BY PETER WHITMAN
The NFL doesn’t slow down when the holidays arrive. For fans in North America and beyond, the festive period around Christmas and New Year is one of the most intense stretches of the season, packed with headline fixtures and crucial playoff battles.
Christmas Day Triple-Header
The centrepiece of the festive calendar is the Christmas Day schedule. In 2025, the league has lined up a three-game slate. The Dallas Cowboys visit the Washington Commanders in an NFC East rivalry to open the day, followed by the Detroit Lions at the Minnesota Vikings in a potentially decisive NFC North clash. The night game sees the Denver Broncos travel to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs, adding AFC West drama to the mix.
Two of those contests – Cowboys at Commanders and Lions at Vikings – will stream exclusively on Netflix while Broncos at Chiefs is a Prime Video game, underlining how streaming giants now sit alongside traditional broadcasters.
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Saturday Showcases and Flexible Scheduling
The big games start even before Christmas. In Week 16, the NFL has created a Saturday double-header on December 20, with the Philadelphia Eagles at Washington followed by a primetime showdown between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, flexed into the late slot because of its impact on the NFC North race.
A week later, Week 17 features another special: Peacock will carry an exclusive Saturday night “Holiday Exclusive” game on December 27, drawn from one of the key late-season match-ups. All this sits on top of the usual Sunday and Monday schedule, with flexible scheduling rules to ensure the most meaningful fixtures land in national TV windows.
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With so many primetime games featuring contenders, sports betting markets will be a hive of activity over the festive period, with bettors wanting to get involved in the action.
Playoff Races Reaching Boiling Point
By late December, the regular season is in its final weeks, with the campaign set to finish on January 4 2026. Division titles, wild-card berths and home-field advantage are all on the line. The NFC East, NFC North and AFC West dominate the festive schedule, and each division is stacked with Super Bowl contenders.
Every snap will be magnified. Winter weather can turn passing attacks into ground-and-pound battles, special teams become even more important, and a single turnover can reshape the playoff picture. For some franchises, Christmas week will decide whether they extend their season or start planning for the draft.
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Final Thoughts
The holidays are also rich in off-field content. “Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East” continues to drop weekly episodes through December and into January, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders handle the pressure of the run-in. Combined with analysis shows and social media reactions, the league becomes a 24/7 companion for viewers on their break.
Put simply, the NFL has turned the festive period into a mini-season of its own – a concentrated burst of rivalry games, flexed kick-offs and storylines that will shape the road to Super Bowl LX in San Francisco. Whether you’re watching from a sports bar or a cosy living room, there will be no shortage of drama between Christmas and the New Year for NFL fans.
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