Honestly, the NFL basically owns December 25 now. Remember when Christmas used to be for the NBA? Those days are long gone. In 2025, we saw a massive shift in how the league handles the holidays, turning what was once a "special occasion" into an absolute gauntlet of three high-stakes (and some not-so-high-stakes) matchups.
If you’re trying to remember which nfl football teams play on christmas day, the lineup for the 2025 season actually featured six specific teams: the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs.
It was a weird day. We had a mix of bitter divisional rivalries and, frankly, a whole lot of backup quarterbacks. But that didn't stop millions from tuning in. Between Netflix taking over the broadcast for the first time and the late-night drama at Arrowhead, it was a holiday for the books.
The 2025 Christmas Day Tripleheader Breakdown
The league didn't just throw random teams together. They leaned heavily into rivalries, specifically targeting the NFC East, NFC North, and AFC West.
First up at 1:00 p.m. ET, the Dallas Cowboys headed to Landover to face the Washington Commanders. It’s one of those "throw the records out" games, though in this case, the records weren't exactly pretty. Dallas came in at 6-8-1, and Washington was sitting at a rough 4-11. Despite the lack of playoff implications, seeing Dak Prescott go up against a Washington defense (even one led by third-stringer Josh Johnson) still drew a massive crowd. Dallas ended up grinding out a 30-23 win, mostly thanks to CeeDee Lamb doing CeeDee Lamb things.
Then, things got a bit more intense in the mid-afternoon slot.
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The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings kicked off at 4:30 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium. This was the "main event" for many. The Lions were fighting for their lives to keep a slim 6% playoff chance alive. Meanwhile, the Vikings were starting Max Brosmer, yet another third-stringer forced into the spotlight. Minnesota took this one 23-10, effectively playing the Grinch and ending Detroit's postseason hopes right there in the Minnesota cold.
Finally, the nightcap featured the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET. This was the big one for the standings. Denver, led by Bo Nix, was sitting pretty at 12-3 and hunting for the AFC's No. 1 seed. Kansas City? Well, it was a "nightmare before Christmas" situation for them. With Patrick Mahomes out with a knee injury, the Chiefs started Chris Oladokun. Denver won 20-13, snapping a decade-long losing streak at Arrowhead.
Where You Actually Watched These Games
This was the year the NFL fully embraced the streaming era. If you were looking for these games on traditional cable, you probably spent a frustrated ten minutes clicking through channels.
- Netflix: They snagged the first two games. The Cowboys vs. Commanders and the Lions vs. Vikings were exclusive to the platform.
- Prime Video: Amazon kept their "Thursday Night Football" rights for the Chiefs-Broncos game since Christmas fell on a Thursday.
- Local Broadcast: If you lived in the actual cities—like Detroit or Dallas—you could still catch your team on local CBS affiliates (WUSA 9 or KTVT 11, for example).
Netflix didn't just show the game, either. They went full Super Bowl-lite with the production. Kelly Clarkson opened the day with a performance of "Underneath the Tree," and Snoop Dogg literally threw a "Holiday Halftime Party" during the Lions-Vikings game. It was clear the league wants Christmas to feel like a cultural event, not just another week of the regular season.
Why This Specific Year Felt Different
The quality of play was... let's call it "interesting." Because so many star players were sidelined, we saw a rare occurrence where three different teams started quarterbacks who began the season at the bottom of the depth chart.
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- Josh Johnson (Commanders): A journeyman’s journeyman.
- Max Brosmer (Vikings): Thrown into the fire in a divisional race.
- Chris Oladokun (Chiefs): Tasked with filling the shoes of the best player in the world.
Some critics, like Tom Dierberger at Sports Illustrated, called the slate a "big lump of coal" because so many teams were already eliminated. But the numbers don't lie. The Lions-Vikings game set a streaming record with an average of 27.5 million viewers. People want football on Christmas, even if it’s not always a masterpiece.
How the NFL Picks These Teams
You might wonder why the same few teams seem to pop up in these holiday slots. The league looks at a few "secret" ingredients when deciding who plays on December 25.
First, they want national brands. The Cowboys and Chiefs are TV gold regardless of their record. Even a "bad" Cowboys game outdraws almost everything else on television.
Second, they look for geographic clusters. Since Christmas is a short week for players, the league tries to avoid sending teams across the country if they can help it. Notice how most of these matchups were divisional? That keeps travel times down and intensity up.
Third, they look for narratives. The return of Sean Payton's Broncos to dominance against a Mahomes-less Chiefs team was a storyline the league couldn't pass up. It gave Denver a chance to clinch the AFC West on the national stage, which is exactly what happened.
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What to Watch for in Future Christmas Slates
If you're already looking ahead to next year, don't expect the NFL to back off. They've seen the revenue, they've seen the streaming numbers, and they've seen that fans will choose a gridiron clash over a holiday movie every single time.
Expect the Netflix partnership to continue, as they have a three-year deal in place. We will likely see more halftime "spectacles" as the streamer tries to bridge the gap between sports fans and their regular subscriber base.
Also, keep an eye on the injury reports earlier in the season. As 2025 showed, a great "on paper" matchup in May can become a backup quarterback battle by December. The league may look into "flexing" Christmas games in the future, though the logistical nightmare of moving a holiday game makes that pretty unlikely.
Key Takeaways for Fans
- Check your streaming logins early. If the games are on Netflix or Prime, you don't want to be resetting your password while the opening kickoff is happening.
- Don't ignore the local channels if you're in a participating market; it's often the easiest way to watch without lag.
- The "nfl football teams play on christmas day" list is usually finalized in May when the full schedule drops, but the actual impact of those games isn't clear until the Week 15 playoff picture emerges.
Moving forward, you can prepare for the next holiday season by monitoring the NFL's official schedule release in mid-May. This is when the specific matchups for the following Christmas will be locked in. If you plan on attending a game in person, booking travel as soon as the schedule is released is the only way to avoid the massive holiday price surges in cities like Kansas City or Minneapolis.