards, with 220 of those yards coming on the ground.
Jackson threw He scored three touchdowns in the win and will have a chance to cement his MVP claim in front of the world on Wednesday.
The Ravens quarterback is having another fantastic year, as are 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. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)
A win for the Ravens on Christmas would be a big step in their race against the Steelers for the AFC North title.
The Ravens (10-5) take it on the Texans (9-6) in the second part of the NFL’s Christmas doubleheader on Netflix.
They face a Texas team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to the loss, the Texans also lost second-year wide receiver Tank Dell this season after he suffered a serious leg injury during a touchdown in the loss.
The Texans also lost wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the season after the star receiver tore his cruciate ligament and the once strong wide receiver corps had now become thin.
A win over the Ravens on Christmas would not only secure the Texans a playoff spot, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud battles Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
The Texans-Ravens game will also feature a special halftime performance from Beyoncé.
All four teams playing on Wednesday are playing their third game in 11 days.
With so much playoff impact and a great halftime performance, Netflix will be under a lot of pressure from NFL fans and the “BeyHive” to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Jackson Thompson of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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