NFL fans will be treated to a tripleheader this Christmas. Holiday games have become a tradition in the league, but how long have there been matchups on Christmas day?
History of NFL Games on Christmas
Thanksgiving Day football is a long-time tradition for the league as the holiday always falls on a Thursday, a day when teams play anyway.
With Christmas falling on various days of the week each year, it does not share the same level of commitment as many of which are not typical days the NFL plays. The NFL typically schedules games on Christmas Day if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
In 1971, the first Christmas games were held. The first game of the day was the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Minnesota Vikings.
So far, 27 NFL games have been played on Christmas. That number does not include the three games that will be played on Christmas Day this year, which brings the total up to 30.
The tradition has seen more consistency in recent years. Christmas 2023 marks the fourth consecutive year there have been NFL matchups on the holiday.
Last year, Christmas fell on a Sunday, and the Green Bay Packers played the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos played the Los Angeles Rams, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Arizona Cardinals.
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Interestingly, the longest NFL Christmas Day game was also the longest in the franchise’s history.
The second game played on the holiday in 1971 was the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, which still stands as the longest in NFL history.
The game went into double overtime, lasting 82 minutes and 40 seconds. The Dolphins beat the Chiefs 27-24.
It wasn’t until 1989 when another game was played on Christmas as the Minnesota Vikings took on the Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, the NFL has occasionally held games on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in some years, as part of Week 16 or 17 of the regular season.
Two games were played each Christmas Day from 2004 to 2006, 2016 to 2017, and 2021. In 2022, three games were scheduled, and three games will be played again in 2023.
This Christmas, the first game of the day will be the Las Vegas Raiders against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The second game of the holiday will be the New York Giants versus the Philadelphia Eagles. To round out the day, the Baltimore Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers.
The four-year streak of NFL games on Christmas Day will likely come to an end in 2024.
In 2024, Christmas falls on a Wednesday, a day on which the NFL does not typically hold games.
“We’re not looking to play football on a Tuesday or Wednesday at this point, especially this late in the year as we get close to the postseason,” NFL executive vice president for media distribution Hans Schroeder said, per the Athletic.
“We want to focus on the run to the playoffs and for that competitive equity to really shine through. I don’t think we’re going to look at Tuesday or Wednesday football. We’re looking at the days where we’re already playing football and have the opportunity to celebrate something larger on a holiday with a lot of our fans together.”
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