Netflix is going all out with their coverage of two NFL games on Christmas Day, bringing in a who’s who of NFL personalities across all the networks. The streaming service will have not one but two pregame show locations, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. However, during the games, Netflix will have different names announcing all of the action. Here are the voices you can expect to hear during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game.
Announcers for Chiefs vs. Steelers
- Lead Play-by-Play Announcer: Ian Eagle
- Color Commentators: Nate Burleson, J.J. Watt
- Sideline Reporters: Melanie Collins, Stacey Dales
The Chiefs vs. Steelers game will feature Ian Eagle as the lead play-by-play announcer. Eagle is a highly regarded broadcaster known for his work across various sports, including football, basketball, and tennis. He is celebrated for his engaging and insightful play-by-play commentary and is prominently featured on most CBS broadcasts.
Eagle will be joined by two NFL legends, Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt.
Watt, 35, is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year who spent the majority of his 12-season career with the Houston Texans. Known for his dominant play on the field, Watt was named to the Pro Bowl five times and earned first-team All-Pro honors on five occasions.
Following the end of his playing career, Watt began his broadcasting career. He began working with CBS in 2023 in a limited capacity as an NFL analyst with this very crew.
Now, with Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms out, Watt is filling that role on a full-time basis. Drawing from his extensive on-field experience, he’s become a key voice in NFL coverage, providing in-depth analysis and commentary on various football broadcasts.
Burleson, a former NFL wide receiver, was selected in the 2003 NFL Draft and played in the NFL for 11 years with the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings. In 2012, he attended a broadcast boot camp organized by the NFL and began working as an analyst with NFL Network in 2014.
When NFL Network launched Good Morning Football (GMFB) in 2016, Burleson was selected as part of the inaugural cast alongside Kay Adams, Kyle Brandt, and Peter Schrager.
Burleson joined the NFL on CBS team in 2017 while retaining his co-host duties on GMFB. Due to his increased commitments to CBS, he then left the cast of GMFB to focus fully on the company. He’s won two Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Studio Analyst (2021 and 2022).
Melanie Collins and Stacey Dales will both be sideline reporters during the game.
Collins started her career as a broadcasting and journalism major at Penn State University. Upon graduating, she worked hard covering multiple Penn State teams to get as much experience as possible.
She worked with the football, basketball, and baseball teams, gaining valuable insight into sports reporting that led her to opportunities. Collins also credits her time as an intern at WPSU-TV collecting stats and at AccuWeather with helping to give her the skills to be successful in a formidable field.
Collins is now a prominent figure in the CBS Sports NFL broadcast, having sideline interviews postgame with some of the biggest names in the sport to provide perspective to the at-home watching experience.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Preview
- Location: Pittsburgh, Acrisure Stadium
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Streaming: Netflix
- Channel: Local CBS affiliate (Pittsburgh, Kansas City markets ONLY)
Something about ankle injuries seems to bring out the best in Patrick Mahomes. Two years after winning the Super Bowl despite suffering a high ankle sprain in the 2022 Divisional Round vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes again fought through an ankle injury to deliver one of Kansas City’s best offensive performances of the season.
The Chiefs recorded a 79.6 (C+) grade in PFN’s Offense+ metric during last Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans, their fifth-best in a game all season. Quietly, the Chiefs remain in the top 10 of the season-long rankings despite posting a C-grade or lower in three consecutive games before the Week 16 bounceback.
Pass protection has been a huge issue for the Chiefs for much of the season, and they still only rank 15th for the season in sack rate. However, a week after shutting out the Cleveland Browns in the sack department, they conceded just one to the Texans.
It’s too early to say that Kansas City has solved its left tackle problem, but the early returns on kicking All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle are extremely promising.