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On paper, Netflix had some excellent division matchups on Christmas Day for Week 17, early in the season.
Of course, the NFL season never goes as planned and the three games scheduled for the holidays aren’t what anyone expected.
The reason? Star quarterbacks won’t play every game.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott leaves the field after the NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, September 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
The first kickoff on Christmas Day will be an NFC East battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, both teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
And while Dak Prescott and company look to finish the season strong, the Commanders cut Jayden Daniels, their second-year quarterback who led them to the NFC championship game in his rookie season just a year ago, after he aggravated his elbow injury.
In fact, the Commanders won’t even see Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup who has had to start eight games this season, because he’s also dealing with an injury. It will be veteran Josh Johnson who gets the start in Landover, Maryland on Christmas Day for a 4-11 Commanders team that was hoping to at least make the playoffs after a fantastic finish in 2024.
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“When you circle these matchups, it’s exactly what you think of: It’s going to be cool. How it’s all set up: divisional games here at the end between two Philadelphia games with a Dallas game in between,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.
“Playing these divisional matches still means a lot.”
Unfortunately for both teams, it will only be for bragging rights.
Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders watches from the sidelines after leaving the game in the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
At 4:30 p.m. ET, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, a historic NFC North rivalry, the home team in Minneapolis will be without their own second-year signal-caller – JJ McCarthy.
McCarthy was injured in last week’s win over the New York Giants, and it will be Max Brosmer who will have to start again for Kevin O’Connell’s group.
The Minnesota product’s first career start didn’t work out too well in Seattle, as the Seahawks found success on defense against Brosmer. Maybe a home crowd will do better for him and the Vikings offense, but the Lions at least still have something to play for.
Detroit comes into this game coming off a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where a game-winning touchdown was called back after Amon-Ra St. Brown was penalized for offensive pass interference, preventing Jared Goff from flying into the end zone after a backward throw from the star receiver.
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chews his mouthguard during warmups before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, file)
The Lions need to win their remaining two games, while also needing the Green Bay Packers to lose their final two games to secure the final NFC wild card spot.
Finally, and perhaps the biggest disappointment for Netflix, is that the Kansas City Chiefs don’t have Patrick Mahomes on the field this holiday season.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, which he quickly underwent surgery to repair, following a loss that knocked them out of the playoffs two weeks ago. The Chiefs hoped his replacement, Gardner Minshew, could finish the season, but he tore his ACL last week in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.
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That leaves USF alum Chris Oladokun, who replaced Minshew last week, starting against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos — a 12-3 team that has already clinched its playoff spot. Denver will still play tough, as they are competing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would guarantee home games throughout the playoffs.
These games were supposed to be potential divisional/playoff matchups, but the NFL and its fans are hoping these games won’t be as lopsided as some think.
