Holiday football is back, but not tonight. The NFL will resume operations as usual on Christmas Day; however, Christmas Eve is a day off for the NFL.
If you are a football fanatic who just cannot get enough, then Christmas Eve is an opportunity to squeeze in some gift-giving and other holiday-related festivities before a full helping of football tomorrow.
Here is a look at some of those games tomorrow.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders: Old School Rivalry
The first game of the day will air on Netflix, so grab your credit cards if you are not subscribed to the streaming service. The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a 17-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last week, which prompted several fans to call for the firing of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The loss dropped the Cowboys to 6-8-1, as their disappointing season continued. Dallas’ defense struggled mightily against Justin Herbert, and their offense fizzled out after scoring 17 points in the first half.
The Washington Commanders’ season has been off the rails since the beginning of the year. Jayden Daniels has been in and out of the lineup with various ailments, which has caused the team to trend toward the top of the draft instead of the top of the league.
That was not the expectation for the Commanders when the season started after last year’s improbable run to the NFC Championship Game.
In terms of playoff positioning, this game does not matter, but it will for draft positioning. If you’re a fan of rooting for positioning in the draft, this is the game for you with the 6-8-1 Cowboys facing off against the 4-11 Commanders.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: Detroit Fights for Its Playoff Lives
The Detroit Lions were the NFC’s top seed in the playoffs the previous season. After Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Lions are now clinging to their playoff lives by the slimmest of margins.
The Lions need to win the rest of their games, while also seeing their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, lose the rest of their games.
To do that, they’ll need to beat the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings won the first matchup between these two teams at Ford Field, but that was with a different quarterback. JJ McCarthy played that day and threw a game-winning pass for a first down to hand the Lions a devastating loss.
The Vikings will be starting Max Brosmer this week, with McCarthy nursing a hand injury.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs: Denver Tries To Keep Pace in Race for AFC’s 1-Seed
For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs will not be playing in the AFC Championship Game.
In fact, they will not be playing at all. The Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs two weeks ago with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at home.
Now, they’re playing a MASH unit with multiple big-name players set to miss this game, including Mahomes, who tore his ACL two weeks ago. Gardner Minshew, Mahomes’ backup, will not play this week after suffering a knee injury last week.
This game is about the Broncos. Denver’s 11-game winning streak was snapped with a 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
Now, the Broncos are looking to get back on track and win the AFC West, with the Chargers nipping at their heels. More important than the division, the Broncos are still in the chase for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. As tough as it is to play in Denver, the Broncos would love to have the road to the Super Bowl run through the Rocky Mountains.
