Beyoncé to perform at halftime for NFL Christmas Day game on Netflix
Beyoncé will perform in her hometown of Houston during an NFL Christmas Day game streaming on Netflix.
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.
If the offense can’t get it done, it has to be the guys on the other side of the bal. With the Ravens pinned deep in their own territory, rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter was able to break through the line of scrimmage after a handoff to Derrick Henry.
Henry, trying to avoid the first tackler, backtracked into the end zone, where Lassiter was able to bring him down for a safety. With 10 minutes to go in the first half, it’s 10-2, Ravens and the Texans are getting the ball.
It’s been a day to forget so far for C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense. The team has not advanced past midfield and punted on all three drives. While they have been able to get a few first downs, they’ve been minimal gains that don’t go any further. If the Texans want any hope of winning this game, the Texans’ offense will need to pick things up quickly.
The Texans looked to have something going after moving near midfield quickly thanks to a big pass and catch from C.J. Stroud to Nico Collins. The Texans couldn’t gain another inch after that, with Stroud overthrowing both Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz on back-to-back plays, forcing another punt.
To add insult to injury, the Texans were charged with a penalty on the punt, giving Baltimore extra yardage before their drive even started.
Following an unimpressive drive from the Houston Texans, Derrick Henry wasted no time putting his team back in Texans’ territory. From there, the team was just a few yards away from an easy Justin Tucker field goal and a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Baltimore Ravens to make their mark on this game. Their opening drive took less than five minutes as Derrick Henry capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown run, set up by a 27-yard reception from Zay Flowers.
Houston could not stop anything Baltimore tried, which could be a very bad sign for the Texans moving forward.
Texans vs. Ravens start time
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The Ravens and Texans game will continue Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season at 4:30 pm ET.
Texans vs. Ravens TV channel
- TV channel (Local): Baltimore: WJZ-TV (Channel 13) | Houston: KHOU (Channel 11)
Texans vs. Ravens picks, predictions
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 17 Christmas Day matchup between the Texans and Ravens will shape up:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Ravens 26, Texans 20
- Tyler Dragon: Ravens 27, Texans, 24
- Richard Morin: Ravens 30, Texans, 21
- Jordan Mendoza: Ravens 27, Texans 22
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.
- Spread: Ravens (-5.5)
- Moneyline: Ravens (-250); Texans (+200)
- Over/under: 46.5
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.
- Noah Eagle, play-by-play announcer at NBC Sports
- Greg Olsen, analyst at FOX Sports
- Jamie Erdahl, host at the NFL Network
- Steve Wyche, chief national reporter at the NFL Network
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.
- Devin White, LB
- Jerry Hughes, DE
- Shaq Mason, G
- Juice Scruggs, C/G
- Diontae Johnson, WR
- Folorunson Fatukasi, DT
- Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB
- Nelson Agholor, WR
- Marcus Williams, FS
- Justice Hill, RB
- Adisa Isaac, OLB
- Nick Samac, C
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.
- Texans (9-6)
- Colts (7-8)
- Jaguars (3-12)
- Titans (3-12)
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 (10-5)
- Steelers (10-6)
- Bengals (7-8)
- Browns (3-12)
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.