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The Kansas City Chiefs have played on Christmas in each of the past two seasons, and if they get their way, it sounds like they'll once again be playing on Christmas this year.
The NFL revealed this week that the 2025 schedule will include three games on Dec. 25, so there will be a total of six teams that will be playing on Christmas. According to The Athletic, the Chiefs would like the NFL to make them a "fixture" for Christmas games. Just like Santa, the Chiefs want to start showing up every Christmas. The team is hoping they can start playing on Christmas every year just like the Cowboys and Lions play on Thanksgiving every year.
The Chiefs have played a total of five Christmas games in franchise history, including a wild 1971 playoff game that saw them lose to the Miami Dolphins in double overtime. That divisional-round game marked the first time the NFL had ever scheduled a game for Christmas (And it was the first double OT game in NFL history). The Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game was part of a doubleheader that also featured the Cowboys and Vikings.
The Chiefs have been regularly playing on Christmas over the past few years. Kansas City played on Christmas in 2023 in a game they lost, 20-14, to the Raiders. In 2024, they got scheduled for another Christmas game, and this time, they beat the Steelers, 29-10, in a unique Wednesday game.
One reason the Chiefs might get their Christmas wish of playing on Dec. 25 fulfilled is because they're arguably the most popular team in the NFL right now. Of the eight most-watched regular-season games in 2024, four of them involved the Chiefs.
One other reason the Chiefs might be hoping to play on Christmas is because it could mean some extra rest at a key point in the season. After playing their Wednesday Christmas game in Week 17 last season, they got 11 days off until their next game, and getting that kind of rest just before the start of the playoffs can certainly be helpful. The flip side of that is that the Chiefs had to play on Saturday in Week 16 before playing on Wednesday in Week 17, but that's normal four-day turnaround that every NFL team is subject to whenever they go from playing a Sunday game to a Thursday game the following week. Not every NFL team gets an 11-day break before the final week of the season, though, which is what the Chiefs got.
Any time Christmas is on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the Chiefs would be getting an extended break going into Week 18. Playing on Christmas isn't ideal for every player, because you're away from your family for a big holiday, but the Chiefs are looking to embrace it.
It's unclear if the NFL will grant Kansas City's request, but it will certainly be one thing to watch out for when the NFL schedule is released in May.
