For the second time in as many years, the NFL will take center stage on Netflix during Christmas Day. This year, however, a third Christmas game will also air on Prime.
The Shield struck quite a deal with the streaming giants ahead of the 2024 season, with Bloomberg reporting that Netflix shelled out “less than $150 million per game” to carry doubleheaders on the holiday from 2024-2026.
So far, the agreement seems to have worked a treat. The league office celebrated major viewership numbers in 2024 — figures that were surely aided by Beyonce’s presence on the final game of the night.
The matchups — Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans — weren’t all that enticing in the end. Kansas City and Baltimore made easy work of their respective opposition.
Still, anything under the NFL banner draws interest. With another three contests set to scrawl across the Christmas Day calendar in 2025, the league will put that phenomenon to the test once more.
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With that, here’s what you need to know about the NFL’s full Christmas Day schedule, including matchups, kickoff times, and more.
Christmas football schedule 2025
As was the case last season, Netflix will host two NFL games on Christmas Day. However, because Christmas is on a Thursday this year, Prime will have its usual “Thursday Night Football” game, too.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys at Commanders | 1:00 p.m. | Netflix |
| Vikings at Lions | 4:30 p.m. | Netflix |
| Broncos at Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. | Prime |
Cowboys vs. Commanders
NFC East foes clash when the yuletide rings this year, with the Cowboys traveling to FedEx Field to take on the Commanders. Dallas and Washington have celebrated the holiday season alongside one another more often than most, facing off 10 times on Thanksgiving Day. Christmas is a different story, however — this year’s matchup represents the first Christmas Day clash in the side’s glimmering history.
Vikings at Lions
Rounding off the NFL’s Christmas Day doubleheader are a pair of NFC North sides: the Vikings and the Lions. Much like the Cowboys and Commanders, Minnesota and Detroit have a sordid — and fairly even — history with one another on Turkey Day, with the Vikings capturing victory on three of their five matches. They haven’t yet met under the mistletoe, although both teams have taken part in Christmas Day duels in the past. Minnesota is 1-3 in such fixtures, while the Lions are 0-2.
Broncos at Chiefs
The Chiefs are no strangers to playing on Christmas, making their third straight appearance on the holiday. A matchup against their AFC West rivals is sure to be a highly anticipated game, as both teams could be fighting for the division title. As is the case with Dallas and Detroit, the Chiefs will be playing on both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, so they’re clearly no strangers to preparing for unique holiday games.
NFL history of playing on Christmas
The NFL has a rich — albeit limited — history of playing games on Christmas. The league tended to avoid hosting games on the day during its adolescence. During the 1940s and 1950s, the NFL would complete its regular-season around early-to-mid December, with the championship match typically scheduled for two weeks after the regular-season finale.
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If the Sunday corresponding with that championship duel fell on Christmas, as was the case in 1955 and 1960, the league would move the joust to Monday, Dec. 26.
The AFL and NFL joined forces in 1970, spawning a new age of sporting spectacle. During the 1971 playoffs, league officials permitted two games to be played on Christmas — Cowboys vs. Vikings and Dolphins vs. Chiefs. The latter spanned 82 minutes and 40 seconds, longer than any other match in league history.
Since that 1971 doubleheader, 32 matches have been contested underneath mistletoe. Since 2020, the league has ramped up its Christmas Day presence, holding 11 games on the holiday.
With Netflix in the mix, that number is expected to grow in the years to come.
Which NFL teams have played the most Christmas games?
The Chiefs moved into a tie with the Cowboys for first place on the all-time Christmas Day list last year, with each side participating in five such matchups thus far. The will remain tied after both appearing on Christmas this year.
Kansas City has achieved slightly more success than Dallas across those appearances, sporting a 3-2 record, one win more than America’s Team. The Chiefs claimed a dominant 29-10 win over the playoff-bound Steelers in 2024.
Seven other teams have played on the holiday four times, including the Ravens, who pranced past the Texans last season, 31-2.
Here is a look at the teams with the most Christmas Day games played:
| Team | Total |
|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 |
| Denver Broncos | 5 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 |
| Houston Texans | 2 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 |
| New York Jets | 1 |
| New York Giants | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 |
| Washington Commanders | 1 |
Which NFL teams have never played on Christmas?
Eight teams have not played on Christmas Day in the NFL’s history. The Commanders will trim that list to seven after squaring off against Dallas this year.
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Denver Broncos
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Washington Commanders
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