Netflix under pressure with Christmas Day NFL slate after Tyson-Paul streaming debacle

The NFL is giving fans a Christmas present with two high-profile matchups between AFC contenders with plenty of playoff implications.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers play at 1:00 PM ET, and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans play at 4:30 PM ET, with both games streaming exclusively on Netflix.

After many experienced streaming issues during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight in November, Netflix is ​​under a lot of pressure to ensure their viewers have no problems watching the games.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is introduced prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley-Imagn Photos)

One Netflix subscriber even filed a lawsuit against Netflix for “breach of contract” due to constant errors during the match, according to TMZ.

It will be the first time an NFL game will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, and regardless of the viewing experience for fans on Wednesday, it won’t be the last game they watch on the streaming service.

The NFL and Netflix announced in May that they agreed to a three-year deal in which the streaming service will broadcast at least one Christmas Day game during the life of the deal.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction and sports, said the company learned from what went wrong in the Tyson-Paul fight.

“The amount of people that came to watch was incredible. And despite all the tests that the engineering team had done prior to that, and I think they are the best in the business, the only way to test something of that magnitude on. to have something of that magnitude,” Riegg said.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson takes the field against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Photos)

“We never want to have technical issues or a disappointing experience for our members. There was a subset of people watching that struggled with that, and we recognize that. The good news is that they stress tested the system to such an extent , that there are a lot of these fixes and improvements that they realized they could make, and they’re applying all of those things.”

Netflix’s first test will be a showdown between the 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, which would give them the all-important bye week.

If the Chiefs were to win on Wednesday, they would have the No. 1 seed locked up before 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 over the Texans on Saturday in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes played well. The star quarterback threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while 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 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Dec. 1, 2024. (IMAGIN)

The Steelers, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 34-17 loss against their archrival Ravens on Saturday.

It looked like the Steelers would have a chance to come back after Minkah Fitzpatrick sacked Lamar Jackson down 24-17 in the fourth quarter.

However, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey thwarted any chance of a Steelers comeback with a Pick Six from Russell Wilson on the ensuing drive, putting the Ravens up 31-17 and effectively sealing the victory.

The Steelers’ defense had a tough time handling running back Derrick Henry, who 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 clinched a playoff spot, but their loss on Saturday was a big 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 Photos)

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 has been sorely missed. In the three games without Pickens, the Steelers are averaging just 248.3 yards per carry. game, nearly 77 yards short of their season average of 324.9.

As big a blow as the loss was to the Steelers on Saturday, the Ravens’ win over Pittsburgh was just as big a boost for them.

The Ravens played well on Saturday, outgaining the Steelers 418-315 in yards, with 220 of those yards coming on the ground.

Jackson threw three touchdowns in the win and will have a chance to make his MVP case with the world watching on Wednesday.

The Ravens quarterback is having another stellar year as 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 Photos)

A win for the Ravens this Christmas would go a long way in their race against the Steelers for the AFC North crown.

The Ravens (10-5) take on the Texans (9-6) in the second part of the NFL’s Christmas doubleheader on Netflix.

They take on a Texans team that just lost to the Chiefs. In addition to the loss, the Texans also lost second-year wide receiver Tank Dell for the season after he suffered a gruesome leg injury while catching a touchdown in the loss.

The Texans also lost wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the season after the star receiver tore his ACL, leaving what was once a strong wide receiving corps now thin.

A win over the Ravens this Christmas for the Texans would not only secure them a playoff spot, but also the AFC South title and a home playoff game.

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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud tackles 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 intermission from Beyoncé.

All four teams playing on Wednesday will be playing their third game in 11 days.

With so many playoff implications and a big break at halftime, Netflix will be under a lot of pressure from NFL fans and the “BeyHive” to make sure things run smoothly.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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