Detroit football fans are a different breed. Honestly, if you grew up in Michigan, you basically expect to have your Thanksgiving turkey with a side of Honolulu Blue and a healthy dose of stress. It’s a tradition that goes back to 1934. But recently, everyone keeps asking: do the lions play on christmas day?
The short answer is: not usually, but it’s becoming more of a thing.
The NFL has a weird relationship with Christmas. For decades, they avoided it like a bad penalty. They didn't want to compete with family dinners or, more importantly, the NBA, which has owned the holiday for ages. But ratings don't lie. When the NFL realized people would actually ignore their relatives to watch a goal-line stand, they started pivoting. Hard.
The 2025-2026 Reality for Detroit
Look, the schedule makers are fickle. For the 2025 season, which we are currently wrapping up, the NFL went all-in on Christmas. Since December 25, 2025, fell on a Thursday, the league decided to treat it like a mini-Thanksgiving.
But here’s the kicker. The Lions didn't get the call for the holiday itself.
Even with Dan Campbell turning this team into a national media darling, the league still prioritizes the Lions for that early Thanksgiving window. It’s their "thing." Asking a team to play a massive home game on Thanksgiving and then turning around for a short-week Christmas slot is a massive logistical headache for the coaching staff. Players hate it. Their bodies are already screaming by December. Adding a second holiday game in one month is a tall order.
Why the NFL Schedule is Changing
Everything changed a few years ago.
Remember 2022? The league saw massive numbers for the Christmas triple-header. Then 2023 happened, and the Raiders-Chiefs game pulled in over 29 million viewers. That’s Super Bowl-adjacent territory. Suddenly, the "tradition" of not playing on Christmas vanished. Money talks.
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Netflix even got in on the action. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Netflix grabbed the rights to Christmas Day games. This was a massive shift. It wasn't just about cable or broadcast anymore; it was about global streaming.
If you're wondering why the Lions aren't a permanent fixture on the 25th, it's basically because they are the "Kings of Thanksgiving." The NFL usually tries to spread the wealth. They want the Cowboys and Lions on Turkey Day, and then they look for other "prestige" matchups—think Chiefs, Eagles, or Ravens—to anchor the Christmas broadcasts. It's about maximizing "unique" viewers across the entire holiday season.
The Lions Christmas History (It's a Short List)
Believe it or not, the Detroit Lions have actually played on Christmas before. It’s rare. Like, finding a quiet bar in Royal Oak on a Saturday night rare.
The most notable one was back in 2005 against the Cincinnati Bengals. It wasn't exactly a holiday miracle. The Lions lost 13-17. It was a cold, somewhat miserable game that most fans have mercifully blocked out of their collective memory.
Before that? You have to go way back to 1971. That was the first time the NFL ever played playoff games on Christmas. The Lions faced the Dallas Cowboys in a defensive slog. Detroit lost 5-0. Yes, 5-0. That’s basically a baseball score. It remains one of the weirdest, most frustrating games in franchise history. Imagine sitting down for Christmas dinner and watching your team fail to score a single point while the opponent only manages a field goal and a safety. Brutal.
What to Expect Moving Forward
So, will we see more of them?
Probably.
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The NFL is expanding. Roger Goodell has hinted at more international games and more "special event" windows. If the Lions stay at the top of the NFC North, they become a "must-watch" product. The "Same Old Lions" narrative is dead. Now, people actually want to see what Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown are doing.
However, there is a logistical limit. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has been vocal about player safety. Playing Thursday-Sunday-Thursday is a nightmare. If the Lions play on Thanksgiving (which they always do), the league has to be very careful about when they schedule their next game. Most often, a team that plays Thanksgiving gets a "mini-bye" afterward. Shoving them into a Christmas Day slot—unless Christmas also falls on a Thursday or a Monday—is incredibly difficult to pull off without ruining the players' recovery time.
How the "Flex" Rule Impacts Your Holiday Plans
Don't trust the initial schedule release 100%.
The NFL now has "flexible scheduling" powers that are honestly kind of annoying for fans who like to plan ahead. They can move games into different windows to ensure the best matchups get the most eyeballs. While they usually don't flex games onto Christmas Day at the last minute because of the travel chaos it would cause for fans, the surrounding weeks are always in flux.
If the Lions are in a race for the #1 seed, expect the league to move their late-December games into primetime. Whether that's Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or the following Monday night, the Lions are no longer the team that gets buried in the 1:00 PM regional broadcast window.
Navigating the 2026 Outlook
Looking ahead to next season, the calendar shifts. Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday.
Traditionally, the NFL has stayed away from Fridays because of "High School Friday Night Lights" protections, but those rules generally only apply during the high school season. By late December, the NFL can pretty much do whatever it wants.
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If you're planning a Lions-themed Christmas for 2026, keep an eye on the schedule release in May. That is the only time we will know for sure.
What Fans Should Actually Do
If you’re a die-hard Lions fan trying to balance family and football, here’s the reality:
- Check the Thursday Night Football (TNF) Schedule: Since the Lions always play Thanksgiving, their "rest cycle" is weird. They often get a Thursday night game later in the season to compensate.
- Download the Official Team App: Don't rely on third-party calendars that haven't updated since 2022.
- Budget for Streaming: If the Lions do end up on Christmas, there's a 90% chance you'll need a Netflix or Prime Video subscription to see it. The days of every game being on "regular TV" are fading.
- Prepare for the Cold: If the game is at Ford Field, you're fine. But the Lions are frequently scheduled for late-season road games in places like Chicago or Green Bay. If a Christmas miracle puts them at Lambeau, buy some heated socks now.
The Lions are finally relevant. That’s the most important part of this whole "do the lions play on christmas day" debate. For years, nobody cared when they played because they weren't winning. Now, the NFL wants them in the spotlight. Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a random Tuesday in London, the Lions have become "appointment television."
The transition from a "Thanksgiving-only" team to a "National Powerhouse" means the schedule is going to get weirder. Enjoy it. It beats the alternative of being forgotten by the national media by mid-October.
Keep your jerseys ready, keep the snacks prepped, and always have the remote close by. The schedule makers love a good storyline, and right now, Detroit is the best story in the league.
Next Steps for Lions Fans:
- Check the current NFL standings to see how Detroit's playoff seeding might affect late-December flex scheduling.
- Verify your local broadcast listings if you are out of market, as Christmas games often have exclusive streaming providers.
- Review the official NFL schedule release each May to lock in your holiday travel plans before ticket prices spike.