The 2025 NFL Christmas Day schedule featured a high-stakes doubleheader played on Thursday, December 25, 2025. Both games were streamed exclusively on Netflix as part of the league’s multi-year global partnership with the streaming giant. These Week 17 matchups carried significant playoff implications and marked the first time Christmas football was anchored on a Thursday.
The 2025 NFL Christmas Day Schedule Overview
The 2025 holiday slate was a landmark event for the NFL, representing the second year of its exclusive three-year deal with Netflix. Because Christmas fell on a Thursday in 2025, the league utilized the date to replace the standard "Thursday Night Football" window with a special holiday doubleheader.
Unlike previous years where games were spread across various networks like CBS, FOX, or NBC, the 2025 schedule was consolidated under the Netflix banner. This move was designed to capitalize on the massive global reach of streaming while maintaining the NFL's burgeoning tradition of owning the Christmas Day sports landscape, much like the NBA has done for decades.
The selection of teams for the 2025 Christmas games focused on high-draw franchises and divisional rivalries that typically dictate the postseason picture in late December. By placing these games in Week 17, the NFL ensured that the stakes were at their peak, with teams fighting for division titles and Wild Card berths.
2025 Christmas Day Game Details
| Game | Matchup | Kickoff Time (ET) | Venue | Primary Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon Game | Los Angeles Rams at New York Jets | 1:00 PM | MetLife Stadium | Netflix |
| Primetime Game | Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers | 4:30 PM | Acrisure Stadium | Netflix |
The Netflix Era: A New Home for Holiday Football
The 2025 Christmas schedule was the centerpiece of the NFL’s aggressive pivot toward digital-first broadcasting. Following the successful (though occasionally scrutinized) debut of Christmas streaming in 2024, Netflix refined its approach for the 2025 season.
Why the NFL Chose Netflix
The decision to award Christmas games to Netflix was driven by two primary factors: global reach and demographic targeting. Netflix boasts over 270 million subscribers worldwide, offering the NFL a platform to reach international fans who may not have access to traditional American cable or satellite packages. For Netflix, the live sports expansion provided a "tentpole" event to drive new subscriptions and reduce churn during the winter months.
Technical Improvements and Production
In 2025, Netflix and the NFL collaborated to enhance the viewing experience. This included:
- High-Bitrate 4K Streaming: Addressing previous complaints about lag and buffering during high-traffic live events, Netflix implemented dedicated servers for the Christmas broadcast.
- Alternative Broadcasts: Much like the "ManningCast" on ESPN, Netflix experimented with influencer-led or data-heavy alternative streams to appeal to younger audiences.
- Integrated Commercials: Advertisers utilized Netflix’s ad-tier data to serve more personalized commercials during the games, a departure from the "one-size-fits-all" model of traditional television.
Scheduling Logistics: The Thursday Christmas Challenge
Scheduling games for Christmas Day becomes a logistical puzzle when the holiday falls mid-week. In 2025, the Thursday placement created a unique "short week" scenario for the participating teams. To ensure player safety and competitive balance, the NFL implemented specific scheduling rules for the teams involved in the Christmas doubleheader.
The "Saturday-to-Thursday" Turnaround
The four teams selected for the 2025 Christmas games—the Rams, Jets, Chiefs, and Steelers—were all required to play their Week 16 games on the previous Saturday (December 20, 2025). This gave the players and coaches a four-day recovery window, which is the standard interval for any team playing on Thursday Night Football.
This scheduling maneuver effectively turned the 2025 Christmas games into the "official" Thursday Night Football games of Week 17, even though they were branded under the Netflix Christmas umbrella rather than the Amazon Prime Video TNF package.
Impact on Player Health and Performance
The short week is always a point of contention among NFL players and the NFLPA. For the 2025 Christmas games, teams focused heavily on "walk-through" practices rather than high-impact drills. This often leads to a different style of play—sometimes more offensive-focused as defenses struggle to install complex schemes on a short timeline.
Viewing Requirements: How to Stream the 2025 Games
Because the 2025 NFL Christmas games were exclusive to Netflix, fans needed to understand the specific access requirements to avoid missing kickoff. This marked a total departure from the era of "rabbit ear" antennas for holiday football.
Subscription Details
To watch the games, viewers required an active Netflix subscription. All tiers—including the "Standard with Ads," "Standard," and "Premium" plans—included access to the live NFL broadcasts. Unlike some other sports streaming packages, there was no additional "pay-per-view" fee beyond the monthly subscription cost.
Local Broadcast Exceptions
Per NFL policy, games that are exclusive to a streaming service must still be made available on over-the-air television in the local markets of the competing teams. In 2025, this meant:
- Los Angeles Market: Fans could watch the Rams vs. Jets on a local broadcast affiliate (typically CBS, FOX, or NBC).
- New York Market: Fans could watch the Rams vs. Jets on a local affiliate.
- Kansas City & Pittsburgh Markets: Fans in these areas could watch the Chiefs vs. Steelers on their local television stations.
