On Christmas day, you couldn’t spell Netflix without NFL. In the first year of a three-year deal, Netflix was home to the two live Yuletide marquee games: The Super Bowl LVIII-winning Kansas City Chiefs faced the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 38th time at 1 pm ET. Then at 4:30 pm ET, the action moved to Houston, where the Ravens squared off against the Texans. 

The games averaged around 24 million viewers apiece, making them the most-streamed NFL match-ups in US history. (Ratings peaked at more than 27 million during Beyoncé’s performance!) All told, the NFL on Netflix reached an unduplicated audience of nearly 65 million. Read on to find out what happened!

Chiefs vs. Steelers

To start the day, Voices of Service, a quartet featuring retired military veterans, sang the national anthem preceding the Chiefs vs. Steelers game. Then Mariah Carey, rocking a red bodysuit, gold fringe epaulets, black gloves and knee-high black boots, kicked off the festivities with a pre-recorded rendition of her Christmas staple, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” (Did you catch the cameo from Kevin Hart?)

In the end, the Chiefs bested the Steelers 29-10, bringing the team to 15-1 and clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Travis Kelce also set the record for most TD catches in Chiefs history. Although the Steelers fell to 10-6, they have secured a playoff berth and are second in the AFC North.

After the game, Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes were treated to NFL-Netflix official footballs — or were they? In an Is it Cake?-twist, it turns out they were edible … and delicious.

Ravens vs. Texans

After a brief break, all eyes moved more than 1300 miles southwest where Grammy-winning group Pentatonix — Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee — shared their version of the national anthem. The first half ended with the Ravens leading the Texans by a score of 17-2, a first in NFL history. And in another first, The Night Agent star Gabriel Basso parachuted out of a Netflix blimp without a hair out of place in order to gift fans the trailer for season 2 of his thriller.

Then at halftime, Beyoncé put on a SHOW featuring the first live performance of tracks from her “Cowboy Carter” album. The set included: “16 CARRIAGES”, “BLACKBIIRD”, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM”, “YA YA”, “SPAGHETTII/RIIVERDANCE”, “LEVII’S JEANS”, “JOLENE”, the ubiquitous smash “TEXAS HOLD ’EM”, and a finale that sent Beyoncé lifting to the rafters.

She was joined by an all-star line-up including Post Malone, Shaboozey, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, and Tiera Kennedy. Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé’s eldest daughter, joined in as a featured dancer. The Texans Cheerleaders also lent their support. And in a tribute to Western and Rodeo culture, Beyoncé included as special guests, Mexican Cowgirl, Melanie Rivera, Bull-riding legend, Myrtis Dightman, Jr., known as the “Jackie Robinson of Rodeo,” Miss Rodeo Texas Princess 2004 and Miss Rodeo Texas 2015, Nikki Woodward, and the first Black Rodeo Queen in Arkansas, Ja’Dayia Kursh. Joining them in the rousing caravan were Houston Texans owner, Cal McNair and his wife, Hannah. As if that wasn’t enough, close to 200 members of Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band. 

Members can re-live the full performance anytime they’d like — “Beyoncé Bowl” has been repackaged as a standalone special, which is out now!

The showdown ended with the Ravens trouncing the Texans by 31-2. The Ravens improved to 11-5 while the Texans dropped to 9-7. However, both teams had already secured AFC playoff appearances going into the game. This marks the 15th time the rivals have met, and the Ravens lead the series 13-2.

If you missed out this year, keep in mind that future NFL Christmas games and performances are included in all Netflix plans. You only need to log in to your account, or you can subscribe here.

Netflix and the NFL

Netflix has been playing ball with the NFL for a couple of years now, beginning with the hit series Quarterback in 2023. In July, Netflix released Receiver, which follows five of the NFL’s best pass catchers through the 2023 season: Davante Adams (Raiders), Justin Jefferson (Vikings), George Kittle, Deebo Samuel (of the 49ers), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions). 

“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” says Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President of Media Distribution. “The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”

The NFL launched Yuletide games in 1971 before bringing them back on a semi-regular basis in 1989. Since 2020, they’ve been a holiday staple with last year’s three Christmas games ranking among the top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023. In total, the NFL has staged 32 Christmas contests.