NFL Week 16 2022: Why 11 Games Are Scheduled for Saturday

December 24, 2022, 11:50am

The 16th week of the 2022 NFL season is here, and it’s an interesting week considering Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. NFL games are normally played on Sunday afternoon, but with Christmas Day being on Sunday this year, the league decided to have the majority of their games on Saturday.

This is not the first time the NFL has done something like this. In 2016 Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday, and the NFL scheduled 11 games that day, and some of the most notable performances include Tom Brady throwing, three touchdowns for the New England Patriots, Aaron Rodgers throwing four touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers and Jay Ajayi rushing for 206 yards for the Miami Dolphins.

Videos by PopCulture.com

The are a few teams that will play on Christmas Day. Three games will be played on that day, with the first matchup being the Green Bay Packers vs. the Miami Dolphins. The afternoon game will be the Denver Broncos against the Los Angeles Rams, and the night game will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s a look at the 11 games being played on Christmas Eve.

Seattle Seahawks (7-7) vs Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)

patrick-mahomes-shows-off-the-coors-light-new-commercial.jpg

1 p.m. ET on Fox

The Seahawks are having a solid year but need a win on Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Chiefs need to keep winning to clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

New York Giants (8-5-1) vs Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

nfl-thanksgiving-time-channel-how-to-watch-patriots-vikings.jpg

1 p.m. ET on Fox

The Giants are close to clinching their first playoff spot since the 2016 season. The Vikings have clinched the NFC North and have an outside chance to clinch the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

Cincinnati Bengals (10-4) vs New England Patriots (7-7)

monday-night-football-patriots-cardinals-time-channel-how-to-watch.jpg

1 p.m. ET on CBS

The Bengals have clinched a playoff spot but can’t let off the gas since the Baltimore Ravens are a game behind them for the AFC North lead. After coming off a shocking loss, the Patriots are looking to bounce back and stay in the playoff picture.

Washington Commanders (7-6-1) vs San Francisco 49ers (10-4)

thursday-night-football-2022-49ers-seahawks-time-channel-how-to-watch.jpg

4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Washington has the final spot in the playoffs, but another loss could hurt their chances of returning to the postseason. San Francisco has clinched the NFC West but could get the No. 2 seed if the Vikings slip up.

Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) vs Dallas Cowboys (10-4)

4:25 p.m. ET on Fox

This could be a preview of the NFC Championship. Both teams have had strong seasons so far, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is not playing due to an injury. Will the Eagles suffer their second loss of the year on Saturday?