NFL on Christmas: Everything you need to know for the three-game slate
If perhaps your holiday shopping didn’t yield any desired gifts, rest assured.
The NFL has come in with a Christmas Day tripleheader that should give fans plenty of cheer. That’s because the final game of the slate, the final game of the entire Week 16 schedule, is one that may very well be a preview of Super Bowl 58.
The Baltimore Ravens will be traveling west to face the San Francisco 49ers in a matchup where both teams enter with winning streaks that span at least a month long. It also features some of the fastest players at their respective positions,: 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
But, while NFL fans will have to wait until primetime to see that one, they will get the chance to enjoy an early slate of Raiders-Chiefs and Giants-Eagles.
Here’s what to know about the NFL Christmas Day tripleheader.
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How to watch Monday’s NFL games on TV
The Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles begin play at 4:30 p.m on FOX. And the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers kick off at 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.
How to live stream Monday’s NFL games
The Raiders-Chiefs game can be streamed on Paramount+. The Giants-Eagles game can be streamed on NFL+. The Ravens-49ers game can also be streamed on NFL+.
Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-5)
The Chiefs snapped a two-game skid in a 10-point victory over the New England Patriots and now will host their AFC West rival, the Raiders. In a crowded AFC wild card picture, Las Vegas is running out of time and needs to jump five slots in the conference, heading into Week 16.
Kansas City is still navigating an offense that hasn’t been quite as crisp as we’ve seen in the tenure of coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, though its defense has been mostly up to the task this season. That said, Kansas City still ranks third in the NFL in passing offense, with 255.6 yards per game. The problem for Mahomes has been turnovers; he has already tied his career high with 13 this season, and has thrown at least one in each of the last three games.
New York Giants (5-9) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
After a nice three-game winning streak got the Giants back on track in the NFC wild card hunt, they dropped a pivotal game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 15 and now have no margin for error. Quarterback Tommy DeVito was banged around against New Orleans and was checked for a concussion but then cleared protocol to return. He’s on track to play.
The problem is that New York is facing an Eagles team that is in a tailspin and will be looking to self-correct. Philadelphia has dropped three games in a row and its problems are coming on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has seen his production slow and the secondary is getting beat for big plays. The Eagles are currently tied at 10-4 with the Cowboys, but are behind Dallas in seeding, so every game will have massive implications for Philadelphia moving forward.
Baltimore Ravens (11-3) at San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
The gem of the Christmas showcase, this matchups pits the two current No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences against each other. This may very well end up as a possible preview to Super Bowl 58.
In San Francisco, there are a pair of MVP candidates leading the offense in quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey. But this team is far more than simply two players, as receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and a fierce defense round out the squad. The 49ers are on a six-game winning streak, and their average margin of victory over that span is 18.8 points.
Baltimore, however, has its own dynamic playmaker in quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have their own winning streak – four games – and have battled through a number of injuries to emerge as a force in the AFC. But with a game looming in Week 17 against the conference’s No. 2 seed, the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore cannot afford to come out flat against San Francisco.