Live Thread: Christmas Day doubleheader Chiefs at Steelers, Ravens at Texans
Dec 25, 2024
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Week 17 kicks off with a Christmas Day doubleheader with the Chiefs battling the Steelers, followed by the Ravens and Texans. Come chat with us in our live thread. Week 17 begins with a Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix!
All four teams on today’s docket are AFC Playoffs teams, with two already locking up their division—one of them looking to clinch the No. 1 seed—and the other two fighting for the top spot in their division.
The 1:00 p.m. ET game will feature the AFC West winner Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) at the AFC North current leader Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5). That game will be followed by the AFC North second-place Baltimore Ravens (10-5) traveling to Texas to take on the AFC South-winning Houston Texans (9-6).
Chiefs at Steelers
Date: Wednesday, December 25, 2024Time: 1:00 p.m. ETLocation: Acrisure Stadium, (colloquially known as Heinz Field), Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaTV (stream): NetflixAnnouncers: Ian Eagle, Nate Burleson, and J.J. Watt (field reporter)Additional online Streaming: NFL+ Premium
The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Kansas City in this game with the betting line being set at Chiefs -2.5 points.
There are playoff implications for both teams in this game, which should add a little extra motivation. For the Chiefs, a win clinches them the No. 1 seed in the AFC, giving them a bye in the Wild Card round and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
For the Steelers, they currently hold the tiebreakers over the Ravens, and a win would allow them to enter the final week of the season still in the top spot in the AFC North. If Pittsburgh loses, they’ll open the door for Baltimore to jump them in the division standings. The Steelers play the Bengals (7-8) in Week 18, and with Cincinnati potentially fighting for a spot in the playoffs, it could make a difficult end of the season for the Steelers.
Ravens at Texans
Date: Wednesday, December 25, 2024Time: 4:30 p.m. ETLocation: NRG Stadium, Houston, TexasTV (stream): NetflixAnnouncers: Noah Eagle, Greg Olsen, and Steve Wyche (field reporter)Additional online Streaming: NFL+ Premium
The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Baltimore in this game with the betting line being set at Ravens -5.5 points.
The Texans who are currently the No. 4 seed in the AFC, are guaranteed to host a playoff game in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but if they want to move up the rankings, a win in this game would give them a chance to move up.. They can’t catch the Chiefs or Buffalo Bills for the top two spots, but the Texans would move up to the No. 3 seed if both the Steelers and Ravens lose this week.
For the Ravens, if they beat the Texans and the Steelers lose to the Chiefs, Baltimore would move up into the No. 3 seed. If the Ravens lose, they’ll stay at the No. 5 seed regardless of what else happens. If the Ravens and Steelers win, the Ravens stay in the No. 5 seed and will go into the season finale looking to beat the Browns and hoping the Bengals can beat the Steelers.
Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments!