I’m Jewish, and even I’m not even ready for the NFL to take over Christmas.
Yes, sure, the NBA has been playing basketball on Christmas since 1947, but come on: It’s midseason basketball, not end-of-season football.
And basketball … well, you can easily ignore it from a gambling perspective. You could – I’m not saying you will, I mean, I’m definitely not – but you could not fire off NBA DFS lineups on Christmas.
But an NFL slate? Come on. You don’t ignore an NFL slate, even if it’s only two games. DraftKings certainly isn’t ignoring it; they’re running a $25, $200K to first place contest. (To compare: Their NBA contest, also $25, is “only” $150K to first.)
The two are incomparable, really. The NBA on Christmas is like your uncle bringing his longtime girlfriend to the house for dinner. You say hello, nice to see you, exchange some gifts, no one bats an eye.
But the NFL – the NFL?!?!– on Christmas? On a Wednesday? It’s like your younger sister bringing over her fiance that no one has met yet and next thing you know everyone’s whispering to each other in the kitchen and there’s enough stress in the house to make even Andy Reid look the slightest bit nervous.
Seriously, NFL: Of course, play football on Christmas if it falls on a Sunday. Or a Monday. Or a Thursday. Or a Saturday. You know, your normal days.
But when it falls on a Wednesday? Stop it. It’s Wednesday. That’s not a football day. That’s a … Wednesday. In fact, it’s only the fourth time in modern history – both the NFL’s and Christendom’s – that an NFL game is being played on a Wednesday.
In 1948, the Rams and Lions played on a Wednesday, for reasons lost to time. In 2012, the season opener between the Cowboys and Giants was moved to Wednesday so as not to go up against then-President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. And in 2020, the Ravens and Steelers played on a Wednesday due to COVID complications.
And that’s it.
Until this year. On Christmas.
And not only that, neither game is a night game. The Chiefs and Steelers kick off at 1 p.m. ET, the Ravens and Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Christmas is being hijacked by the NFL. I don’t care for it.
Plus, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The NFL putting two games, on Christmas, on a Wednesday, on the schedule, is the equivalent of having three bourbons and deciding four more is a good idea. It’s the equivalent of eating a porterhouse, and then ordering a sirloin for dessert. It’s like binging Breaking Bad and then deciding to whip up some crystal meth.
It’s simply too much.
I have never wished for less football, but yep: I wish there were no NFL games this Wednesday.
Having said all that …
I’m really thinking C.J. Stroud is going to be woefully underowned here. Yes, he hasn’t cracked 20 DK points since Week 5, and yes, Tank Dell is out for the season, but the Ravens pass defense is a known weak spot, and if the Texans have any hope of advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs, they’re simply going to have to move the ball through the air.
Additionally, this game against the Ravens may be a playoff preview, and showing the Ravens that they can actually utilize the forward pass might not be the worst idea, especially if offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has plans to run Joe Mixon 35 times in that first round matchup and …
Merry Christmas!
