The NFL will showcase first-year Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson on Christmas Day in a tilt with the defending-champion Rams. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos, Rams to play Christmas Day game

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 5/10/22

The defending Super Bowl champions will square off against one of the busiest teams from this NFL offseason in a Christmas Day contest during the 2022 season.

An early Christmas present from the NFL: Broncos vs. Rams on Christmas Day at 4:30pm ET on CBS/Nickelodeon.

@NFL pic.twitter.com/zVHK4KZGZs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 10, 2022

The Broncos-Rams battle is the ninth game for the 2022 NFL season that has been announced so far. Last week, the league announced the five-game slate of international contests for 2022, including a showdown between the Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars set for 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 30 at Wembley Stadium.

Los Angeles has loaded up again this offseason after their Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in February, bringing in All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and one-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson, among others. The Rams also signed quarterback Matthew Stafford to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in March.

After missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year in 2021, Denver fired head coach Vic Fangio and hired former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett in January to be their new leader. The Broncos' biggest move since Hackett's hiring has been the March blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in which they acquired nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.

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