For everyone outside these specific local markets, Netflix was the only legal way to view the games.
Device Compatibility
Netflix’s broad device support made the games accessible on:
- Smart TVs and streaming sticks (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV).
- Gaming consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S).
- Mobile devices (iOS and Android).
- Web browsers on PC and Mac.
Impact on the 2025 Playoff Race
The 2025 Christmas Day games were not just exhibitions; they were critical components of the Week 17 landscape. With the NFL season consisting of 18 weeks, Week 17 serves as the penultimate round of the regular season.
The Chiefs vs. Steelers Rivalry
By late 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs remained a powerhouse in the AFC, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by a revamped offense, were fighting for playoff seeding. This primetime matchup at Acrisure Stadium had massive implications for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. The cold-weather environment in Pittsburgh added a layer of traditional "football weather" that fans expect from December games.
The Rams vs. Jets Dynamics
The afternoon game featured a cross-conference battle. For the New York Jets, playing at home on Christmas was a major spotlight for a franchise looking to solidify its identity in the post-season hunt. The Rams, traveling from the West Coast, faced the challenge of an early kickoff and the hostile MetLife Stadium environment.
Comparing 2025 to Previous Christmas Doubleheaders
The NFL’s commitment to Christmas Day has evolved rapidly. Looking back from 2026, the 2025 schedule was part of a clear trajectory toward holiday dominance.
- 2022 (Sunday): The NFL played a tripleheader on Christmas because the holiday fell on a Sunday, which is a natural football day.
- 2023 (Monday): The league scheduled another tripleheader (Raiders-Chiefs, Giants-Eagles, and Ravens-49ers) which drew record-breaking viewership, proving that fans would tune in even on non-traditional football days.
- 2024 (Wednesday): Despite it being a Wednesday, the NFL scheduled two games (Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans), which were the first to be streamed on Netflix.
- 2025 (Thursday): The 2025 schedule consolidated the games into a two-game window on a Thursday, aligning the holiday with the league’s existing Thursday night infrastructure.
The 2025 schedule was notable for being "cleaner" than the 2024 Wednesday experiment, as the Thursday placement felt more natural for both players and fans accustomed to the Thursday Night Football routine.
The Cultural Impact: Christmas Football vs. NBA
For decades, Christmas Day belonged to the NBA. However, the 2025 NFL Christmas schedule further cemented the NFL’s takeover of the holiday. Ratings from 2025 showed that even the least-watched NFL Christmas game outperformed the most-watched NBA Christmas game.
The NFL’s ability to schedule "must-watch" games with playoff stakes has turned Christmas into a second Thanksgiving for football fans. This has forced the NBA to rethink its Christmas Day scheduling, often moving its marquee matchups to avoid direct competition with the NFL's late-afternoon and primetime slots.
Common Troubleshooting for Holiday Streaming
With millions of viewers hitting the Netflix servers simultaneously on December 25, 2025, some users experienced technical hurdles.
- Buffering Issues: Most issues were resolved by hardwiring smart TVs to routers via Ethernet cables rather than relying on Wi-Fi.
- Resolution Drops: Netflix’s adaptive bitrate technology sometimes lowered the resolution to 720p to maintain a continuous stream if the user's internet bandwidth fluctuated.
- Delay/Latency: Streaming typically lags 30–60 seconds behind live action. Fans following along on social media or sports betting apps often found "spoilers" appearing before the play happened on their screens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which teams played on Christmas in 2025?
The 2025 Christmas schedule featured the Los Angeles Rams at the New York Jets in the afternoon, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the primetime slot. Both games were held on Thursday, December 25.
Was the 2025 NFL Christmas schedule on local TV?
The games were only available on local broadcast television in the home markets of the competing teams (Los Angeles, New York, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh). All other viewers required a Netflix subscription to watch the games.
Why did the NFL play on Christmas when it was a Thursday?
The NFL has decided that Christmas Day is a premium television window regardless of the day of the week. Because 2025’s holiday fell on a Thursday, it fit perfectly into the league's existing "Thursday Night Football" scheduling logic, though the games were broadcast by Netflix rather than Amazon.
Will there be NFL games on Christmas 2026?
Yes. The NFL’s deal with Netflix included games for 2024, 2025, and 2026. Since Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday, the league is expected to continue the tradition with at least one marquee game.
How much did it cost to watch the 2025 Christmas games?
There was no extra fee beyond a standard Netflix subscription. At the time in 2025, this ranged from approximately $6.99 (with ads) to $22.99 (Premium) per month, depending on the plan selected.
Summary of Next Steps for Fans
As we move further into the 2026 season, fans should ensure their streaming setups are optimized for live sports. The success of the 2025 Christmas schedule has ensured that live streaming is the future of NFL holiday broadcasts. To prepare for upcoming holiday games, verify your subscription status and ensure your streaming devices are updated to the latest software versions to handle high-bandwidth live events.
