Thanksgiving is the holiday that NFL football is known for. However, there have been plenty of NFL games played on Christmas as well. While Christmas games are not an annual tradition, they are always a fan-favorite event when they do take place. In this article, we are going to take a look at the NFL’s history on Christmas Day.
History of NFL on Christmas Day
Christmas Day is always on Dec. 25, so the day of the week that it occurs always changes. The NFL plays its games predominately on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday (and sometimes Saturday). There are exceptions to this, but it is rare that games are played during other weekdays. Therefore, the NFL hasn’t made games on Christmas Day a yearly occurrence.
Christmas Day has lined up with NFL games plenty of times, though. Twenty-seven times, to be exact, the NFL has played on the holiday.
The origins of NFL on Christmas go back to 1971. Back then, the regular season consisted of 14 games. With the regular season over by the holidays, the league held two Divisional Round playoff games on Christmas Day in 1971.
One of these games featured the Don Shula-led Dolphins. The season after this, the Dolphins completed the only perfect regular and postseason run in league history. In 1971, though, they lost in the Super Bowl. Before the Super Bowl loss, they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in the Divisional Round on Christmas Day.
The other Christmas game that year was between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys won 20-12 before making a run all the way to a Super Bowl victory. The two Christmas Day winners were the two teams that ended up in the Super Bowl, but Christmas games were not a big hit by fans at the time. Those two games remain the only Christmas Day playoff games ever.
Because it was unpopular, the NFL didn’t have Christmas Day games again until 1989. Christmas games have become more of a regularity in the 21st century. In 2004, 2006, 2016, 2017, and 2021, two games were played on Dec. 25.
Last season marked the first time that the league scheduled three games for Christmas Day. That trend continues this year. Christmas falls on a Monday in 2023, and there will be six teams in three games of Christmas action.
Christmas Day records
Twenty-four of the 32 NFL teams have played on Christmas Day at least once. The Dallas Cowboys are known for their Thanksgiving games, but they also have the most games played on Christmas, with five total games. The team is 2-3 in those contests.
The Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and Minnesota Vikings have all played four games on Christmas Day. The Cardinals and Vikings are 1-3, while the Packers are 3-1. The Broncos, Dolphins, and Titans are all .500 on Christmas.
Only one team has played exactly three games on Christmas. The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-1, but they will be playing on Christmas again this year.
For teams with two Christmas Day appearances, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0, while the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears are 1-1. The Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders are both 0-2.
The Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all 1-0 on Christmas. The Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers are all winless in their lone Christmas game.
NFL on Christmas Day 2023
For only the second time ever, Christmas in 2023 will have three NFL games played. The first will be between the Raiders and the Chiefs. A Raiders loss and Chiefs win would give the Raiders sole possession of the worst Christmas Day record of all time and would give the Chiefs the tie for most Christmas wins ever.
The same thing can be said about the Eagles, as a win over the Giants would tie Philadelphia for the most Christmas wins with three. The Giants have never played on Christmas before, so 2023 is uncharted territory for them.
The night game on Dec. 25 is between the Ravens and the 49ers. The Niners are one of six teams who have played on Christmas before but are still winless on the holiday.
More must-reads: