What NFL Teams Play on Christmas Day?

It’s that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start thinking about what NFL teams will be playing on Christmas day.

NFL Teams That Play on Christmas Day

The NFL is one of the few major leagues that still schedule games on Christmas Day. This year, there are three NFL games scheduled for Christmas Day, which is unusual. The NFL typically only schedules two games on Christmas Day, but this year there are three. The first game is the San Francisco 49ers at the Los Angeles Rams, followed by the Houston Texans at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Baltimore Ravens.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NFL, having appeared in eight Super Bowls, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos for second most Super Bowl appearances, behind only the New England Patriots’ record eleven appearances. The Cowboys have won five Super Bowls, tied with their NFC rivals, the San Francisco 49ers; both teams share the record for most Super Bowl wins with five victories apiece. From 1960 to 1988, the Cowboys won 20 divisional championships and six conference championships—tied for second most conference titles behind only Green Bay—and compiled 19 post-season appearances during that span, tied with Pittsburgh for second most playoff appearances behind only Miami’s 20 appearances from 1970 to 2020. As a result of their success on and off-field since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960, they are one of only two franchises from Alliance/American Football League to withstand three decades of competition from across North America without relocating or folding during that period and along with Indianapolis Colts who also joined NFL as an expansion team during same year but different conference just like Dallas Cowboys but they spent their entire existence within state of Indiana; this is particularly notable given that at various points since 1960 small market NFL teams such as Green Bay Packers Vancouver and Baltimore had either almost relocated or actually done so due to cutthroat competition between larger league markets and similar teams.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers have played on Christmas Day five times in their history, with four of those games coming at Lambeau Field. Green Bay’s first Christmas Day game came in 1950 when the Packers beat the Detroit Lions, 19-7. The Packers’ most recent Christmas Day game was in 2016 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 38-25.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member club of the American Football Conference South division. The team plays its home games at NRG Stadium.

NFL Teams That Don’t Play on Christmas Day

Out of the 32 NFL teams, 10 of them don’t play on Christmas day. This leaves plenty of fans without a game to watch on what is typically a slow sports day. While some may see this as a bummer, it gives these 10 teams a competitive advantage.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football franchise based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The team was established in Chicago in 1920 and then moved to St. Louis in 1960 before relocating to Phoenix in 1988.

The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, which opened in 2006 and is located in Glendale, Arizona. Since moving to Arizona, they have been one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning two NFC championships (in 2008 and 2009), nine division championships (in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1998, and 2015), and have made 28 playoff appearances (second-most all-time behind the New York Giants). They also became the first NFL team outside of Saint Louis to win a Super Bowl after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–23 during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1st 2009.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) and play in the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. They have not played on Christmas Day since they were founded in 1996.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League, as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its home games in the state of New York.

The Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League in 1960. They joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, and have appeared in thirteen NFL post-season games, winning nine of them (including appearances and wins in back-to-back Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII). TheBuffalo Bills have the longest active playoff drought in any of North America’s four major professional sports leagues, dating back to 1999.

Why Do Some Teams Play on Christmas Day?

The NFL schedule is always released a few months in advance, and this year, the NFL schedule was released on May 7th. Every year, there are a few Christmas Day games played. This year, there are three: the Vikings at the Saints, the Bills at the Patriots, and the 49ers at the Seahawks. While some people love having football on Christmas, others wonder why the NFL schedule includes games on Christmas Day. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.

It’s tradition

Christmas is a day for families, friends and, for some, football. The NFL has played games on Christmas Day sporadically throughout its history, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the league began to make it a tradition.

Since 2006, there have been at least two NFL games played on Christmas Day every year. In most cases, the games are played in the afternoon, with the exception of the occasional Saturday night game.

So why do some teams play on Christmas Day? There are a few reasons.

For one, it’s become tradition. The NFL has made playing on Christmas Day a part of its yearly schedule, and some teams have come to expect it. It’s also a way for the league to show its appreciation for its fans who might not be able to spend the holiday with their families.

Another reason is that playing on Christmas Day gives teams an opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage. With games being televised in prime time, teams that play on Christmas Day know they’ll have a captive audience. It’s also a chance for players to prove themselves in front of a larger audience and potentially earn individual accolades like Pro Bowl honors or even MVP votes.

Ultimately, whether or not a team plays on Christmas Day comes down to the NFL’s scheduling process. The league typically puts together the schedule months in advance, so it’s not always clear which teams will be playing until closer to the start of the season. But for those teams that do end up playing on Christmas Day, it’s often seen as an honor.

It’s a TV ratings bonanza

The ratings for the NFL’s Christmas games are always among the highest of the season. That’s because there are no other sports competitions scheduled for December 25th, so football fans have nothing else to watch. The games also tend to be more competitive than usual, since they often have playoff implications. As a result, the NFL can charge more for advertising during its Christmas games, and networks are willing to pay a premium to air them.

Why Do Other Teams Not Play on Christmas Day?

The NFL has been a staple on Christmas Day for many years now. Every year, there are a few games played on Christmas Day. But why do other teams not play on Christmas Day? Let’s take a look.

It’s not tradition

The main reason that other teams don’t play on Christmas Day is that it’s not tradition. The NFL has always been a bit resistant to change, and there’s no tradition of playing on Christmas Day. In fact, the only team that has played on Christmas Day in the past is the Dallas Cowboys.

The main reason that the Cowboys have played on Christmas Day is because they are one of the most popular teams in the NFL. They have a large national following, and playing on Christmas Day allows them to reach a wider audience. The other teams in the NFL know that they can’t compete with the Cowboys when it comes to popularity, so they don’t bother trying to play on Christmas Day.

It’s also worth noting that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, which is typically when most NFL games are played. As such, there would be no incentive for other teams to play on Christmas Day, as they would simply be competing against the Cowboys for attention.

It’s not a TV ratings bonanza

TV ratings are important to the NFL, but they aren’t the only thing that matters. In fact, ratings for games on Christmas Day have been declining in recent years. In 2016, the Christmas Day game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers was the least-watched NFL game of the season.

There are a number of reasons why Christmas Day games aren’t as popular as they used to be. First, there are now so many other football games on TV during the holidays that it’s become harder for any one game to stand out. Second, many people have other commitments on Christmas Day (e.g., family gatherings, church services) that prevent them from watching a full football game.

So if TV ratings aren’t everything, why do some NFL teams continue to play on Christmas Day? For one thing, it’s still a tradition that certain teams (like the Cowboys and Packers) have played on every Christmas Day since 1961. And even though ratings are down, there are still plenty of people who do watch football on Christmas Day. In 2016, an estimated 15 million people tuned in to at least part of the Ravens-Steelers game.

So while TV ratings may not be what they once were, there are still enough fans interested in watching football on Christmas Day to make it worth the NFL’s while.