Merry Christmas! Your favorite grocery stores and big box stores are likely closedand the whirlwind of opening presents might be over. So what to do now? How about some NFL Football on Christmas Day?
Yes, you read that correctly. Professional football on a Wednesday. And at Christmas. You must have been good this year.
Here’s a look at the history of the NFL at Christmas and how to watch the games today.
NFL Christmas Day games: See who played the most
Many NFL fans are familiar with the league’s long history. tradition of playing on Thanksgiving Day. Turns out the NFL has also played on Christmas Day more than 21 times.
THE Cincinnati BengalsThe only Christmas Day game was a 29-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 16 of the 1989 season, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Several teams played multiple Christmas Day games, including three of the four teams playing today:
The Bengals, Chargers, 49ers, Texans and Jets are the teams that have played once on Christmas.
What channel is the Pittsburgh Steelers Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs on TV on Wednesday in Week 17? How to watch
Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers to stream on Netflix and in local market CBS affiliate stations only at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2024.
What time is the Texans-Ravens Christmas Day football game on TV Wednesday in NFL Week 17? How to watch, stream
The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will play at 4:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. The game will also be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Netflix, USA TODAY reports.
How did the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans fare on Christmas?
THE Chefs lost a double-overtime playoff game to the Dolphins in 1971, but has since gone undefeated through Christmas. THE Steelers won back-to-back Christmas games in 2016 and 2017.
THE Crows won its first Christmas game in 2005 but lost to the Steelers in 2016, and the Texans are looking for their first Christmas win after a 2017 loss to the Steelers.
The history of NFL games on Christmas Day: Results of all 21 games
There have been 21 Christmas NFL games before today, and it’s not always a happy Christmas for the home team: the visitors are 11-10 all-time.
Here’s a look at the results, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
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1971: Dallas Cowboys 20, Minnesota Vikings 12 (division playoff game)
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1971: Miami Dolphins 27, Kansas City Chiefs, 24 (division playoff game)
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1989: Minnesota Vikings 29, Cincinnati Bengals 21
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1993: Houston Oilers 10, San Francisco 49ers 7
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1994: Miami Dolphins 27, Detroit Lions 20
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1995: Dallas Cowboys 37, Arizona Cardinals 13
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1999: Denver Broncos 17, Detroit Lions 7
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2000: Tennessee Titans 31, Dallas Cowboys 0
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2004: Kansas City Chiefs 31, Oakland Raiders 30
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2004: Denver Broncos 37, Tennessee Titans 16
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2005: Chicago Bears 24, Green Bay Packers 17
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2005: Baltimore Ravens 30, Minnesota Vikings 23
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2006: Philadelphia Eagles 23, Dallas Cowboys 7
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2006: New York Jets 13, Miami Dolphins 10
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2009: San Diego Chargers 42, Tennessee Titans 17
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2010: Arizona Cardinals 27, Dallas Cowboys 26
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2011: Green Bay Packers 35, Chicago Bears 21
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2016: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Baltimore Ravens 27 (division playoff game)
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2016: Kansas City Chiefs 33, Denver Broncos 10 (division playoff game)
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2017: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Houston Texans 6
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2017: Philadelphia Eagles 19, Oakland Raiders 10
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: 21 NFL games were played on Christmas. Who played the most? Who won?
