Unnecessary Roughness? Playing Christmas Day Gives Some NFL Teams 3 Games in 11 Days

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs looks to pass as Khalil Mack of the Los Angeles Chargers applies pressure at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 29. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones will be talking to the players union after the season regarding an upcoming stretch that quarterback Patrick Mahomes awaits with “not a good feeling.”

The two-time defending Super Bowl champions are one of four teams playing on Christmas Day, a Wednesday, after having played the two previous weekends. That’s three games in 11 days between Dec. 15 and Dec. 25 for the Chiefs (12—1) and Pittsburgh Steelers (10—3), who play at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Christmas Day; and the Baltimore Ravens (8—5) and Houston Texans (8—5), who play at 1:30 p.m.

“It is not a good feeling. I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year, but you never want to play this many games in this short of time,” Mahomes told reporters on Dec. 11.

“It’s just not great for your body. But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession,” he added. “You have to come to work and do it.”

Jones’s issue involves where the bye weeks fall. The Chiefs had a bye in Week 6 while the other three Christmas Day teams had byes in Week 9 or later. Christmas falls in Week 17.

“One thing I’m doing this offseason is I’m going to the NFL [Players Association], especially with us having three games in a 10-span, that we’re mandatory to have a late bye week,” Jones told reporters on Nov. 29 after a 19—17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kansas City had concluded a three-game stretch in 10 days at the time. Jones likewise expressed his dissatisfaction with the coming three-game stretch in 11 days that concludes with Christmas.

“With our schedule, it’s kind of awkward, to say the least,” Jones said. “That’s a conversation to have this offseason. If a team has somewhat of a schedule like that, they should get a late-season bye.”

The NFL has been playing on Christmas Day annually since 2021 after appearing off and on since 1971. As Mahomes acknowledged, the Chiefs played on Christmas Day last season, losing to the Raiders in Kansas City, 20—14.

Kansas City had the bye in Week 10 last year and went 2—1 in three games between Dec. 17 and Dec. 31.

“That’s a unique situation,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Wednesday regarding the three-game stretch this year. “You just have to manage it. It is what it is. You make the best of it.”

“One thing is you’ve got to get guys ready for a game, give them the chance to do whatever you present to them,” Reid added. “So I help them out now. We’ve got a normal week right here. So we’ve got to take care of business.”

That starts on Dec. 15 with the Cleveland Browns (3—10), who have gone 1-2 in consecutive one-score games against playoff contenders in that stretch. The Chiefs then face the Texans on Dec. 21 in a game between two AFC contenders before unwrapping another possible playoff preview against Pittsburgh.

“All you can do is focus on the game and the practice that you had that day,” Mahomes said. “I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch by tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and you prepare.”

“The coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field,” he added. “We practice hard as anybody, but they know how to kind of dial it back when we need it.”