Merry Christmas! The NFL has blessed us the last few years with a full 3-game slate of action, and we have that again this Thursday. The NFL might not have seen some of these quarterbacks being the starters, however we are in for three divisional matchups, and we all know how exciting those can be. Let’s take a look at the Christmas Day NFL picks, preview, and best bets.
Santa’s first stop is in Landover, Maryland, where the Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Commanders in an NFC East matchup. Kickoff is set for 1:00 ET, and this game will air on Netflix. A regular old Netflix subscription is good enough to watch this game. Both of these teams are eliminated from playoff contention. Washington’s second-string quarterback, Marcus Mariota, who has started a good chunk of the team’s games, is looking unlikely to play after another did not practice designation on Tuesday. That’ll leave 18-year veteran journeyman Josh Johnson to start for the Commanders.
The next stop on Santa’s Christmas Day NFL Journey is US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings will host NFC North rival Detroit Lions. Minnesota has been eliminated from playoff contention, but the Lions hold on to a very slim hope. They’ll have to win their final two games and get a lot of help along the way. The Viking quarterback, JJ McCarthy, is also out this week after suffering a small break in his hand in Week 16. Max Brosmer will once again start for the team. Kickoff for this one is set for 4:30 ET, and it will also air on Netflix.
Santa will set his sleigh down in Kansas City, Missouri, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, at least for now. The Chiefs will host the AFC West and AFC leading Denver Broncos. Action shifts over to Prime to complete the day of streaming, with kickoff set for 8:15 ET. The Chiefs are long eliminated from the playoffs. They’ve, of course, lost Patrick Mahomes, and now Gardner Minshew joins him on IR. Two-time Super Bowl Champion Chris Oladokun will take the snaps for the Chiefs this week. Denver currently holds the #1 seed, but multiple AFC teams can take it from them if they drop either of these last two games.
Christmas Day NFL Picks, Preview, and Best Bets:
Dallas Cowboys -7 (-105)
Josh Johnson has been around a long time, and he’s an experienced guy who can take snaps for the Commanders. He’s not going to light the world on fire, but he’ll suffice. Luckily for us, that keeps the spread lower and holds it at just seven points. The Dallas Cowboys are a good football team, and while they aren’t in the playoff race anymore, they have a lot to play for, and they are the much healthier team. The Cowboys are coming off three straight losses to better teams. An opportunity to play against a struggling opponent is a great spot for the Cowboys to pick up a win. They’ll do so by at least a touchdown. The Cowboys also love bright light spots like Thanksgiving, give me the Christmas bump.
Detroit Lions -7 (-110)
This is my favorite bet of the chalky Christmas Day slate. The Detroit Lions suffered a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. The team feels like they were done wrong by the referees in the meantime. Dan Campbell is going to biting knee caps at practice this week. The Lions haven’t lost back-to-back games in the regular season since 2022. Now they get a Minnesota team that’s largely checked out, and NINE will be out. Leaving Max Brosmer, who went 19-30 for only 126 yards and four interceptions in his lone start against the Seahawks. It likely won’t be that bad of a day for Brosmer, but he’s just not ready for this type of game. Lions roll big in this one.
Denver Broncos -12.5 (-120)
I’ll be honest here, I wanted to pick the Kansas City Chiefs in this game. It feels like a game where they should get up, and Denver will play a vanilla game plan like Sean Payton likes to do. But after watching this team last week, I just can’t do it. It’s a favorites sweep for me on Christmas Day. Similar to the thought with the Lions, the Broncos got beaten down last week at home. Embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. They need to get up for this game and make a statement. They need to do what they can to protect the #1 seed. For as many close games as the Broncos have had this year, they’ve had their fair share of blowouts as well. The game will have Al Michaels belly-aching about the look. Statement games all around for the favorites on Christmas Day.
