No holiday gift guide needed for the NFL. The league knew exactly what to get its fans: more football games to watch during the holidays.
Exactly four weeks after a Thanksgiving triple-header, the NFL is putting on a triple-header of Christmas Day games in 2025. It’s the third time in the last four years that there will be three pro football games on Dec. 25, with last year’s Wednesday double-header standing as the lone exception.
Three games mean six teams facing off on the holiday this year. Here’s which teams are playing on Christmas in 2025 and how to watch each game:
NFL Christmas games
There are three games kicking off throughout the day on Christmas this year. Here’s which teams are playing and when each game starts:
All times Eastern.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders: 1 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: 4:30 p.m.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs: 8:20 p.m.
Where to watch NFL Christmas games
All times Eastern.
Live stream:
Cowboys at Commanders: Netflix, 1 p.m.
Lions at Vikings: Netflix, 4:30 p.m.
Broncos at Chiefs: Amazon Prime Video, 8:20 p.m.
Only fans living in the local markets of the six teams playing on Christmas will be able to watch one of the games on cable television.
Here’s where those fans can tune in on Dec. 25:
TV channels:
Dallas: KTVT (CBS Channel 11)
Washington, DC: WUSA (CBS Channel 9)
Detroit: WWJ-TV (CBS 62 in Detroit)
Minneapolis/St. Paul: WCCO-CBS
Denver: KMGH (ABC Denver7)
Kansas City: KSHB (NBC Channel 41)
NFL fans living in the U.S. will be able to live stream all three games on Christmas, provided they have subscriptions to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Netflix will stream both of the early games live on Christmas.
NFL fans in the United States outside of the competing teams’ markets will need to sign into their Netflix account – or subscribe to the streaming service – to watch. Both matchups will be available with any Netflix plan.
After the early games, fans will need to switch over to Amazon Prime Video, the same streaming service that owns rights to ‘Thursday Night Football.’ The Chiefs vs. Broncos game will kick off in the prime-time slot on Christmas Day.
The NFL will also stream the three games on its premium subscription service, NFL+, on mobile devices.
Commanders vs. Cowboys on Christmas
Matchup: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
Location: Landover, Maryland
Venue: Northwest Stadium
Time: 1 p.m. ET
The first matchup of the day is a divisional clash between two teams already eliminated from playoff contention. The Cowboys and Commanders have nothing to play for besides pride and draft position in their second head-to-head meeting of the year. Dallas won the first matchup at home, 44-22, on Oct. 19.
Vikings vs. Lions on Christmas
Matchup: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The latter two Christmas clashes are also both divisional matchups. The mid-afternoon game is the second and final game on Netflix on the holiday, and it features a Lions team fighting for its playoff life visiting a Vikings squad that has already been eliminated from contention.
Chiefs vs. Broncos on Christmas
Matchup: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
If, before the season, one heard that the final Christmas game would include a team fighting for the AFC’s No. 1 seed and another that had already be eliminated, one might expect the Chiefs to be the former and the Broncos to be the latter. Instead, it’s the opposite. Denver can clinch the top spot in the AFC with a win over the reigning AFC champions on Christmas.
NFL playoff picture
Here’s how the AFC and NFC stack up entering Week 17:
AFC
Denver Broncos (12-3; AFC West leaders)*
New England Patriots (12-3; AFC East leaders)*
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4; AFC South leaders)
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6; AFC North leaders)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-4; wild card No. 1)
Buffalo Bills (11-4; wild card No. 2)
Houston Texans (10-5; wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (8-7); Baltimore Ravens (7-8)
* Denotes team that has clinched a playoff berth.
Eliminated: Kansas City Chiefs (6-9); Miami Dolphins (6-9); Cincinnati Bengals (5-10); New York Jets (3-12); Cleveland Browns (3-12); Tennessee Titans (3-12); Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)
NFC
Seattle Seahawks (12-3; NFC West leaders)*
Chicago Bears (11-4; NFC North leaders)*
Philadelphia Eagles (10-5; NFC East leaders)*
Carolina Panthers (8-7; NFC South leaders)
Los Angeles Rams (11-4; wild card No. 1)*
San Francisco 49ers (10-4; wild card No. 2)*
Green Bay Packers (9-5-1; wild card No. 3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-7); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
Asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff berth.
Eliminated: Minnesota Vikings (7-8); Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1); Atlanta Falcons (6-9); New Orleans Saints (5-10); Washington Commanders (4-11); Arizona Cardinals (3-12); New York Giants (2-13)
