How many times have the Denver Broncos played on Christmas Day?

Christmas Day is here and the Denver Broncos are ready for a Week 16 battle with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Broncos still have one more day to prepare for that game but the NFL will have two games played on Christmas Day, starting with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Cleveland Browns and then later, the Indianapolis Colts take on the Arizona Cardinals.

Both games should be competitive and provide some extra viewing pleasure as we all enjoy the holiday, great food, and time spent with our families.

So that got us to thinking, how many times have the Broncos had a Christmas Day game? Playing on Christmas is rare for all teams and in the case of the Broncos, a franchise that dates all the way back to 1960, the team has only played on Christmas three times.

The Broncos have won two of those three games.

December 25, 1999: Broncos 17, Lions 7

This game took place in Detroit at the old Pontiac Silverdome and the Lions actually had a good record at the time, coming into the game at 8-6 and 6-1 at home that season.

The 1999 year was of course a very depressing one for the Broncos, who had won back-to-back Super Bowls only to see the retirement of John Elway following the 1998 season and the subsequent career-altering injury suffered by Terrell Davis shortly into 1999.

But the Broncos got the victory in this game to improve to 6-9 on that season. It was a career day for Olandis Gary, who rushed for 185 yards on 29 carries with a touchdown.

December 25, 2004: Broncos 37, Titans 16

The Broncos were one of the better teams in the AFC in the 2004 season and they went into Nashville to prove that to the Titans on this night.

The Broncos had a huge 17-point first-quarter outburst in which Reuben Droughns found the end zone twice. He finished the game with three total touchdowns and 121 total yards from scrimmage.

Quarterback Jake Plummer also played well, throwing for 303 yards on the night as the Broncos bottled up the Titans’ offense, collecting two interceptions and six total sacks of quarterback Billy Volek.

December 25, 2016: Chiefs 33, Broncos 10

This game stands out, unfortunately, as it is still a fairly recent embarrassment and part of a long line of consecutive losses to the Chiefs.

The Broncos came into this game with an 8-6 record and were still fighting for a spot in the playoffs, but beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium was a must.

Instead, the Chiefs jumped on Denver quickly, scoring 21 first-quarter points that included touchdowns of 70 yards by Tyreek Hill and 80 yards by Travis Kelce. The Broncos tried to battle, but were just overwhelmed.

The play that stands out the most from this game is the one that provided Kansas City’s final points.

Already leading 27-10 with less than two minutes to play in the game, the Chiefs used a trick play with defensive lineman Dontari Poe taking the snap and throwing a jump pass to tight end Demetrius Harris for a touchdown.

It was an embarrassing way for the Broncos to finish the game, a game that virtually ended any chance of them defending their Super Bowl title.

When will a Christmas Day game take place in Denver?

Though the Broncos have played on Christmas three times, a home game for the Broncos on that day is something that still has not happened.

In 2022, Christmas Day will be on a Sunday. The last time that happened was in 2016, but that year, the league chose to hold the majority of that week’s games on Saturday, December 24, placing just two games on Christmas Day.

We’ll see how the 2022 NFL schedule looks and see if the Broncos play on Christmas Day and if they do, will it be in Denver?

Santa Claus would look good in orange and blue for one day, right?