The NFL Christmas action continues into the evening with the Houston Texans (9-6) squaring off against the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) at NRG Stadium in Houston. By the time this AFC clash kicks off, the gifts should be unwrapped and this tasty matchup loaded with star power should help curb your desire to eat the entire plate of cookies for dessert.
The Texans have claimed the AFC South title for the second consecutive season. The offense led by C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and Joe Mixon will look to build on their momentum with playoffs just two weeks away. Conversely, the Ravens are battling in the AFC playoff picture and are eyeing another deep run in January.
This will be a rematch of the 2023 divisional round matchup where the Ravens dominated their way to a 34-10 win at home.
The reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson, is always must-see TV. His teammate Derrick Henry in the backfield has combined one of the most dynamic pairings of offensive weapons the NFL has ever seen. These teams could be on a collision course to meet for the second consecutive year in the playoffs next month. Houston will need to adjust to life without another top receiver quickly. They face a short turnaround and lost Tank Dell to a devastating knee injury on Saturday.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Christmas Day matchup between the Texans and Ravens below.
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The Ravens and Texans game will continue Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season at 4:30 pm ET.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 17 Christmas Day matchup between the Texans and Ravens will shape up:
Netflix will stream both games live on Christmas.
NFL fans in the United States outside of the competing teams’ markets will need to sign into their Netflix account – or subscribe to the streaming service – to watch. Both matchups will be available with any Netflix plan.
The NFL will also stream the games on its premium subscription service, NFL+, on mobile devices.
The Ravens are favorites to defeat the Texans, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
Noah Eagle (play-by-play) and Greg Olsen (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Netflix, with Jamie Erdahl (sideline) and Gene Steratore (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
There’s a unique blend of crews from different networks joining for the holiday matchup.
FanDuel’s Kay Adams will host pregame and postgame coverage, with Drew Brees, Mina Kimes, Manti Te’o and Robert Griffin III serving as analysts. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport will report breaking news throughout the day.
Start time: 5:45 p.m. ET (roughly)
There isn’t a set start time for Beyoncé’s halftime performance because, naturally, it will depend on the length of the first half of the Texans vs. Ravens game.
The Texans game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET. If it starts on time as expected, that should allow halftime to begin between 5:45 and 6 p.m. ET.
With that in mind, those who want to guarantee that they will see Beyoncé’s show as it happens should tune into the program at 5:45 p.m. ET, just in case the first half is fast-moving.
The Christmas Day matchup between the Texans and Ravens is taking place in Houston at NRG Stadium.
For years, the NFL season simply did not run long enough to reach the holiday. Until the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the regular season ended in mid-December with the championship game two weeks later. The league would move the game to Dec. 26 if there was a conflict with the holiday.
The first NFL Christmas game happened in the 1971-72 playoffs with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Miami Dolphins. Both road teams won that day with the Cowboys earning a 20-12 win en route to a Super Bowl win and Miami gutting out a 27-24 double-overtime victory.
Beyonce, who will perform during the halftime show of the Ravens-Texans game, took to social media to promote her upcoming performance with a clip, humorously poking fun at the streaming giant that recently experienced technical issues during the Logan Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight.
The Texans have won the AFC South title and the Colts are the only team alive in the AFC playoff hunt.
The AFC North title is still undecided. Entering Week 17, the Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Ravens with a better win percentage against AFC opponents, but since the Steelers lost earlier against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens have jumped them in the standings for the time being.
Ravens-Texans is not the first NFL game of the day. That ended a half an hour ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10.
During the game, Travis Kelce became the all-time touchdown receptions leader for the Kansas City Chiefs with his 77th score of his career, surpassing Tony Gonzalez. He also recorded his 1,000th career catch during the win.
The Chiefs secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the victory as well.
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