NFL Will Play Christmas Day Game On Wednesday During 2024 Season

Despite Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday in 2024, the National Football League is planning on playing Christmas Day games during the 2024 season.

According to multiple NFL media reports, the huge ratings drawn by Christmas Day games have prompted the NFL to reverse its previous stance.

The news comes as a surprise considering last year, the NFL’s VP of Media Distribution Hans Schroeder said the league would not schedule Christas Day games in years when Christmas falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Update: NFL will play two Wednesday Christmas games this season. A Christmas doubleheader. https://t.co/Ld1Q2gpKJo

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 26, 2024

NFL EVP for Media Distribution Hans Schroeder announced:
— There will be a Christmas Day doubleheader, despite it being on a Wednesday. “We've seen really some unprecedented growth."
— Amazon will have a Wild Card playoff game this year.
— The #Eagles season opener in Brazil…

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2024

Source to @NFLonCBS: The NFL plans to play on Christmas Day again in 2024, even though the holiday falls on a Wednesday. This is a reversal of the league's previous stance. Christmas Day games draw massive TV ratings. @andrewlbeaton first on the report.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 26, 2024

Asked about players playing 3 games in 11 days 15 weeks into the season, with Christmas games on a Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says, "It will not be a regular thing. It will be when Christmas falls on a Wednesday."

Said the COVID year gave them data on the topic.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 26, 2024

The Christmas game(s) would mark just the third time in 75 years that the NFL has played a Wednesday game and just the second time in 75 years that the league actually put a Wednesday game on the schedule.

Since 1949, the only scheduled Wednesday game came in 2012 when the Giants played host to the Cowboys in Week 1 to open the season. The opening game of the year is generally played on Thursday, but the NFL moved it to Wednesday to avoid a conflict with the Democratic National Convention. 

The only other Wednesday game came in 2020 when a Ravens-Steelers matchup had to be moved to Wednesday due to COVID issues.