The NFL is giving fans a gift this Christmas with two high-profile matchups between AFC contenders with big implications for the playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers will play at 1 p.m. ET, and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will play at 4:30 p.m. ET, with both games being streamed exclusively on Netflix.
After many people had streaming issues with November's Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, Netflix is under tremendous pressure to ensure viewers can watch the fight without any issues.
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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 Imagen Images)
According to TMZ, one Netflix subscriber even filed a lawsuit against Netflix for “breach of contract” because of constant glitches during fights.
This is the first time an NFL game will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, and whatever the viewing experience for fans on Wednesday, it won't be the last they'll watch on the streaming service. do not have.
The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they had agreed to a three-year deal under which the streaming service would broadcast at least one Christmas Day game during the agreement.
Brandon League, Netflix's vice president of nonfiction series and sports, said the company learned from what went wrong in the Tyson vs. Paul fight.
“The sheer number of people who came to see it was incredible, and given all the testing our engineering team had done prior to it, I think they were the best in the industry, but on such a large scale “The only way to test something is to get something that large,” League said.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will take on the Cleveland Browns at Acrizier Stadium. (Charles LeClair Iman Images)
“We never want our members to have technical issues or a disappointing experience. Some people watching were struggling with that and we acknowledge that. The good news is , they have stress-tested the system to a very high level. We recognize that many of these fixes and improvements can be made on our own, and we have applied all of them.”
Netflix's first test will be a showdown between the Chiefs (14-1) and Steelers (10-5).
The Chiefs have already won their ninth straight AFC West title and are currently playing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so they have a very important bye week.
If the Chiefs win Wednesday, they will have a No. 1 seed by Week 18, giving head coach Andy Reid a chance to rest his starters in the final week of the regular season.
The Chiefs defeated the Texans 27-19 on Saturday, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 33 yards and one 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 at Peiko Stadium in Cincinnati on December 1, 2024. (Imagination)
Meanwhile, the Steelers suffered a 34-17 loss to their arch-rival Ravens on Saturday.
It looked like the Steelers had a chance at a comeback in the fourth quarter when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Lamar Jackson to make it 24-17.
However, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey hit a pick-six off Russell Wilson on the ensuing drive, denying the Steelers a chance at a comeback and effectively clinching the victory by giving the Ravens a 31-17 lead.
The Steelers' defense struggled to handle running back Derrick Henry, who ran 24 times for 162 yards in the Baltimore win.
For the Steelers, the game against the Chiefs is crucial to winning the AFC North. Pittsburgh has already clinched a playoff berth, but the Ravens are also 10-5, and Saturday's loss was a big blow to their chances of winning the division.
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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 – Imagen Images)
The 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 heartbroken. In the three games without Pickens, the Steelers averaged just 248.3 yards, nearly 77 fewer than their season average of 324.9 yards.
Saturday's loss was a big blow to the Steelers, but the Ravens' win over Pittsburgh was an equally big boost for them.
The Ravens played well Saturday, outscoring the Steelers in yards, 418-315, with 220 of them on the ground.
Jackson threw three touchdowns in the victory and will have a chance to claim MVP with the whole world watching on Wednesday.
The Ravens quarterback is having another great year, as Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen are considered the two favorites for this award.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson plays against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan – Imagen Images)
A win for the Ravens on Christmas Day would be a huge step forward in their fight for the AFC North title against the Steelers.
The Ravens (10-5) will take on the Texans (9-6) in the second part of the NFL Christmas doubleheader, which will air on Netflix.
They will play a Texans team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to this loss, the Texans also lost second-year wide receiver Tank Dell for the season after suffering a serious foot injury while scoring a touchdown.
The Texans also lost wide receiver Stefon Diggs midway through the season after star receiver Stefon Diggs tore his ACL, leaving their once-powerful wide receiver corps thin.
If the Texans defeat the Ravens on Christmas Day, they will not only clinch a playoff berth, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud takes on Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drew Tranquill at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagine Images)
The Texans vs. Ravens game will also feature a special halftime performance by Beyoncé.
All four teams playing Wednesday will be playing for the third time in 11 days.
With so many implications for the playoffs and a huge halftime performance, Netflix will be under a lot of pressure from NFL fans and the Beyhive to keep things running smoothly.
FOX News' Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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