NFL Xmas Day 2025: These are the teams that have never played on December 25
A long run of Yuletide NFL games continues this year with another three matchups on December 25.
The Christmas Day game has become a much-loved part of the modern NFL but the history of Yuletide football is actually more varied.
Ahead of the 2025 offering, there have been just 32 NFL games played on Christmas Day since the first one back in 1971. Until 2023, there had never been more than three consecutive years with Yuletide games.
A full day of football on Christmas 🎄 pic.twitter.com/sYHGjxpE5D
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2025
However 2025 will be the sixth season on the bounce with regular season games on December 25. The new tradition has risen in popularity as a tool to boost the league’s audience around the world and many teams are eager to put themselves front and center of the festive schedule.
Which team has played the most Christmas games?
It’s been more than 50 years since the Christmas Day game was first introduced and some teams have been favored more than others.
The team with the most December 25 games are the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have each played on the date five times. The Cowboys were also a part of the NFL’s first-ever December 25 clash, taking on the Minnesota Vikings 53 years ago. The Chiefs will move clear at the top this years when they take on the Washington Commanders in their sixth Christmas Day game.
At the other end of the scale there are still seven NFL teams that have never played a Christmas game. Those outliers are the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.
One of those teams will finally get their chance this year as the Commanders take on the Cowboys in the 2025 early kickoff. Following that is the Lions-Vikings clash at 4:30pm ET and the Broncos-Chiefs game at 8:15pm ET.
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