5 NFL matchups we’d like to see on Christmas Day

This may be one of the most anticipated Wednesdays in sports history.

The Grinch-like greed of the NFL will be on full display this season when the it plays two games on Christmas Day, which falls on Wednesday. The games will reportedly be part of a new package with Netflix. This is a move that shows the NFL will do anything for contracts and ratings and it means stomping on little brother; the NBA’s Christmas stranglehold on a non-traditional NFL game day, so be it.

Frankly, as NFL fans, we’re here for it.

The NFL did announce the Christmas Day schedule on Wednesday, and we didn’t ask Santa for Chiefs-Steelers or Ravens-Texans. But those are the games we’re getting, and the reigning Super Bowl champs vs. a team that now has Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to choose from at quarterback could be pretty interesting. So could a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round game, which the Ravens won 34-10.

Let’s look at the five matchups we hoped to see on December 25.

Now, these matchups aren’t necessarily the premier games on the 2024 NFL slate. Sure, we’re looking for elite teams (both eventual Super Bowl teams played on Christmas Day in 2023 and both played like they got coal in their stockings), but we’re also looking for less-obvious matchups with a twist to go along with our eggnog.

So, here’s a Christmas wish list:

This is our most selfish Christmas Day desire. The first rematch of brothers John and Jim Harbaugh since Super Bowl XLVII 12 years ago is surely destined for a featured spot in the schedule. Why not let the Harbaugh family celebrate with the rest of us on Christmas Day? If it’s happens, it will be the biggest gift under the tree. And with injuries unlikely to keep the Harbaughs out of the game, it makes sense as a late-season matchup.

This would require the Schedule Santas to have a warped sense of humor and we hope they do. This would pit the Jets and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett against the Steelers and Russell Wilson. This would build on their Christmas tradition. In 2022, the Denver Broncos lost 51-14 to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day. Hackett was fired the next morning, another disastrous pairing with Wilson in the Rocky Mountains that lasted less than a year. Ah, memories. Also, the Jets and Aaron Rodgers against the Steelers in a late-season matchup that may have real AFC playoff implications would be TV gold. So, a sick joke isn’t our only intent here.

We’re up for running back this 2023 Christmas Day matchup. But it will be in New Jersey this time. Giants fans have been thinking about what they want to give Saquon Barkley for Christmas since the moment he bolted for Philly in free agency. It should be a heartwarming reunion.

Yes, we’re a sucker for holiday reunions. Derek Carr will face the Raiders as an opponent for the first time. Carr, arguably the most polarizing player in Raiders’ history, was released in 2023 after spending nine seasons as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. Emotions will be running deep and it should be good TV.

This would be a super fun matchup to unwrap. The first two picks in the draft — Calen Williams of the Bears and Jayden Daniels of the Commanders — are going to be compared for the their entire careers. So, their first meeting will be memorable. We all want to see it, it might as well be on Christmas Day.