The NFL has made playing on Christmas Day a tradition over the last five years with at least one game being played annually on the holiday since 2020.
The inaugural Christmas Day games took place in 1971 when two AFC Divisional playoff games were played: Cwoboys vs. Vikings and Dolphins vs. Chiefs.
Complaints stormed in about these games disrupting Christmas for the players and coaches and no Christmas Day game was played again until 1989.
However, the viewership was too tempting for the NFL. 65 million people tuned in to NFL Christmas on Netflix last season and the league has decided to make double-headers and triple-headers an annual tradition.
Players and teams starring on Christmas Day can make a nationwide statement with the whole country watching.
Below is a look back at the top five Christmas Day player performances of all-time:
5. Patrick Mahomes - 2024 vs. Steelers
29/38, 320 yards, 3 TDs
In the midst of Kansas City's magical 15-2 2024 season, Patrick Mahomes and the offense had perhaps their best game of the season on Christmas Day against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Mahomes was locked in, spraying the ball to eight different receivers. Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy each had eight receptions each, while Justin Watson and Hollywood Brown each chipped in 45+ yards.
The Chiefs have been a staple of Christmas Day football, appearing in it an NFL-leading five times and will be playing again this season, but without the injured Mahomes at quarterback.
4. Aaron Rodgers - 2011 vs. Bears
21/29, 283 yards, 5 TDs
In a 35-21 blowout victory over the rival Chicago Bears, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers dominated on Christmas to go to 14-1 on the season.
Rodgers had an elite connection with Jordy Nelson in this game who finished with 6 receptions for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Rodgers' best throw was a 55-yard moonball in which the quarterback threw from his own 35-yard line all the way to the endzone to Nelson who brought it in for the score.
The Packers would finish the season 15-1 and Rodgers claimed his first of three MVP awards, but Green Bay would go on to eventually lose to the New York Giants in the divisional round.
3. Travis Kelce - 2016 vs. Broncos
11 rec, 160 yards, 1 TD
In what was a crucial game for the playoff-hungry Broncos and the division-hungry Chiefs, Kansas City dominated from start to finish, thanks to the elite offensive performances by Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
Dontari Poe's two-yard touchdown pass is the most memorable moment of the game, and forgotten was Kelce killing Denver throughout.
Kelce finished with what was his career-high in receiving yards in a game with 160 (career-high is now 191) and a then career-high of 11 receptions (now 14) with Alex Smith leading the way at quarterback.
It would've been interesting to see the type of day Tyreek Hill (6 carries for 95 rushing yards and 1 TD) could've had if he had more opportunities.
2. Kevin Williams - 1995 vs. Cardinals
9 rec, 203 yards, 2 TDs
In a matchup for Troy Aikman's Cowboys against the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas in 1995, receiver Kevin Williams had his best game of his career.
Williams was an elite kick returner, housing four kicks back for TDs throughout his career and leading the NFL in kick-return yardage in 1997. His career-high in receiving yards for a season was 613 in 1995, and about a third of that production came in one game.
With attention on Michael Irvin, Williams was open from start to finish, starting the game with a 25-yard TD in the first quarter and a 48-yard TD in the second quarter.
Of course, these Cowboys would go on to win the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers where Williams had two catches for 29 yards.
1. Alvin Kamara - 2020 vs. Vikings
22 carries, 155 yards, 6 TDs
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans' star running back for a number of years in the peak of his powers, gifted the fans of the Saints with a masterful, NFL record-tying 6 touchdown game against the Vikings.
The Saints offense was unstoppable, putting up 52 points in the game. Kamara opened the game with a 40-yard TD in the first three minutes of the game.
After that run, it was practically a given that Kamara would get the ball in goal-to-go situations as five of his six touchdowns came from within the 7-yard line.
This season was Drew Brees' last in the NFL, and the Saints would eventually fall to Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round.
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