Because Netflix paid the NFL a ton of money, the league has decided to take over yet another national holiday. Thus, we have Wednesday NFL football for the first time since 2020. In that instance, the Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers was played on Wednesday because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the Ravens.
In 2012, we had a Wednesday game in Week 1, with the NFL moving its annual Thursday kickoff because it didn’t want to compete with Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention. Now we’re playing on Wednesday for just the third time since 1948 because of another very important person, Santa Claus.
Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Kansas City Chiefs were Christmas Day hosts a year ago, and now they go on the road to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on the holiday. The Chiefs can wrap up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win, while the Steelers suddenly find themselves in a dogfight with the Ravens for the AFC North title.
The Chiefs are getting healthy on offense, with wide receiver Hollywood Brown on the field for the first time this season. The offense was improved on Saturday against a good Houston Texans defense, and the Chiefs did a great job of game planning a quick passing attack that rendered the Texans pass rush moot.
The Steelers defense allowed 34 points on Saturday to the Ravens, as well as 220 yards rushing. They’ve now lost two games in a row and are underdogs at home for the second time this season. The first time they were home dogs was against the Ravens in November, and Pittsburgh won.
Chiefs at Steelers Proposition Bets
In the battle of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes has an over/under of 255.5 passing yards, while Russell Wilson is at 229.5. On the touchdown front, Mahomes pays +320 to have at least three touchdown passes. Wilson pays +450 if he gets three or more TD passes against the Chiefs.
Both teams have two-headed rushing attacks. Kansas City’s duo is Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, with Pacheco at an over/under of 41.5 rush yards, and Hunt at 31.5. Kansas City also loves to run jet sweeps with rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, and his line is 0.5 rush yards. Considering he has positive rushing yards in 10 of 15 games this season, that seems like a good over to bet.
For Pittsburgh, Najee Harris has an over/under of 41.5 rushing yards, and Jaylen Warren is at 35.5.
The top pass catchers in the game all belong to Kansas City. Travis Kelce’s receiving yards line is 45.5, Worthy is 44.5, and DeAndre Hopkins is 35.5. For the Steelers, tight end Pat Freiermuth is at 30.5, and we are still waiting to hear on the status of the injured George Pickens. Head coach Mike Tomlin says Pickens has “a real chance” of playing.
Baltimore Ravens (-4) at Houston Texans
It’s a good thing the Houston Texans have already clinched their division. Their offensive line is banged up, and on Saturday in Kansas City, they lost wide receiver Tank Dell for the rest of the season to a brutal knee injury.
At worst, they are the fourth seed, which at the moment means they would play these same Ravens in the playoffs. But Baltimore has its eyes on the AFC North division title and the No. 3 seed, and if they win out and the Steelers stumble once, Baltimore is the champ. There are a number of other scenarios that involve division record and record vs. common opponents, but the most direct path to the third seed is to win.
Ravens at Texans Proposition Bets
The star of the game, and almost every game he plays in, is Lamar Jackson. The two-time MVP is in the running for a third award (he’s currently +440), and he has an over/under of 220.5 passing yards and 46.5 rushing yards.
Jackson is +215 to throw for at least three touchdowns, something he has done six times this season, and with three rushing touchdowns this season, he is +220 to score on Christmas Day.
C.J. Stroud hasn’t been quite as good in his second season, but he’s also dealt with injuries to all three of his top wide receivers. He is +475 to throw as many as three touchdowns, and his passing yards line is 246.5.
The Ravens offense rolled over the Steelers on Saturday on the strength of 162 rushing yards from Derrick Henry. His over/under on Wednesday is 91.5, and he is -165 to score a touchdown. The Texans have Joe Mixon at -130 to find the end zone, and his rushing yards line is 65.5.
The Texans are down to Nico Collins at wide receiver, and his receiving yards line is 94.5. He has scored in five of the 10 games he’s played, and he is +120 to score again on Christmas. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has scored in eight of his last 10 games and in four straight, but he is paying a robust +205 to score in this game.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
