Published: 11:00, 23 Dec 2023
The NFL has always been somewhat reluctant to schedule games on Christmas in the past.
Not counting the 2023 season, the NFL has played just 27 games on Christmas.
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The Cowboys have an unwanted Christmas Day recordCredit: Getty
However, as the tradition grows in popularity the league is increasingly keen to stage a number of marquee matchups on Christmas Day.
This year will feature a triple-header of games that includes the Raiders vs Chiefs, Giants vs Eagles and Ravens vs 49ers.
All will be hoping to avoid the unenviable record held by the 2000 Dallas Cowboys, who remain the only NFL team in history to be completely shut-out on December 25th.
The Tennessee Titans delivered a 31-0 Yuletide demolition to the Cowboys in the first Christmas game of the new millennium.
The tone was set early on when Steve McNair orchestrated a 74-yard drive capped by a 17-yard TD pass to Derrick Mason.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, things didn’t get completely disastrous for Dallas until the third quarter.
The Titans turned four third-quarter turnovers into 24 points, with just one field-goal converted for the rest of the game.
That season the Titans dominated the AFC Central division, winning it for the first time in seven years with a 13-3 record.
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Greg Favors of the Titans certainly enjoyed the Xmas Day shut-out of the CowboysCredit: Getty
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Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will be looking to avoid a repeat of the Titans game in 2000Credit: Getty
They secured home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs but eventually lost 24-10 to the Ravens in the divisional round.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, had a season to forget, finishing last in the NFC East with a 5-11 record. The only highlight that year was running Emmitt Smith having his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season.
America’s Team don’t play on Christmas Day this year but they do feature on Xmas Eve against the Miami Dolphins in a battle of the 10-4 teams.
The Super Bowl contenders/pretenders are two of the most inconsistent teams in the league, capable of steamrolling weaker teams one week while coming unstuck against winning teams the week after.
The Cowboys have played four teams this year that currently have a winning record and have gone 1-3 in those games. The Dolphins have played three teams this year that are currently above .500 and they’ve lost all three.
Dallas are heading into the festive showdown off the back of a 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills while Miami are coming in fresh off a 30-0 blowout of the New York Jets.
It’s a contest between two high-powered offenses that could go either way – Cowboys fans will just be hoping they don’t get a repeat of that nightmare against the Titans 23 years ago.
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