Christmas has become a football holiday, even if the games this year weren’t the best the league has to offer.
Only one of the six teams that played on Christmas will make the playoffs, but we still saw all four games within one possession in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys beat the Commanders, the Vikings ended the Lions‘ season, and the Broncos narrowly beat the Chiefs in the nightcap.
Here are the takeaways from all three games on Christmas:
The Cowboys’ offseason focus should be on the defense
For the Cowboys offense, Week 17 was yet another display of its potent potential and a reminder of what could’ve been if the team had gelled sooner. Quarterback Dak Prescott topped 300 yards passing for the sixth time in Dallas’ seventh 30-plus-point effort.
However, given the close score against Washington’s third-string quarterback, the game also reiterated just the need for the defense to keep improving. It has been well-documented how much the Cowboys defense has struggled in 2025, but the unit has looked better since making a few noteworthy trade-deadline moves, which included trading a 2026 second-round pick and a first-rounder in 2027.
With an offseason of work and recovery, Dallas’ defense could show vast improvements in 2026 with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams anchoring the front seven, and cornerback DaRon Bland, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and (possibly) CB Trevon Diggs in the secondary.
Jake Ferguson opened the scoring for a Cowboys offense that started hot against the Commanders. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
This was never the Lions’ season
Detroit came into the season facing naysayers about whether head coach Dan Campbell could get by with significant changes to his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn got head-coaching jobs with the Bears and Jets, respectively, and several other coaches followed them.
The Lions got to 6-3 but have now lost five of their last seven games. They will miss the playoffs after clinching a spot in each of the last two seasons.
The defense is the main unit that struggled so much down the stretch. The Lions allowed 29 or more points to the Packers, Cowboys, Rams and Steelers in their four games before Christmas, and then they let a Max Brosmer-led offense score 20 points. Detroit did turn the ball over six times, though, which didn’t help.
The Lions will remain competitive next season, but they might have missed their window to make a deep playoff run in each of the past two seasons.
Is Denver’s elite defense enough?
There’s no doubting the Broncos defense. That unit, albeit against a third-string quarterback, held the Chiefs to less than 100 yards of offense and had quarterback Shane Buechele under pressure all night.
The offense, led by quarterback Bo Nix, was less impressive. On Christmas, he was 26-of-38 for 182 yards, which is an average of 4.7 yards per attempt, with one touchdown and one interception.
While Nix is capable of playing a great game, he is equally capable of putting up a real stinker. He was 18-of-37 earlier this season against the Texans, and he led the Broncos to just 10 points at home against the Raiders back on Nov. 6.
The Broncos defense is one of the best in the NFL, but Nix has shown he can be pretty average at times. Whether Denver can overcome that will determine whether it’s hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in February.
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