NFL Christmas Day: Patriots rooting guide, game picks, open thread

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone, and now it’s time to celebrate some football. After playing last Saturday, four AFC contenders are now set to take the stage on Christmas Day – with a half-time show from Beyonce sprinkled in.

Check below for Pat’s Pulpit’s picks tonight, and head to the comments section to further discuss Friday night’s action.

Patriots rooting guide

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers: Go Steelers! A little crazy for the Patriots draft pick, but a Steelers win will keep Buffalo Bills hopes alive — leading to them likely playing their starters against New England in Week 18. | 1 p.m. ET, Netflix

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans: Go Raven! Beating the Patriots earlier this season, a Texans loss will positively affect New England’s strength plan. | 4:30 p.m. ET, Netflix

Game selection

Oliver Thomas: After three games missed due to a hamstring injury, George Pickens is back. And at home, where the Steelers have gone 5-1 this season. Why not end a losing streak in December on Christmas Day against the no. 1 seed in the AFC? The Chiefs have shown a tendency to win first-round byes in the postseason. They have also shown a tendency to play with their food during the regular season. But as Mike Tomlin once said, “We love being in the kitchen.” | Steelers 27, Chiefs 23

The Ravens have allowed an NFL-low 3.6 yards per carry. carry. And while Joe Mixon has eclipsed the century mark on the ground seven times this season, he’s also been held to outings of 57, 46, 25, 23 and 22 yards. Behind an offensive line missing several starters, the screen game also didn’t work last weekend for Bobby Slowik, CJ Stroud and the Texans. The ball has to go out even faster without Tank Dell’s separation. | Ravens 28, Texans 20

Brian Hines: A healthy Hollywood Brown and rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy have brought some juice to Kansas City’s offense. And while it still isn’t always pretty, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been on an upward trend in recent weeks. The same cannot be said for Russell Wilson and the Steelers, who have lost their last two while scoring under 20 points. It could be a sneaky time for them to get back on track at home, but you know the drill by now: we’re not picking against Mahomes. | Chiefs 24, Steelers 20

A change in the usage of star safety Kyle Hamilton has brought the Ravens defense back from the dead. That’s bad news for CJ Stroud, who is now without Tank Dell and was already down Stefon Diggs for the season. It will also be difficult to find room for Joe Mixon, who hasn’t been the same since an ankle injury recently, against a Baltimore defense that allows the fewest rushing yards per game (83.1). | Ravens 30, Texans 23

If you want to make your own choice in the game, go to FanDuel.