From the surprise drop of 2013’s visual album to the three-act reclamation of Black musical history that began with Renaissance, Beyoncé’s mastery of viral promotion is peerless. So when the superstar signed on for the NFL’s Christmas Gameday halftime show, the Hive — her devoted and highly informed fan base — expected an album or tour announcement to follow. Instead, they got a cryptic post-game Instagram video that revealed the date “01.14.2025.” But the performance might have served another purpose: to lock in an album of the year Grammy win for Cowboy Carter.

With the Grammy Awards’ final voting period open from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3, what better way to showcase Act II of Beyoncé’s ambitious musical trilogy than a holiday performance beamed into millions of households across America? The goal would be twofold: to reacquaint voters — who might be preoccupied with newer releases — with March’s Cowboy Carter and to...