7 NFL Teams That Have Never Played On Christmas Day

There will be three NFL games played on Christmas Day in the 2025 season. One features a team that will play on December 25th for the first in franchise history.

Pro football on the Christmas holiday dates back to the 1971 campaign. Back then, it was far from a regularity. That was largely due to the timing of the season.

The first two Yuletide matchups actually came in the playoffs. Both came in the ’71 campaign, with one featuring the Dolphins and Chiefs, and the other seeing the Vikings host the Cowboys.

There was a long pause in Christmas Day action thereafter, with the next meeting coming nearly two decades later in 1989.

Now, it’s almost tradition to play on the holiday. The season allows for annual regular season matchups. We’ve seen meeting in each of the last five years.

Which NFL teams have never played on Christmas?

Twenty-five of the league’s 32 franchises have competed on Christmas. The Cowboys and Chiefs lead the way with five matchups. That number will soon move to six for each squad.

The Cardinals, Dolphins, Packers, Titans, and Vikings each have four appearances. Green Bay is tied with Philadelphia for the most Christmas Day wins with three.

Here, we’ll look at the organizations that haven’t seen the holiday spotlight. These are the seven NFL teams that have never played on Christmas.

Washington Commanders

Washington is one of the NFL’s most historic franchises. It has never played on Christmas Day. That will change in 2025.

The Commanders are set to face the division rival Cowboys this season to end the drought. They’ll look to continue Dallas’s losing ways on the holiday and send them home with a 2-4 Yuletide mark.

Unfortunately, there won’t be much else to play for with both sides boasting losing records. Washington will enter at 4-11 with no shot at the postseason.

New England Patriots

New England is one of the winningest franchises in the NFL, owning six Super Bowl titles. They have yet to be featured in a Christmas Day matchup.

That streak will continue into at least 2026 with the team not playing this year. It could be a good thing based on past holiday results.

While the Patriots haven’t played on Christmas, they have competed in six Thanksgiving contests. Their success has been middling with a 3-3 overall record.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills have been NFL members since the 1970 merger. Despite that history, they remain one of seven teams never to play on Christmas.

Buffalo will not play this holiday season either, meaning their appearance-less skid will run to 56 years.

The Bills are 6-4-1 across 11 Thanksgiving contests, which ties them with the Broncos for most appearances by an AFC franchise. For now, they’ll have to take solace in that Turkey Day representation.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have gotten the short end of the stick on every holiday. They are the only NFL team that has never played on Thanksgiving. They have never been featured on Christmas, either.

Part of that is due to the age of the organization. Jacksonville is one of the youngest franchises in the NFL, playing its first season in 1995.

Still, they’ve gone 0-for-30 on Yuletide invites. Here’s to hoping that streak is broken in 2026.

Carolina Panthers

Similar to the Jaguars, the Panthers entered the league in the 1995 season. They have been dealt largely the same hand as their classmates.

Carolina has never played on Christmas. That streak will move to 31 years come December 25th of 2025.

The Panthers do have a slight leg up on Jacksonville with one Thanksgiving appearance. Still, they remain outcasts when speaking on the subject of holiday football.

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta is one of the seven NFL teams that has never played on Christmas Day. That status will not change in the 2025 campaign.

The Falcons are not on the holiday schedule this year. They’ll have to wait until at least 2026 to hear their name called.

Atlanta has been a member of the NFL since the 1970 merger. It’s received a stiff arm from the league in terms of Yuletide scheduling.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle is a bit younger than many teams mentioned on this list, with its first NFL campaign coming in 1976. Still, the current season represents the 50th in franchise history.

The Seahawks have swung and missed on Christmas Day invites across five decades of football. They are the last of our seven teams to never have played on December 25th.

They will not be on the field this year, either, as no NFC West members are featured. The shutout will live on for at least one season more!