The NFL is in action on Christmas in 2020 with one game right in the middle of the NBA's normal holiday dominance.
The Saints (10-4) and Vikings (6-8) kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET to start Week 16. There's no Thursday night game on Christmas Eve, with the league opting instead to schedule a matchup of high-paid quarterbacks (Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins) and star running backs (Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook) as direct competition to high-quality basketball. The Saints are trying to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the NFC, while Minnesota lost in Week 15 to deflate its slim playoff hopes.
MORE: Watch NFL Christmas game live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The NFL doesn't always play on Christmas — this year's game will be the 22nd contest held on Dec. 25 in league history, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The most recent two were played in 2017. The Saints have never played on Christmas Day, while the Vikings played in the first-ever Christmas contest and have a 1-2 record on the holiday.
Below is all you need to know about the teams playing on Christmas this year, plus the TV channels for the games and more.
What teams are playing on Christmas 2020?
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Vikings at Saints | 4:30 p.m. ET | Fox/NFLN/Amazon Prime, fuboTV |
While the NFL could've scheduled a Christmas doubleheader like it did in 2017, it instead opted for just one game. The Vikings and Saints bring strong NFC fan bases to the forefront late Friday afternoon.
Part of the league's choice to stick with just one Christmas game likely stems from the presence of Saturday games in December for the NFL. A day after Christmas, the NFL will feature a tripleheader of action, meaning more games on Christmas would cut down on the Sunday schedule even further.
What channel is Christmas football on?
Saints vs. Vikings TV channel
(4:30 p.m. ET kickoff)
- National: Fox | NFL Network | Amazon Prime Video
- New Orleans: WVUE
- Minneapolis: KMSP
- Stream: fuboTV
With no Thursday Night Football game in Week 16, Fox gets the rights to the Christmas Day game. It'll get the normal TNF simulcast between Fox and NFL Network, with the network's top broadcast team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call.
As has been the case since Week 5, the game can also be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, which also has exclusive rights to the middle game of Saturday's tripleheader.
NFL history playing on Christmas
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there have been 21 games played on Christmas Day prior to 2020. The most recent two came in 2017, when the Steelers beat the Texans and the Eagles beat the Raiders.
When Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, the NFL usually plays most of its games on the preceding Saturday while occasionally showcasing one game on Christmas.
The Cowboys played in the first NFL game on Christmas, a win over the Vikings, and they've played in five games on the holiday. That's the most times any team has played in the NFL on Dec. 25.
NFL schedule Week 16
Friday, Dec. 25
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints | 4:30 p.m. ET | FOX/NFLN/Amazon |
Saturday, Dec. 26
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions | 1 p.m. ET | NFL Network |
| San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals | 4:30 p.m. ET | Amazon Prime Video |
| Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders | 8:15 p.m. ET | NFL Network |
Sunday, Dec. 27
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs | 1 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Cleveland Browns at New York Jets | 1 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys | 4:25 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
Monday, Dec. 28
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots | 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN |