NFL plans for Wednesday Christmas DoubleHeader in 2024

Mar 26, 2024, 1:08 PM

DENVER, COLORADO - DECEMBER 24: Fans in Christmas costumes watch from the stands prior to the game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots at Empower Field At Mile High on December 24, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

The NFL has been looking to add more games to the holiday schedule, now making Christmas Day a permanent fixture.

Reports surfaced Tuesday morning that the NFL is looking to play two games on Christmas Day in 2024, despite it falling on a Wednesday. Those reports were later confirmed, with the NFL now taking a bigger hold of the holiday schedule. The news comes only a year after the NFL declared it would not hold games on Wednesday.

They have retorted their previous stance, now looking to capitalize after a profitable 2023 slate.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the news Tuesday.

Starting Christmas Day, we’ll have this weeklong football stretch:

December 25th: NFL game
December 26th: NFL game
December 28th: NFL games
December 29th: NFL games
December 30th: NFL game
December 31st: College Football Quarterfinals
January 1st: College Football Quarterfinals https://t.co/FtQTSGrEi2

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 26, 2024

The NFL held their first Christmas Day schedule last season, hosting three contests on the holiday in 2023. Previously seen as an NBA-centric day, ratings skyrocketed to near 28 million viewers on average. Because of the opportunity, the league will now make it a permanent stable on Christmas Day, bending over backwards to accommodate.

“We’ve seen really some unprecedented growth,” NFL Chief of Distribution, Hans Schroeder, said this week. “We found a path to Wednesday this year…Tuesday might be a bridge too far.”

Additionally, the NFL will reportedly make it a requirement for the four teams that play on Christmas this year to play on the previous Saturday. The modified schedule will be similar to that of Thursday Night Football, giving teams four days in-between contests. Those teams and times have not been announced at this time.

Last season, three contests were played on Christmas, capped off by a clash between the Ravens and 49ers.

The NFL has been adapting several changes to both the game and how its’ presented leading into the new league year. 2024 will include the first international contest in Brazil, streaming exclusively on Peacock. Philadelphia will be one of the teams playing in Rio De Janeiro, with Cleveland or Green Bay to be the opponent.

The NFL has also implemented new changes to the rules, including the elimination of the “hip-drop” tackle, and a new hybrid kickoff method, for 2024.