NFL Christmas Games Were a Complete Disaster With Three Backup Quarterbacks Starting
Netflix paid a fortune for NFL Christmas games and got Josh Johnson, Max Brosmer and Chris Oladokun as starting quarterbacks. Not exactly the star power they were hoping for.
The holiday tripleheader that was supposed to showcase the leagues best turned into a showcase of “who?” thanks to an injury epidemic that wrecked all the marquee matchups.
The Injury Disaster
Fox News breaks down how bad it got: Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15. His backup Gardner Minshew tore his ACL a week later. The Chiefs (6-9) rolled out third-stringer Chris Oladokun for his first NFL start.
Washington’s Jayden Daniels is out. His backup Marcus Mariota is out. The Commanders (4-11) started 39-year-old Josh Johnson who hasnt been a regular starter in years.
Minnesota lost J.J. McCarthy to injury too. Rookie Max Brosmer made his second career start after getting shut out 26-0 by Seattle in his first.
The Games Nobody Wanted
NBC Sports called it “roughly the equivalent of a bowling ball, a can of Simoniz, and mismatched dress socks” as Christmas gifts go.
Cowboys-Commanders featured two eliminated teams fighting for… draft positioning? Division pride? Nobody really knew.
Lions-Vikings mattered slightly more with Detroit clinging to playoff hopes at 8-7. But a rookie free agent QB against a desperate team doesn’t exactly scream must-watch.
The primetime Broncos-Chiefs game was supposed to be the showcase. Denver (12-3) fighting for the AFC 1 seed against… whoever Oladokun is. The Broncos are legitimately good. Their opponent was fielding practice squad players.
What Netflix Got
Netflix streamed two of the three games. Their Thursday Night investment looked a lot better than this.
When the NFL scheduled these games, Mahomes vs. Nix was supposed to be an incredible quarterback showcase. The rivalry renewed. Young guns slinging it. Instead they got a training camp battle on Christmas Day.
The Bigger Problem
The NFL schedule is set before anyone knows who’ll be healthy in late December. When it works, you get playoff-atmosphere games on national holidays. When it doesn’t, you get this.
Injuries are part of football. Always have been. But losing Mahomes, Daniels, Mariota, McCarthy and Minshew all at once? Thats catastrophic timing for the leagues holiday showcase.
Maybe next year they’ll have contingency plans. Or maybe they’ll just cross their fingers and hope the stars stay healthy. Either way, Christmas 2025 goes down as a scheduling disaster the league would rather forget.
