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The NFL Christmas Day games were much more successful in 2024 than in years past. After years of middling success on the international holiday, the league took a different approach in 2024. It hosted two premier AFC matchups — the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans — on Netflix to resounding success.
Broadcasting the games on the world's largest streaming platform proved successful. The two games were the most-streamed matchups in NFL history, averaging over 24 million views each, according to Nielsen via Adam Schefter. Overall, the NFL Christmas Day games on Netflix reached over 65 million screens.
The Ravens-Texans matchup, which began at 4:30 p.m. ET, drew slightly more viewers. Nielsen reported that the game had an average minute audience of 24.3 million, while the Chiefs-Steelers game, which began at 1 p.m. ET, had an average minute audience of 24.1 million.
The numbers were released shortly after the NBA announced its 2024 games were the most-watched on Christmas Day in five years. The five NBA games pulled an average of 5.25 million views per game, an 84 percent increase from 2023. Comparisons between the two leagues on the holiday were only made after LeBron James declared in his post-game interview that Christmas was “our [the NBA's] day.”
Chiefs and Ravens prevail in 2024 NFL Christmas Day games on Netflix
For the first time in several years, all four teams competing in the NFL Christmas Day games had clinched the playoffs before the matchups began. Regardless, the matchups all held significant playoff implications.
By topping the Steelers 29-10 in the first game, the Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They improved to 15-1 on the year and extended their win streak to six games. Patrick Mahomes revealed the personal importance of securing a first-round bye, as his pregnant wife, Brittany, is due soon.
The Ravens were even more dominant in the second game with a 31-2 beatdown of the Texans. Their win improved them to 11-5 and kept them in third place in the AFC, trailing just the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Houston fell to 9-7 on the year and appears destined to receive a tough first-round matchup in the playoffs.
The games ended a brutal stretch for all four teams, who were forced to play three games in an 11-day span. The Chiefs and Ravens both went 3-0 in that frame. None of the teams have their final Week 18 games scheduled yet, but they will all have an extended break before returning to the field.
