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Christmas Day falls on a Friday in 2026, and the NFL has taken all of it: three games on 25 December at 1:00, 4:30 and 8:15 PM ET, after a Christmas Eve opener on the Thursday.
Sixteen games, nobody on a bye, and four of them still without a confirmed kickoff: those are the ones the league has held back to move into the windows that matter once the standings say which games are worth it.
NFL Week 16 at a Glance
- Three games on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
- A Christmas Eve opener on Thursday 24 December
- Four games with kickoff times still to be confirmed: flexible scheduling
- Five division games, four of them rematches
The Take: Christmas on a Friday
Holiday football has an audience that does not otherwise watch, and a betting market that reflects it. The three Christmas games will carry more casual money than anything else on the card, and casual money is directional: it goes on favourites and it goes on overs.
Our view: if you have an opinion on a Christmas game, the value in it is on the unpopular side of a number that has been pushed. And take the flexed games seriously, the league moves the ones it thinks will matter.
Every Game, and What Actually Decides It
Thursday, December 24 · 8:15 PM ET
Interconference
Out of conference, which is where season-long narratives get built on the least useful evidence. Christmas Eve, and the last football before the holiday takes over the schedule. We would rather have the points here than the opinion.
Friday, December 25 · 1:00 PM ET
Divisional
The return division game, and a rematch is where the first result gets tested rather than repeated. Christmas Day, one of three, in front of the largest casual audience of the season. Our read: the line that opens is not the line that settles, and the gap is the whole edge.
Friday, December 25 · 4:30 PM ET
Conference
A conference fixture, which is to say it counts twice: once now, once in the tiebreakers. Denver sits a mile above sea level and the visitors land the day before. We think altitude is the most underpriced condition in the sport. It does its damage in the fourth quarter, long after the number was taken. Our view: the number will move more than the matchup warrants.
Friday, December 25 · 8:15 PM ET
Divisional
In the division, where the schedule is symmetrical and the excuses therefore are not available. Played on Christmas, where the crowd watching has not looked at a line all year. Our view: the public will be on one side of this by Friday, and that is worth knowing before Sunday.
Sunday, December 27 · 1:00 PM ET
Conference
Conference, not division: no rematch to correct it, which makes the single result heavier than it feels. 3 hours east for the visitor. Nobody notices it in warm-ups; it turns up in the fourth quarter. Our read: this is a total to look at before it is a side.
Sunday, December 27 · 1:00 PM ET
Conference
Within the conference. It will not look important until two teams finish level. Played indoors under a roof that does not open, so the weather is out of it entirely. The obvious side is the popular side, and those are not always the same bet.
Sunday, December 27 · 1:00 PM ET
Divisional
Second meeting, same division. The unfamiliar half of football has already been played. An outdoor field in New York at this time of year. Weather is not scene-setting here, it is a condition of the game. We think the market is closer to right here than the talk suggests.
Sunday, December 27 · 1:00 PM ET
Divisional
Second time these two have met this season, in the division. Adjustments, not surprises. Baltimore in the cold months, outdoors, where the passing game gets simpler whether anyone plans it that way or not. Our view: this is the sort of game people are certain about for no good reason.
Sunday, December 27 · 4:05 PM ET
Conference
In the conference. It will be a line on a tiebreaker sheet in January and nobody will remember the afternoon. 2 time zones west for the visitor. The body clock reads later than the scoreboard, and that is the friendlier version of this trip. Our view: wait for the number rather than the news.
Sunday, December 27 · 4:25 PM ET
Interconference
Non-conference, played once every four years by rotation, so neither side has much recent tape on the other. The visitor loses 2 hours flying east, and an early kickoff on the road is the one travel penalty with real evidence behind it. We would want a reason to be on the favourite here beyond the fact that they are the favourite.
Sunday, December 27 · 8:20 PM ET
Interconference
Cross-conference, so nothing here settles a tiebreaker, which is exactly why it gets overread. A retractable roof, which takes the weather out of the question if they want it out. We would leave this alone until the injury report lands.
Monday, December 28 · 8:15 PM ET
Conference
Conference game. The winner takes a game the loser cannot get back from anywhere else. A closed roof: no wind, no rain, no excuse in either direction. Our read: the total tells you more about what the books expect than the side does.
Date to be confirmed · TBD
Divisional
Division rematch. Both staffs already know what the other wanted to do, so this is about what they do instead. Under a roof that opens when it suits, so the forecast is a choice rather than a condition. We think the honest answer is that this one is close, and close games are where prices get lazy.
Date to be confirmed · TBD
Conference
In-conference, which matters in January rather than now: it is the record that breaks ties between strangers. Under a roof that opens when it suits, so the forecast is a choice rather than a condition. We are interested in this one late, not early.
Date to be confirmed · TBD
Conference
Same conference, no tiebreaker, but it moves the conference record that seeds the bracket. A closed roof: no wind, no rain, no excuse in either direction. We would take the home side’s price more seriously than the home side’s reputation.
Date to be confirmed · TBD
Interconference
Across conferences, which usually means two unfamiliar teams and a market leaning on reputation to fill the gap. An outdoor field in Pittsburgh at this time of year. Weather is not scene-setting here, it is a condition of the game. Our read: the total tells you more about what the books expect than the side does.
NFL Week 16 Schedule and Kickoff Times
| Date | Kickoff (ET) | Matchup | Stakes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 24 | 8:15 PM | Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles | Interconference |
| Friday, December 25 | 1:00 PM | Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears | Divisional |
| Friday, December 25 | 4:30 PM | Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos | Conference |
| Friday, December 25 | 8:15 PM | Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks | Divisional |
| Sunday, December 27 | 1:00 PM | Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins | Conference |
| Sunday, December 27 | 1:00 PM | Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints | Conference |
| Sunday, December 27 | 1:00 PM | New England Patriots at New York Jets | Divisional |
| Sunday, December 27 | 1:00 PM | Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens | Divisional |
| Sunday, December 27 | 4:05 PM | Tennessee Titans at Las Vegas Raiders | Conference |
| Sunday, December 27 | 4:25 PM | San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs | Interconference |
| Sunday, December 27 | 8:20 PM | Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys | Interconference |
| Monday, December 28 | 8:15 PM | New York Giants at Detroit Lions | Conference |
| Date to be confirmed | TBD | Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons | Divisional |
| Date to be confirmed | TBD | Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | Conference |
| Date to be confirmed | TBD | Washington Commanders at Minnesota Vikings | Conference |
| Date to be confirmed | TBD | Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers | Interconference |
When the Week 16 Numbers Land
Spreads, totals and moneylines go up on each game’s own page as soon as the books open the market, in practice about three days out, which for this week means the early part of the week beginning December 24. Our free pick on every game follows on the same schedule, and this page is updated with it. Every live NFL prediction is here, in kickoff order, moving as the numbers move.
NFL Week 16 Betting FAQs
Who plays on Christmas Day 2026?
Three games on Friday 25 December: Packers at Bears at 1:00 PM ET, Bills at Broncos at 4:30 PM, and Rams at Seahawks at 8:15 PM.
Why do some Week 16 games have no kickoff time?
Flexible scheduling. The league holds back several late-season windows and assigns them once the standings show which games carry the most weight.
Is any team on a bye in Week 16?
No. Byes finished in week 14.









































