The two NFL games scheduled today will be presented on RDS and RDS.ca.
It's the holiday season and the NFL is spoiling its fans with an extra day of Football this afternoon and two duels featuring four of the best teams in the American Football Association (AFC).
At 1 p.m., the Houston Texans (9-5) will first visit the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1). Then, at 4:25 p.m., it will be the turn of the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) and the Baltimore Ravens (9-5), rivals of the North division, to face each other.
Three of the four clubs which will take the field this afternoon have already secured their place in the playoffs, but these two matches are not without challenges.
The Chiefs have only one defeat on their record and will be looking for a fifth victory in a row, but it is with a Patrick Mahomes in bad shape that they will try to do it. Despite a sprained ankle, the star quarterback will nevertheless be at his post.
This is because the Chiefs have the opportunity today to ensure they finish the regular season in first place in the American Association and thus obtain a bye for the first round of the playoffs.
To do that, the Chiefs need to win and want the Buffalo Bills to lose or draw against the New England Patriots. A Chiefs tie, paired with a Bills loss would have the same effect.
In addition to Mahomes who will be at his position, the Chiefs will also be able to count on the return to play of receiver Marquis Brown. Injured in the shoulder in the first preparatory match and subsequently operated on, Borwn will play his first match in the Chiefs uniform after being acquired on the free agent market this summer.
For their part, the Texans have won their last two games to secure their place at the top of the South division.
Whose division is the North?
PREMATCH
Despite their loss last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers have secured their place in the playoffs. But there is still work to be done for them.
By winning against the Ravens, the Steelers would be crowned champions of the North Division, which would give them home field advantage for their first playoff game.
A result that the Ravens will try to prevent since by eliminating the Steelers or drawing a match, they would not only ensure participation in the playoffs, but they would also find themselves tied with Pittsburgh in the fight for first place of the Northern Division.
Defeating the Steelers, however, has been anything but easy for the Ravens in recent history. Pittsburgh has won eight of the last nine meetings, with Jackson going 1-4 as a starter.
