Last season, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out the NFL.
Despite James being a lifelong football fan and former high school football star, arguably the greatest player of all time knows that Christmas Day belongs to the NBA.
Over the last few seasons, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to play the role of the Grinch by stealing away Christmas for football.
Last season, the football matchups underwhelmed compared to basketball’s slate, leading to that viral callout from James. This season, we are in store for the same thing.
It has to be tough to be a schedule maker. This is NFL Week 17, and the league has dealt with a plethora of injuries and surprises. But Netflix is serving up a stinker. Let’s take a look.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders
The first matchup of the day will feature Dak Prescott vs. Josh Johnson, as both Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariotta are sidelined due to injuries.
The Cowboys will be missing the playoffs due to their incompetent defense. The Commanders only have four wins after Daniels struggled to stay healthy all season.
Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings
The second game on Christmas will at least be exciting if you are in the fantasy football championship. But neither of these teams are heading to the postseason, either.
Detroit has been one of the league’s biggest disappointments after losing both coordinators this offseason. Meanwhile, the Vikings have been a dumpster fire because of J.J. McCarthy, who is injured again. Max Brosmer will get the start here. Gross.
Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs didn’t even practice on Tuesday.
Even with Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs were a brutal watch all season. Without him, there’s no reason to tune in. Oh yeah, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered an injury during his first start with the Chiefs, causing some guy named Chris Oladokun to get the start.
Enjoy some time with your family instead of this matchup.
On the flip side, NBA commissioner Adam Silver should get to flex a little bit.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will get the slate of hoops started at noon, two teams that are expected to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
After that, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will get their crack against Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs, who got the best of them on Tuesday night. The floor will be flooded with premium young talent in this matchup.
Cooper Flagg’s Dallas Mavericks will face off against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, a mainstay on Christmas. After that, Kevin Durant’s Houston Rockets will duel Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Lakers.
The evening wraps up with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. Eastern, arguably the worst matchup on the slate, but light years ahead of anything the NFL has going on.
