When was the first NFL Christmas game? Early history of the holiday

Admin December 25, 2024

For the fourth year in a row, there are NFL games on Christmas. This year is a doubleheader featuring four AFC playoff teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs to open the holiday before the Houston Texans face off at home against the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2023 and 2022, the NFL had three games on Christmas, adding plenty of football to enjoy watching while opening presents and celebrating the holiday.

That hasn’t always been the case for the NFL. For years, the league avoided Christmas but that changed decades ago. Here’s what happened when the NFL finally played on Christmas:

When was the first NFL Christmas game?

It took until the 1971 NFL season for the NFL to hold games on Christmas. Because of the 10- and later 14-game regular season, the season was typically over by the holiday and the Super Bowl would come after Dec. 25.

That changed in 1971 with the divisional round of the playoffs starting on Christmas with two games, starting with Vikings-Cowboys.

The Minnesota Vikings hosted the defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys for the NFL’s first Christmas game on Dec. 25, 1971. Kickoff temperatures of 22 degrees at Metropolitan Stadium saw a defensive struggle in the first half.

The Cowboys rode a strong day by their defense (five turnovers) and enough on offense to get a 20-12 victory. It’d be the first step to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title, a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Speaking of Miami, the Dolphins traveled to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in the second Christmas game. It took two overtimes but the Dolphins won 27-24 in the later game of the doubleheader. That matchup still stands as the longest game in NFL history at 82 minutes and 40 seconds. It would be the last Christmas NFL game for nearly 20 years.

Which NFL team has played the most Christmas games?

The Cowboys have played a league-high five Christmas games entering this season but Kansas City will equal that total with their game against Pittsburgh.