What is NFL schedule over the holidays?

This 2021 Christmas period kicks off (pun intended) on December 23rd with a Thursday Night Football matchup that sees the (8-6) San Francisco 49ers try to firm up their claim on one of the Wild Card spots. With the NFC field so tightly packed, a loss now could open the door for four other teams to slip in around them, so San Francisco will be looking to win at all costs. Standing in their way are the AFC South Division leading (9-5) Tennessee Titans who are just one game behind Kansas City in the number one seed chase. San Francisco comes into this one the hotter team, with five victories in the last six games. Tennessee, on the other hand, has dropped three of four and have struggled to replace Derrick Henry’s output this season.

Come Christmas day and all the presents have been unwrapped, the turkey has been reduced to a carcass, and we settle into a glass of port wine and another seasonal classic as the (7-7) Cleveland Browns travel up to Lambeau to square off against the (11-3) Green Bay Packers. The Browns’ Wild Card hopes are all but over and with 19 players on the reserve list, Green Bay will be one steep mountain to climb. The Packers are hitting their stride, riding a three game winning streak and seemingly able to score at will. They haven’t lost at home this season and will want to keep it that way.

As the classic game draws to a close, it is out with the old and in with the new as the (8-6) Indianapolis Colts travel to Glendale to face the (10-4) Arizona Cardinals. Indianapolis are on a hot streak, knocking off five of their last six opponents including Buffalo and New England. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals have dropped the last two, and after an almost unstoppable first part of the season they are beginning to show signs of fatigue. They may tighten up the screws, but the Colts just might be too much for them.

December 26th falls on a Sunday this year and so the great body of games will be played, starting with our early matchups.

The (2-11-1) Detroit Lions are not quite the worst team in the league, but only by the margin of that one draw. They knocked off the Cardinals and Vikings in two of their last three outings, but it is too little and far too late. The (6-8) Atlanta Falcons made their playoff likelihood very slim by losing to the 49ers last week and can only just barely keep them alive with a win and a bit of luck elsewhere.

Following on from Arizona dropping that clanger to the Lions in Week 15, their NFC West nemesis the (10-4) Los Angeles Rams have a very good chance of taking over the division with a win against the (7-7) Minnesota Vikings. The late season acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr seems to be paying dividends for Sean McVay as the LA offense is back to their scoring ways. Minnesota is squeaking through at the moment, but they feel like a team best suited to the middle of the pack.

With both teams at (8-6), first place in the AFC North will be on the line when the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals clash. The Ravens lost a heartbreaker to Green Bay last week and the Bengals snapped a two game losing streak in Denver, so this matchup will be one of the hottest contests this week. Keep an eye on this one.

The AFC East title will not be decided by the (8-6) Buffalo Bills matchup with the (9-5) New England Patriots alone, but it certainly goes a long way toward crowning the top spot's occupant. A Bills win would see them level the season and head-to-head records, while a Patriots win would make it impossible for Buffalo to leapfrog them. The Bills might have the most complete team in the NFL at the moment and New England are coming off a loss to Indianapolis, so there are no foregone conclusions in this one.

Officially the worst team in the NFL, the (2-12) Jacksonville Jaguars will travel up to New Jersey to face the equally stinky (4-10) New York Giants. It is difficult to find an excuse to watch this one. Unless you are invested in either of these teams, give this snooze-fest a miss. Nothing is on the line and, although mathematically still possible for New York to make it to the post season, the reality is that this season cannot end soon enough for these two franchises.

Another already-eliminated team is the (3-11) New York Jets who will take on the still-hopeful (7-7) Philadelphia Eagles. A win for Philadelphia coupled with a Minnesota loss could see them pushed into a Wild Card spot. That bulging NFC middle is crowded though, and the Saints, the Falcons and Washington will all be trying to squeeze past them as well.

Coming off their goose egg last week, the (10-4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking to clinch the NFC South in Charlotte as they face the (5-9) Carolina Panthers. Tom Brady may have historical trouble dealing with the Saints, but the Panthers hold no such sway over him. He and the Bucs swept them last season and it would be churlish to suggest that they won’t do it again. A week delayed perhaps, but the Tampa Bay machine will be too much for Carolina to stop.

Keeping the theme of one-sided clinch games, the (8-6) Los Angeles Chargers will look to bolster their case against the hapless (3-11) Houston Texans . Having lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Chiefs last week, the Chargers are now in a must-win situation. A second loss would see them plummet out of playoff contention, while a Houston win would do nothing for their season.

And rounding off this little pack of misery, the (4-10) Chicago Bears will face the (5-9) Seattle Seahawks with very little on the line. A win for Seattle would bring them slightly higher in the list of also-rans but their chances of making the post season are diminished to near zero.

Feeling as though we have not seen a matchup with any meaning to it for hours now, it is with relief bordering on delirium that we take in the (7-6-1) Pittsburgh Steelers and the (10-4) Kansas City Chiefs game. For the Chiefs, this is a chance to consolidate their position at the top of the AFC tree and extend that seven game win streak. For the Steelers, coming off a big win against Tennessee, a repeat performance could see them leapfrog any number of teams into the Wild Card spot. A loss, however, would almost certainly see their playoff dreams die.

Another matchup that is make-or-break for both teams is the Denver Broncos against Las Vegas Raiders. Both of these teams are at (7-7) and have been on the cusp of the Wild Card spots for most of the season. With Teddy Bridgewater out from concussion, there is a big question mark over the productivity of the Broncos. The Raiders defense may just squeeze them out of playoff contention.

If the sherry and turkey haven’t put you to sleep, the late game sees a rematch of the Week 14 matchup between the (6-8) Washington Football Team and the (10-4) Dallas Cowboys. With their covid-delayed Week 15 loss to Philadelphia, Washington need a win to stay in the peloton of the Wild Card hopefuls. They are also working on a further shortened short week, which will do them no favors against the NFC East’s top team. Dallas have seen their solid defense carry them through the first half of the season, and now in the dog days their offense feels like it is coming to life. This one is a match worth staying up for.

And the Christmas football week will be rounded out with a Monday Night Football game in that cathedral of great Monday night games, the Louisiana Superdome. The Miami Dolphins travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. Both teams are at (7-7) and sitting just off the Wild Card periphery. They have both struggled of late and with the Saints offense depleted through injury, their superb defense that stymied Tom Brady last week is going to be called on once again to hold the line. Miami has ridden their defense this season as well and the winner should be the team who can best control the clock. With Alvin Kamara back in the lineup, New Orleans has the slight edge.