Matt Temple-Marsh previews three matches from the NFL on Christmas Day, with a tasty treble headlining the staking plan.
NFL betting tips: Christmas Day
2pts Cowboys (-7.0), Lions (-6.0), Broncos (-13.0) at 61/10 (bet365)
1pt Cowboys (-9.5), Lions (-9.5) at 49/10 (bet365)
1pt Javonte Williams 100+ rushing yards at 13/5 (bet365)
1pt Jahmyr Gibbs 71.5+ rushing yards at 10/11 (bet365)
1pt RJ Harvey and Courtland Sutton anytime touchdowns at 28/5 (bet365)
The NFL returns for Christmas, with three games hitting our screens – but we may be seeing three backup quarterbacks at play – not quite what the NFL was hoping for. Here are the best bets from each game.
Dallas Cowboys v Washington Commanders
NFL Christmas Day kicks off with Dallas travelling to Washington, in a game where Washington may be down to third string QB Josh Johnson – a true journeyman. Jayden Daniels was put on ice for the season and backup Marcus Mariota had to exit the game due to a hand injury.
With Johnson at QB the Commanders’ prospects in this game massively decrease, in what should be a dominating game for the Cowboys. While Dallas was officially eliminated from playoff contention, a game against a division rival is always a heated contest.
The Commanders have allowed the third most rushing yards to running backs this season – this is a great spot for Javonte Williams. When these sides met in week 7, Williams carried the ball 19 times for 116 yards and a score.
With their third string QB under centre, the Cowboys will cruise through this game and lean on the rush to chip away at the game clock. Expect plenty of volume for Javonte.
Detroit Lions v Minnesota Vikings
JJ McCarthy was ruled out of their last game with a right-hand injury, leaving Max Brosmer as next man up. Brosmer saw his first start of the season against the Seahawks, where his inexperience was on display as he threw four interceptions.
After another loss the Lions are now in a Hail Mary territory to reach the playoffs – and a win here is essential. The Lions running backs have struggled greatly as of late, but this is a bounce back spot.
The Vikings have allowed the sixth most rushing yards this season, and an opposing backup quarterback lends itself to a positive game script for Detroit – a very similar prospect to the Cowboys game.
Denver Broncos v Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs lost superstar QB Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL, and unfortunately backup QB Gardner Minshew then tore his ACL – leaving third string Chris Oladokun as the starter. This led to the once mighty Chiefs losing to the 2-12 Tennessee Titans.
A lot of the damage was done by the Titan’s rushing attack – Tony Pollard carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards, with Tyjae Spears supporting him with 13 carries for 52 yards.
The Chiefs defence had been competent, but with this much change at the quarterback position and now in a lost season, they can’t be trusted.
Denver is fresh off a crushing loss and will be looking to bounce back and get their season on track – and what a way to do it against a struggling rival.
Since the Chiefs drafted Mahomes, this has been a wholly one-sided rivalry – so the Broncos would love to exact some pain here. Don’t expect them to ease up, with Sutton and Harvey at the heart of it.
Posted at 19:30 GMT on 23/12/25
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