Patrick Mahomes couldn’t hide his excitement at the thought of playing on Christmas Day once again. “Until I realized it was on a Wednesday,” the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback admitted with a wry smile on Monday.
It’s an unusual schedule quirk for the NFL, made possible by the league’s growing interest in showcasing games on holidays. But for players, the reality of suiting up midweek means more than just the festive spirit — it’s about enduring a grueling schedule and dealing with the physical toll of a condensed season. Instead of unwrapping presents under the tree, players from the Chiefs, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers will be unwrapping layers of ice packs and pain management strategies after taking the field on Wednesday.
Here’s how it all came together: to make the midweek Christmas spectacle a reality, all four teams had to play their previous games on Saturday. The Steelers will host the Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET, while the Ravens and Texans clash in Houston at 4:30 p.m. ET, complete with a halftime performance from none other than Beyoncé. The logistics may sound daunting, but they’re becoming increasingly common in the NFL, where “Thursday Night Football” has normalized short turnarounds for teams. Adding to the excitement this year is a partnership with Netflix, which will stream the Christmas games for the first time.
“I think it’s really cool playing the first Netflix game, playing on Christmas Day in front of the whole nation,” said Mahomes. For him, it’s also a chance to redeem last year’s Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, a defeat that marked the Chiefs’ final stumble before claiming their second consecutive Super Bowl title. Yet, not everyone on the team shares Mahomes’ enthusiasm.
“When it came out, I thought it was horrible,” safety Justin Reid told the Kansas City Star. “And I still think it’s horrible. But it is what it is.” Defensive tackle Chris Jones, sidelined for Wednesday’s game due to a calf injury, plans to raise the issue with the NFL Players Association during the offseason. “I think that’s a conversation to be had,” he stated firmly.
The NFL’s scheduling choices are governed by intricate rules, such as the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which restricts games on Saturdays until mid-December. This regulation left Dec. 21 as the earliest possible date for the league to schedule Saturday games, forcing the Christmas Day participants into an intense four-day turnaround.
Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer, downplayed concerns about the short rest. “I think we have a good understanding of how to play short-week football,” he explained during the Sports Business Journal’s Innovators Conference. “We started playing short-week games in 2006, and we’ve gradually been getting smarter and better about it.”
For the Chiefs, Wednesday’s game is part of a particularly brutal stretch: six games in 31 days, including three short weeks. They’ve played on Black Friday, and with this game, they’ll become the first team since the 1927 Yankees (not Babe Ruth’s famous “Murderers’ Row” squad) to play on every day of the week except Tuesday in a single season. Head coach Andy Reid has taken the challenge in stride. “It’s part of what you’ve gotta do,” he said.
Mahomes, nursing a sprained ankle, embodies the resilience required during this chaotic schedule. Across the league, players and coaches are navigating similar challenges. Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward addressed the topic candidly. “It’s what you signed up for. It’s football. No matter who it is, you sign up for it every day,” he said after Saturday’s loss to the Ravens. “The schedule’s made. You just play. If we had won three in a row, would we really be talking about it?”
Baltimore and Houston, at least, caught a bit of a break with Week 14 byes, offering a brief chance to recharge. The Chiefs and Steelers, whose byes came in Weeks 6 and 9 respectively, haven’t had that luxury. But Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton isn’t dwelling on the negatives. “Every team that plays on Wednesday has to deal with it, so we’re not complaining. It’s just a part of the business.”
Hamilton’s pragmatic outlook mirrors that of many players. “It’s kind of nice getting them out of the way — just boom, boom, boom,” he said. “Three games done, and now we have Cleveland after this week and then the playoffs. We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’re playing like four times a week, but I don’t think it’s on anybody’s mind. We’re just going out there to play the game.”
Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans is taking a similar approach. Reflecting on their Halloween Thursday game earlier this season, Ryans emphasized the importance of mental recovery. That mindset will be critical as the Texans process the loss of wide receiver Tank Dell, who suffered a dislocated kneecap and torn ACL during Saturday’s game against the Chiefs. Despite these challenges, Ryans sees the Christmas game as a unique chance for his team. “It’s a unique opportunity for us … everybody watching, tuned in,” he said.
While the festive backdrop adds excitement, players remain grounded in the reality of the sport. “It’s hard,” Heyward acknowledged, “but who said football was easy?”
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