The Kansas City Chiefs may be looking to add another tradition to their already storied franchise – playing on Christmas Day. Following back-to-back appearances on the holiday in 2023 and 2024, the reigning NFL powerhouse has reportedly made a request to make the Chiefs a Christmas Day fixture, just as the Cowboys and Lions are synonymous with Thanksgiving.
According to The Athletic, Kansas City has approached the NFL with the idea of being featured annually on December 25.
While the NFL is expanding its Christmas Day presence with three games on the 2025 schedule, it remains to be seen whether any team will be given a permanent slot. The Chiefs, however, are hoping to change that.
A holiday tradition in the making?
The Chiefs’ interest in locking in Christmas games goes beyond branding – although it certainly helps that they’re one of the league’s biggest draws. In 2024, four of the eight most-watched regular-season games involved Kansas City. Their star-studded roster, led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, along with the off-field attention thanks to Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift, has made them a media juggernaut.
But there’s a strategic element at play, too. Last season, the Chiefs played a rare Wednesday Christmas game against the Pittsburgh Steelers – and came away with a dominant 29-10 win. More importantly, the scheduling gave them 11 days off before their Week 18 game, offering a near bye-week level of rest right before the playoffs.
That extended break didn’t go unnoticed by the Chiefs, especially considering the condensed schedule they had faced the week prior, with a Saturday game in Week 16. It’s a scenario similar to teams playing Sunday-to-Thursday matchups, which all NFL clubs face during the season.
From a historical perspective, Kansas City has played five games on Christmas Day – most famously in 1971, when they lost a divisional-round epic to the Dolphins in double overtime.
That game, part of the NFL‘s first-ever Christmas doubleheader, also became the longest game in league history at the time and marked a pivotal moment for holiday football.
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