The Dallas Cowboys will play on Christmas Day for a sixth time in franchise history in 2025.
The Dallas Cowboys schedule is officially here and one of the most notable things about it is that the team will be playing on Christmas Day. Given that Dallas plays on Thanksgiving Day annually, this is going to be an interesting season for families of Cowboys fans to say the least.
Playing on Christmas Day is a bit of a unique thing. This season will mark only the sixth time in franchise history that Dallas is playing on Christmas Day itself and the first time in 15 years.
Dallas Cowboys history of playing on Christmas Day
- 1971 (Divisional Round Playoff Game): at Minnesota Vikings…… won
- 1995: at Arizona Cardinals………………. won
- 2000: at Tennessee Titans………………. loss
- 2006: Philadelphia Eagles……………….. loss
- 2010: at Arizona Cardinals………………. loss
Interestingly the very first time that Dallas played on Christmas Day was a playoff game when they beat the Vikings on their way to their first Super Bowl title. Good times.
The Cowboys actually won a Super Bowl after their first two wins on Christmas as they beat the Cardinals on their way to their most recent title and NFC Championship Game appearance during the 1995 season. Coincidentally, Dallas beat the Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the same building for the title a few weeks later.
Ever since then it has been a bit of coal in the proverbial stocking, though. The 2000 season was a part of a very dark overall time for the franchise and the Cowboys were blown out by Tennessee (the final score was 31-0). There is only one instance of Dallas hosting a Christmas Day game that came in 2006 (yours truly was in attendance) and the Jeff Garcia-led Eagles managed to spoil Dallas’ day, a win that helped put Philadelphia in position to eventually take the NFC East title from the Cowboys.
When the Cowboys visited the Cardinals in 2010 they were sputtering to the finish line on an incredibly lost season. For perspective, Stephen McGee had to replace Jon Kitna at quarterback that day for Dallas. One of my very vivid memories of it is a flag thrown by a referee landing in his facemask, it was that kind of day even though the Cowboys lost by one (27-26).
Ultimately the Cowboys are in need of a good time on Christmas Day. Hopefully they can get it this year.