Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will once again play on Christmas this year, with the NFL announcing a highly anticipated game against division rivals Denver Broncos on December 25. Even though there’s still a long way to go for that day, Sean Payton and company already received a bold challenge from a former Super Bowl champion.
Former NFL cornerback Chris Harris Jr., a pivotal member of the “No Fly Zone” Broncos defense that played a key role in Denver’s Super Bowl 50 victory, recently urged Payton and his team to give Mahomes a hard time on the national holiday.
“Keep Mahomes in the pocket,” Harris said on DNVR Broncos Podcast, as quoted. “Don’t let this guy get out running, scrambling like he does late in games. And I dare one of those guys to hit him. Please.
“Somebody has to send a message in that game. You might get a penalty, right? You never know, but we kind of used to send those messages, you know. So, somebody has to go every once in a while.”
A tough road game for the Broncos in Kansas City
As Harris mentioned, Payton‘s defense could get flagged if they hand Mahomes an illegal hit. There’s a fine line between playing tough and drawing penalties, so it will be interesting to see whether the Broncos can put the Chiefs star under duress.
Another factor that granting Harris’ wish will be challenging for Denver is the fact that they’ll be playing away from the Mile High City. The Broncos will be in enemy territory when they play the Chiefs at Arrowhead, so they won’t have their home crowd pushing for harder hits on the opponents.
The Chiefs and Broncos will close out the “Thursday Night Football” slate on Dec. 25 at 8:15 PM (ET). It may be too early, but the football community has already circled that date on the calendar.
Chiefs’ Christmas history already includes a win over Broncos
Mahomes has become a fixture on Christmas, as this will be the third consecutive year they take center stage on the holiday. In 2023, they lost to a division rivals when the Las Vegas Raiders upset them at Arrowhead. In 2024, the Chiefs defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the holiday. The Chiefs had already played on Dec. 25 three times before Mahomes though.
Kansas City was one of the first teams to play on Christmas, when the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins faced off in 1971. That turned out to be the longest game in NFL history, as the Fins won 27-24 after double overtime.
It wasn’t until 2004 that the Chiefs played on Christmas again, this time beating the Raiders by one point (31-30). In 2016, Kansas City played the same AFC West rival is set to face this year.
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On that occasion, the Chiefs beat the Broncos 33-10. Will they repeat the feat in 2025? It’s important to note that Mahomes is 13-1 against Denver, so it doesn’t look like an easy task for Payton and company.