The NFL is embracing midweek holiday spirit in 2024 with another set of fixtures taking place on Christmas Day. The league will hold two games on December 25, which falls on a Wednesday, this season.
The 2023 season saw three games played on Christmas Day, which kicked off with the Las Vegas Raiders‘ shocking upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and included a surprisingly close finish between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
That set the tone for a warmer clash in Santa Clara, California, where the Baltimore Ravens dominated the eventual Super Bowl runners-up, the San Francisco 49ers, in front of a prime-time audience.
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Last season’s Christmas Day tripleheader drew historic ratings, with all three games ranking among the top five Christmas Day NFL games on record, dating back to 1988. And it explains why the NFL are willing to do it all over again.
“When we saw the viewership from this past year, really our fans spoke. We certainly saw and believe that they are very much enjoying and wanting NFL football on Christmas,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, said at the Annual League Meeting on Tuesday.
“So what we’re going to do is we’re going to play a couple of games, like we’ve typically played for well over a decade, probably more than that, on Saturday of Week 16, and then come back and play a couple of games on Christmas Day on Wednesday.”
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell quashed any concerns that players health could be put at risk by making them play at Christmas.
“COVID was a learning opportunity, I think it was the first time we played on a Wednesday. It will not be a regular thing. It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday,” Goodall said.
“But the time period between games has been done before. We have not seen any elevation of injuries. You all, and we, have had a major focus on Thursday night when we first put it in, and we’ve still not seen any kind of elevation of injuries. So I think we have this down.”
Who’s playing in Christmas Day 2024 games?
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs
- Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Venue: Acrisure Stadium
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Venue: NRG Stadium
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where can I watch the NFL Christmas Day games 2024?
The NFL Christmas Day games will be streamed exclusively on Netflix.
Netflix will have a three-year deal for exclusive Christmas Day game rights.
