The NFL continues expanding its holiday viewing footprint, and the 2026 Christmas schedule looks loaded with playoff implications, historic rivalries, and several games that could easily preview January football. This year’s Christmas tripleheader arrives on Friday, December 25, with Netflix carrying two games before FOX closes the night with one of the NFC’s premier rivalries. Before Christmas Day officially arrives, the holiday slate technically begins on Christmas Eve when the Houston Texans visit the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Here’s a ranking of the NFL’s 2026 holiday schedule from least intriguing to most compelling.
4. Texans at Eagles (Christmas Eve)
This game still deserves attention because of the star power involved.
DeMeco Ryans returns to Philadelphia, where he once served as one of the Eagles‘ defensive leaders before becoming the head coach of the Houston Texans. Reed Blankenship returns after earning a Super Bowl ring after joining the Birds as an undrafted free agent. The Texans also remain one of the AFC’s toughest young teams and could arrive in Philadelphia carrying major playoff aspirations. Still, compared to the Christmas Day matchups, this game lacks the same rivalry intensity and broader national intrigue.
That said, the Eagles entering the game on a short week after facing the Seattle Seahawks in a potential thriller certainly makes the matchup more dangerous.
3. Packers at Bears
The NFL clearly understands the power of tradition.
The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears rivalry remains one of football’s oldest and most recognizable matchups, and placing it in the opening Christmas window guarantees massive viewership. Chicago’s rise under Ben Johnson has added legitimate intrigue to the rivalry again, especially after the Bears knocked off Philadelphia last season and continued their ascent inside the NFC North. Still, while historic and emotional, the game currently lacks the elite heavyweight feel attached to the top two matchups on the slate.
2. Bills at Broncos
Now we are getting into serious AFC business.
Buffalo Bills versus the Denver Broncos carries legitimate playoff-rematch energy and features several of the AFC’s biggest stars. Josh Allen alone guarantees national attention, and Denver’s continued rise makes this feel like one of the conference’s more important measuring-stick games.
The atmosphere in Denver during a Christmas afternoon window also feels perfect for playoff football aesthetics.
1. Rams at Seahawks
This feels like the crown jewel of the entire holiday slate, and a potential high-scoring affair.
The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks rivalry has evolved into one of the NFL’s nastiest and most entertaining divisional battles. Seattle enters 2026 as the defending Super Bowl champion, while Sean McVay’s Rams remain one of the NFC’s most dangerous playoff threats. Add a primetime Christmas night audience and the atmosphere at Lumen Field, and this game immediately feels enormous.
This matchup also carries legitimate postseason-seeding implications. If both teams meet expectations, Christmas night could feature two NFC contenders battling for playoff positioning with the entire football world watching.
That is exactly what the NFL wants during the holidays.
The league has aggressively expanded its Christmas footprint in recent years, and judging by the quality of the 2026 slate, the NFL clearly has no plans of slowing down.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Where does Eagles-Texans land in ranking of the NFL’s Christmas games