Chiefs Reportedly Request to Be Yearly 'Fixture' on NFL's Christmas Day Schedule

The Kansas City Chiefs have asked the NFL to become a fixture on Christmas Day, per Nate Taylor and Daniel Popper of The Athletic.

"When it comes to domestic stand-alone games, the Chiefs have requested that the NFL make them a fixture on Christmas Day, according to a league source. The Chiefs, who have played on Christmas Day the past two seasons, want to be a staple on that holiday, similar to the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day," they noted.

"This year, the NFL will have three games on Christmas Day, the first two streaming on Netflix and the third as part of Amazon Prime's 'Thursday Night Football' package (the holiday falls on a Thursday), an industry source confirmed Tuesday. The news was first reported by John Ourand of Puck."

The Chiefs have played on Christmas Day each of the past two seasons. In 2023, they lost 20-14 at home to the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2024, Kansas City went on the road and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-10.

The NFL has played on Christmas Day each of the past five seasons. The league played sporadically on the holiday before then.

It's clear the league wants to continue its Christmas Day presence, no matter when it falls during the week. Last year, December 25 notably fell on a Wednesday, but the league made concessions by having the four teams involved (Chiefs, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans) play on Saturday, giving them one extra day of rest before the holiday matchups.

Now the league is going back to Christmas Day games again, this time with three matchups (as it did in 2022 and 2023).

The NFL probably wouldn't mind the Chiefs being on Christmas Day games. They remain a big draw given their tremendous success since 2019 (five AFC titles, three Super Bowl wins) and the presence of superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

We'll see soon enough if the Chiefs land on Christmas Day again this year with the schedule dropping in May, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them play there for the third straight season.