For some teams, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, the idea of playing on Christmas Day is completely unheard of—an odd notion that's never before been asked of the franchise. For others, like the Kansas City Chiefs, it's not that uncommon for the team's players, coaches, and staff members to shift holiday plans for the sake of competition.
That's once again the case for the Chiefs in 2023 as the regular season schedule is rolling out three holiday-centric games once again.
Christmas Day games are now apparently a very real emphasis for NFL schedule-makers. As recently as 2018 and 2019, there were zero games on Christmas Day. However, in 2020, the NFL added one and that increased to two in 2021. Last year, there were three such games scheduled for the first time and the NFL is back for more after the ratings bonanza.
For the Chiefs, that means a scheduled date with an AFC West rival—the Las Vegas Raiders—in the early afternoon on Christmas Day. This is the fourth such appearance on the national holiday, although it's their first time since 2016 when they dominated the Denver Broncos by a final of 33-10. That was a fun game that featured a 70-yard touchdown rush by Tyreek Hill, an 80-yard TD catch by Travis Kelce, and a touchdown from Dontari Poe.
Before that, the Chiefs have actually played the Raiders on Christmas before back in 2004. That game was a nailbiter but finished in overtime with the Chiefs winning a close 31-30 battle at Arrowhead. In that game, Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez had two touchdowns apiece to put K.C. over the top.
The Chiefs' first game on Christmas came back in 1971 and it was a playoff game. In the divisional round against the Miami Dolphins. The Fins won an overtime battle by a final of 27-24 thanks to a Garo Yepremian field goal that put them up in extra minutes to send the Chiefs home for the season.
Overall the Chiefs are 2-1 on Christmas Day including two overtime thrillers. This year will be their fourth appearance, and Chiefs Kingdom can only hope for similar results to the last couple of times they faced a divisional rival with everyone in a festive mood.