BroBible
The first NFL games to be played on Christmas Day came back in 1971. That season featured a pair of playoff matchups falling on the Yuletide.
In each case, the road team would win. One of those contests would go down on record as the league’s longest game ever played.
Since that inaugural campaign, there have been 30 other Christmas Day outings. It’s become more common in recent years with the NFL season now extending beyond the holiday.
The 2025 slate features three Christmas rivalries. It is the fifth consecutive year to have a holiday meeting on the schedule.
Of those 32 total matchups, there are a few individual performances that stand out. Here, we’ll go through seven in particular that go down as the best ever seen on Christmas Day.
Let’s start with one of those very first meetings, which occurred between the Chiefs and Dolphins.
Despite losing, Chiefs running back Ed Podolak totaled nearly 350 all-purpose yards as a rusher, receiver, and return man. He logged 85 yards on the ground, 110 through the air, and 154 on three kickoffs.
Podolak found the endzone twice, but it wasn’t enough to upend Miami. The Dolphins would later lose in the Super Bowl before going undefeated the following year.
The Cowboys annihilated the Cardinals on Christmas in 1995. Their quarterback had a monster day.
Troy Aikman threw two long first half touchdowns to help his team build a 24-0 lead. He’d finish the contest with a 350-yard performance to land a 37-13 victory.
That win came in the final week of the regular season. Dallas would go onto sweep through the playoffs, beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl to claim an NFL title.
Denver faced off against Lions in Week 16 of the season. The Broncos were not a good team at the time of the meeting, entering at 5-9. They did, however, have an opportunity to ruin Detroit’s playoff standing.
They’d do so thanks to their first-year rusher. Gary toted the rock 29 times for a season-high 185 yards. Denver landed a 17-7 win to send the Lions to 8-7. It was one of four straight losses that ended Detroit’s season following an 8-4 start.
That skid prevented a division crown. The Lions would later lose their playoff opener to Washington as a wildcard team. Denver finished the year 6-10.
Denver traveled to Tennessee to face the Titans on Christmas. They’d leave with a convincing 37-16 win.
The running back ended his evening with more than 120 total yards and three touchdowns, finding the endzone as both a ball carrier and a pass catcher.
That performance helped the team go 10-6 to make the postseason. They’d lose their first playoff matchup to Indianapolis.
Rodgers was coming into his own in Green Bay following back-to-back 10-win seasons. He’d boost his stock...
