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On December 25, the NFL is providing good boys and girls with two exciting football games that feature several teams fighting for Playoff spots. Commissioner Roger Goodell, aka the NFL Santa Claus, believes that the National Football League should play games on all major holidays during the season.
The NFL has already taken over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, as Goodell declared that the entire holiday weekend is property of the NFL. Since 2020, the league has played on Christmas annually regardless of what day the holiday falls on.
Since the early years of the league, schedule makers avoided Christmas at all costs. From 1943 to 1970, the league championship games were played before or after the holiday. If Christmas was on a Sunday, then the title game would be moved to a Monday. In fact, they went as far as moving the championship game to New Year’s Day instead of playing on Christmas.
That changed in 1971. After the AFL-NFL merger, the Divisional Round of the Playoffs fell on Christmas. Unfortunately, it was met with harsh criticism and was even threatened to be legally banned in states. From this point until the late 1980s, the NFL continued to shift games and opening weeks to avoid Christmas.
In 1989, the NFL returned to Christmas action. It was met more favorably this time around. In 1990, the league added a Bye Week, which meant that Christmas would take place annually during the season. Typically, these Christmas games all took place on normal football days like Monday, Saturday or Sunday.
It wasn’t until 2020, that the league decided to play on Christmas regardless of what day it was. This year, Christmas falls on a Wednesday. So, the league maintained its commitment to Christmas Day football by scheduling the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans.
In another twist to the holiday games, this year’s NFL contests won’t be seen on any of the broadcast networks or Amazon Prime. Instead, it will be on Netflix. If you don’t have Netflix, perhaps you should put that on your Christmas list this year.
With that in mind, the full slate of Netlfix Christmas NFL odds is not available as of yet. Yet, this means that there’s still plenty of time to examine our NFL betting analysis for information and predictions on players, all 32 NFL teams, Divisions, Conferences, and the 2025 Super Bowl.
Who’s Playing Football On Christmas?
The Kansas City Chiefs will play on Christmas for a second consecutive season as they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers at 1pm ET. The second contest features a potential showdown of divisional leaders as the Baltimore Ravens head to Houston to take on the Texans at 4:30pm ET.
What Channel Is Christmas Day Football on?
For the first time ever, the NFL will stream football games on Netflix. Reportedly, the giant streaming platform paid $75 million dollars per game as they continue to expand their live sports action. The hope for the streamer is that the Netflix Christmas NFL games will entice football fans to sign up and stick around. Netflix doubled down on this idea by signing a deal for Christmas Games for the next three seasons.
Christmas Football Games Odds
Unfortunately, the Christmas Day football odds are not available as of yet. Check back as we get closer to the start of December and the NFL odds for this holiday become available.
NFL Christmas Football Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Road Team | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, Dec. 25 | 1PM | Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Wednesday, Dec. 25 | 4:30 PM | Baltimore Ravens | Houston Texans |
Christmas Day Football Games
This year, the NFL will feature the following exciting AFC matchups on Christmas:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The opening Christmas Day football game will see the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs head east to battle the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rowdy environment.
By this point of the year, the Chiefs should have the AFC West locked up. They can sleepwalk through the second half of the season and still take the division by at least a game or two. That’s an indicative statement about Kansas City’s talented roster and an inferior division.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will still be in a heated race for the AFC North, while also trying to fight for one of the three AFC Wild Card spots. Last year, the Steelers made the Playoffs as a Wild Card team and hope to repeat that success again this year.
These two teams have played against each other 37 times and Pittsburgh holds the advantage with a 23-14 record. The Chiefs have won the last three games in this series. Pittsburgh has a commanding advantage in home games against the Chiefs with a record of 11-5. The Steelers had won six home games in a row before KC snapped that streak in 2018.
For the Chiefs, this will be their 5th appearance on Christmas Day. They lost in stunning fashion to the Las Vegas Raiders last year. Prior to that, they beat Denver in 2016, beat the Raiders in 2004, and lost to Miami in the 1971 Playoffs.
The Steelers are 2-0 on Christmas with wins over the Houston Texans in 2017, and the Baltimore Ravens in 2016. Pittsburgh will be the home underdog in this matchup and will look to pull off a similar upset over the Chiefs like the Raiders did last year.
Can the Chiefs extend their winning streak to four consecutive games over the Steelers or will Pittsburgh get a small Christmas miracle and pull off the upset?
Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans
The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will meet in the second game of the NFL’s Christmas Day doubleheader. This game could feature two teams on top of their respective divisions. The Ravens are the odds-on favorites to win the AFC North, while Houston is expected to run away with the AFC South.
Baltimore and Houston have played against each other 14 times including twice in the postseason. The Ravens have a massive lead in this series with a 12-2 record. Baltimore has won five consecutive games over the Texans including the AFC Divisional Round Playoff game in January. The Ravens are also 4-2 at Houston, which includes winning the last time they played there in 2020.
This will be Baltimore’s 4th appearance on Christmas Day. They defeated the 49ers last year by the score of 33-19. As mentioned, they lost to the Steelers in 2016, but also won in 2005 after defeating the Vikings.
For Houston, this is their second appearance on Christmas Day. They also lost to Pittsburgh, but it came a year after Baltimore’s loss, in 2017.
This Christmas Day football game will mark just how much of a contender the Houston Texans are to win the AFC Championship. In fact, three of the four teams playing on Christmas are AFC title contenders: Texans, Ravens and Chiefs.
Can Houston buck the losing trend against Baltimore or will the Ravens continue to fly south and defeat the Texans?
Christmas Football Games Predictions
As we get closer to December, we will provide a variety of free NFL picks designed to help you make well-informed and strategic decisions. Our experts carefully analyze these NFL Christmas Day picks, leveraging the latest data, trends, and insider insights. Here are some of the categories that we’ll cover with our NFL Christmas Day football predictions:
- Best Pick Against the Spread (ATS): Our ATS pick highlights the best bet for teams expected to cover the point spread, providing valuable insights into which matchups offer the most potential for a profitable wager.
- Best Moneyline Pick: For those who prefer betting on outright winners, our moneyline pick offers a top selection based on a comprehensive analysis of team performance, player statistics, and other critical factors.
- Best Total Pick: Our total pick focuses on the over/under, helping you identify games where the total points scored will likely go over or under the set line. Detailed statistical models and game scenarios back this pick.
- Best Player Prop: Dive into individual player performances with our best player prop pick. Whether it’s passing yards, touchdowns, or receptions, we pinpoint standout player prop bets that offer excellent value.
- Best Team Prop: Explore team-centric bets with our best team prop pick. These can include total team points, turnovers, or specific team milestones, providing a broader range of betting opportunities.
Christmas Day Football Best Bets
In addition to breaking down the featured Christmas Day games, we’ll also provide you with our best Christmas football bets. You can place individual wagers on these NFL best bets or you can combine them for a potential NFL Christmas Day football parlay.
Christmas Day Football Records
The following is a list of each NFL team’s Christmas Day record. There are eight teams that have nevered played on Christmas Day as of 2024.
| Team | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Washington Commanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
