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NFL Christmas Day Schedule 2024: Who is Playing on Christmas?
For the first time in league history, the NFL is celebrating Christmas Day on Netflix.
The streaming platform recently agreed to a three-season deal to broadcast NFL games, a contract that will debut Dec. 25, 2024 with a pair of high-profile matchups.
Which NFL teams are playing on Christmas Day 2024?
The NFL's Christmas Day slate will begin with a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will cap off the holiday with a rematch of their clash from the divisional round of the 2023 playoffs.
The Chiefs–Steelers game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, and the Ravens–Texans tilt will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. at NRG Stadium in Houston.
MATCHUP | KICKOFF TIME |
|---|---|
Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 p.m. ET |
Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans | 4:30 p.m. ET |
The Steelers hold an all-time record of 23–14 against the Chiefs, although Kansas City has won the last three matchups, dating back to 2018 when Patrick Mahomes took over as the Chiefs' starting quarterback.
Baltimore is 12–2 against Houston in franchise history, winning the last five matchups dating back to 2017. The Ravens ended the Texans' season last year in the divisional round of the postseason, winning 34–10 at home.
What is the history of the NFL broadcasting games exclusively on streaming platforms?
The NFL aired its first streaming-only game during the 2023 playoffs when the Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 26–7 in the wild-card round, a matchup that could be seen only on Peacock. The game, which was played in -4°F weather, was watched by more than 23 million people on NBC's streaming platform.
Along with Netflix, the NFL will exclusively air games during the 2024 NFL season on fellow streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and ESPN+.
How long has the NFL hosted games on Christmas Day?
The first NFL games played on Christmas Day were a pair of playoff games in 1971.
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Minnesota Vikings 20–12, and the Dolphins beat the Chiefs 27–24 in the divisional round.
After that year, however, the league avoided scheduling games on Christmas due to public complaints until 1989 when the Vikings played the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. From 1989 to 2019, the league would occasionally schedule games on Christmas Day with 19 matchups during that span.
In 2020, however, the NFL began broadcasting at least one Christmas Day game each year, even if the holiday falls on a day that the league typically doesn't play.
There was one game played in 2020 on Christmas Day (a Friday), two in 2021 (Saturday), three in 2022 (Sunday) and three in 2023 (Monday).
The Chiefs–Steelers and Ravens–Texans matchups will mark the first Christmas Day games played on a Wednesday.
Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.