The NFL on Christmas Day: Every Game Since the 1971 Doubleheader That Scared the League Off the Holiday

The NFL's Christmas history starts with a game so long it wrecked dinners across the country — and convinced the league not to try again for eighteen years.

On December 25, 1971, the NFL played on Christmas Day for the first time, staging both divisional-round openers on the holiday. The early game was tidy enough: Dallas beat Minnesota 20–12 at Metropolitan Stadium, the Vikings undone by five turnovers despite outgaining the Cowboys. The late game was anything but. Miami and Kansas City played into a second overtime at Municipal Stadium before Garo Yepremian's field goal ended it, 27–24, after 82 minutes and 40 seconds of game time — still the longest game ever played. Complaints rolled in about ruined holiday meals, a Kansas legislator proposed banning future December 25 games, and the league quietly obliged. Those two playoff games remain the only postseason football ever played on Christmas.

The regular season didn't touch the date until 1989, when Minnesota beat Cincinnati 29–21 on Monday night in a finale that clinched the NFC Central. Even then, Christmas football stayed occasional for three decades — a game here when the calendar cooperated, two in the years it fell on a weekend. That changed in 2020. The league has now played on Christmas seven straight years, and it has stopped caring what day of the week the holiday lands on: Wednesday games in 2024, Thursday games in 2025, and a Friday tripleheader coming in 2026.

Every Christmas Day game

Date	Result
Dec. 25, 1971*	Cowboys 20, Vikings 12
Dec. 25, 1971*	Dolphins 27, Chiefs 24 (2OT)
Dec. 25, 1989	Vikings 29, Bengals 21
Dec. 25, 1993	Oilers 10, 49ers 7
Dec. 25, 1994	Dolphins 27, Lions 20
Dec. 25, 1995	Cowboys 37, Cardinals 13
Dec. 25, 1999	Broncos 17, Lions 7
Dec. 25, 2000	Titans 31, Cowboys 0
Dec. 25, 2004	Chiefs 31, Raiders 30
Dec. 25, 2004	Broncos 37, Titans 16
Dec. 25, 2005	Bears 24, Packers 17
Dec. 25, 2005	Ravens 30, Vikings 23
Dec. 25, 2006	Eagles 23, Cowboys 7
Dec. 25, 2006	Jets 13, Dolphins 10
Dec. 25, 2009	Chargers 42, Titans 17
Dec. 25, 2010	Cardinals 27, Cowboys 26
Dec. 25, 2011	Packers 35, Bears 21
Dec. 25, 2016	Steelers 31, Ravens 27
Dec. 25, 2016	Chiefs 33, Broncos 10
Dec. 25, 2017	Steelers 34, Texans 6
Dec. 25, 2017	Eagles 19, Raiders 10
Dec. 25, 2020	Saints 52, Vikings 33
Dec. 25, 2021	Packers 24, Browns 22
Dec. 25, 2021	Colts 22, Cardinals 16
Dec. 25, 2022	Packers 26, Dolphins 20
Dec. 25, 2022	Rams 51, Broncos 14
Dec. 25, 2022	Buccaneers 19, Cardinals 16
Dec. 25, 2023	Raiders 20, Chiefs 14
Dec. 25, 2023	Eagles 33, Giants 25
Dec. 25, 2023	Ravens 33, 49ers 19
Dec. 25, 2024	Chiefs 29, Steelers 10
Dec. 25, 2024	Ravens 31, Texans 2
Dec. 25, 2025	Cowboys 30, Commanders 23
Dec. 25, 2025	Vikings 23, Lions 10
Dec. 25, 2025	Broncos 20, Chiefs 13
Dec. 25, 2026	Packers at Bears
Dec. 25, 2026	Bills at Broncos
Dec. 25, 2026	Rams at Seahawks

Divisional playoffs — the only postseason games ever played on Christmas.

The franchises that own the holiday — and the four that have never touched it

Dallas, Denver, and Kansas City lead with six Christmas appearances apiece, Denver drawing level when it hosts Buffalo in 2026. Minnesota follows with five, and Green Bay joins them with its fifth in 2026. At the other end, four franchises have never played on December 25: Atlanta, Carolina, Jacksonville, and New England. That list was six until the 2026 schedule came out — Buffalo and Seattle both make their debuts this year.

The road team has been the happier one historically, leading 20–15 across all Christmas games. Both 1971 visitors won, and the pattern has held loosely ever since — including all three 2025 games going to form with two road winners.

A few games earn their own line. Tennessee's 31–0 win over Dallas in 2000 is the only Christmas shutout. The Rams' 51–14 dismantling of Denver in 2022 is the biggest margin. And Baltimore's 31–2 win at Houston in 2024 produced the strangest score the holiday has seen — the Texans' points came on a safety and nothing else.

One more quirk of the calendar: NFL teams have now played Christmas games on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The only day of the week without a Christmas kickoff is Tuesday.

Think you can name all 28 franchises that have played on the holiday? That's the Christmas Day census quiz — three wrong guesses and you're out.