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On paper, Netflix had major division games on Christmas Day in Week 17 when the season began.
Of course, the NFL season never goes as planned, and the three games scheduled for the holiday are not what anyone had planned.
The reason? Star quarterbacks don’t play in every game.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott walks off the field after the team’s NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Christmas Day’s first kickoff will be an NFC East matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, with both teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
And while Dak Prescott and company look to finish the season strong, the Commanders shut down Jayden Daniels, their second-year quarterback who led them to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season just a year ago, after aggravating his elbow injury.
In fact, the Commanders won’t even see Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup who has had to start eight games this season as he is also dealing with an injury. It will be veteran Josh Johnson starting in Landover, Maryland, on Christmas Day for a 4-11 Commanders squad that was hoping to at least make the playoffs after a stellar finish in 2024.
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“When you circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you think: This is going to be cool. That’s how it’s set up — divisional games right here at the end between two games in Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.
“When they play those divisional games, they still mean a lot.”
Unfortunately for both teams, it will only be for bragging rights.
Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders watches from the sideline after leaving the game during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
In the 4:30 PM ET slate, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, a storied NFC North rivalry, the home team in Minneapolis will be without its own second-year signal caller – JJ McCarthy.
McCarthy suffered an injury in the win over the New York Giants last week and it will be Max Brosmer who will start again for Kevin O’Connell’s group.
The Minnesota product’s first career start didn’t work out so well in Seattle as the Seahawks had their way on defense against Brosmer. Maybe a home crowd will make him and the Vikings offense better, but at least the Lions still have something to play for.
Detroit enters this game coming off a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which a game-winning touchdown was called back after Amon-Ra St. Brown was penalized for offensive pass interference, which turned away Jared Goff, who flew into the end zone after a pitch-back by the star receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chews on his mouth guard during warmups before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)
The Lions need to win their remaining two games, while also needing the Green Bay Packers to lose their last two games to secure the final NFC wild card spot.
Finally, and perhaps the biggest disappointment for Netflix, is the Kansas City Chiefs not having Patrick Mahomes on the field this holiday season.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, which he quickly had surgery to repair, after a loss that knocked them out of the playoffs two weeks ago. The Chiefs were hoping his backup, Gardner Minshew, could finish the season, but he tore his ACL last week in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.
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That leaves USF alum Chris Oladokun, who filled in for Minshew last week, starting against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos — a 12-3 team that already clinched their playoff spot. Denver will still play hard as they compete for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, which would ensure home games throughout the playoffs.
These games were supposed to be potential divisional/playoff games, but the NFL and its fan base will be hoping that these games aren’t as lopsided as some think they could turn out to be.
