There haven’t been many NFL games played on Christmas Day, and even fewer have kicked off on Friday. But per a report from Jeff Duncan of The Athletic, the New Orleans Saints will accomplish both feats against the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.
Duncan reports that the Saints and Vikings will play again — their fifth meeting since the 2017 season-opener, including the playoffs (and excepting a 2019 preseason game) — on Dec. 25, 2020. Traditionally, the NFL limits its games to Sunday, Monday, and Thursday kickoffs, except for a few select Saturday games after the college football season concludes.
A Saints-Vikings game on Christmas Day, which falls on a Friday this year, might conflict with the upcoming NBA schedule. The NBA often schedules big-time matchups to dominate the holiday’s sports broadcasts, so this might be a sign that the NFL is aware of different plans from across the aisle. The coronavirus pandemic has prompted every professional sports league to review its plans for the 2020-2021 season, and things figure to look differently later this year.
The time for this Saints game isn’t settled just yet, though Duncan’s colleague at The Athletic, Katherine Terrell, suggested an afternoon time slot of 3 or 3:30 p.m. CT might be where it settles.
Remember, nothing is official until the Saints or the NFL announces it so stay tuned for confirmation. The NFL will reveal its full 2020 schedule in a prime-time release at 7 p.m. CT, while the Saints and other teams are allowed to release their individual lineups thirty minutes earlier.
