NFL Christmas 2016 Schedule: Start Times, TV Channels, Live Stream Info For Holiday Football Games

The majority of NFL games are played on Sunday each week, but Week 16 is the one exception in the 2016 season. Because Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, 12 contests are scheduled for Saturday.

With games also set for “Thursday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football,” that leaves just two NFL games on Christmas Day. Both contests will be nationally televised, and they both have major playoff implications.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will kick off the Christmas Day action in a contest that will likely determine the winner of the AFC North. Pittsburgh enters the contest with a one-game lead over Baltimore, and a victory would give them the division title. If the Ravens go on the road and defeat the Steelers, they will own the tiebreaker for first place with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Baltimore got the better of Pittsburgh earlier this season, winning 21-14 on Nov. 6. Le’Veon Bell was held to just 32 yards rushing, and the Steelers didn’t score their first points until less than nine minutes remained in the fourth quarter. Playing at home this time, Pittsburgh is favored by more than five points.

The AFC North matchup begins on the NFL Network at 4:30 p.m. EST. A free live stream will be available online at nflnonline.nfl.com.

Christmas Day’s NFL action could end with the final meaningful game for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Denver Broncos will try to keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football.”

It was just four weeks ago that these two rivals met in maybe the best Sunday night game of 2016. The Chiefs forced overtime in Denver by scoring a touchdown with 12 seconds left in regulation, ultimately winning on a field goal with two seconds remaining in the extra session.

With a two-game lead over Denver in the wild-card race and still in the hunt for the AFC West title, the Chiefs are favored to defeat the Broncos for a second time this season. Denver has lost two games in a row, and they were eliminated from contention in the division with last week’s loss to the New England Patriots.

Sunday’s contest begins on NBC at 8:30 p.m. EST, and the game can be seen online with NBC Sports Live Extra.