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The NFL does not have a tradition of playing games on Christmas Day, not like it does for Thanksgiving, but there have been many occasions when the schedule has fallen on the big day.
There was a long time when football wasn't played on Christmas Day, after complaints that the games were interfering with the schedules at home, as dinner was delayed getting onto the table.
Since 2004, the NFL have stepped up the frequency of Christmas Day games and there has been two games played on the day. This year will feature the first tripleheader on December 25 with games from the early afternoon until around bedtime Eastern time.
How many NFL games have been on Christmas?
The 2022 season will mean there have been 27 times that games have been played on Christmas Day. There was a long gap, with no games played on the day between 1971 and 1989 because of complaints.
The number of games has ramped up since 2004 with two games a year, which was repeated in 2006 (Monday), 2016 (Sunday), 2017 (Monday) and 2021 (Saturday).
When was the first game played on Christmas Day?
The first NFL games to be played on December 25 were the Divisional Playoff Round in the 1971-72 season.
The length of the games proved to be unpopular on the big day, with the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs playing the longest game in NFL history.
This prompted many complaints as it played havoc with Christmas dinners, and traditional religious families believed it was sacrilege for football to be played that day.
The NFL bowed to the pressure and there wasn't another Christmas Day game scheduled for the following 17 seasons.
How many NFL games are on Christmas Day this year?
- Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
- Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams, 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS/Nickelodeon.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
The first tripleheader on Christmas Day will feature four Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks—Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, Russell Wilson of the Broncos, Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Tom Brady of the Bucs.
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