The NFL is attempting to compete with the NBA on Christmas Day, and what better way to do that than to put the defending champions on national TV that day?
The league announced Tuesday that the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos will square off on Christmas this year, a Week 16 matchup at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff will be at 1:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS, Paramount+ and Nickelodeon.
The NFL will have one other afternoon game and a prime-time matchup on Christmas, which falls on a Sunday. This will be the first time the league has three games scheduled on Christmas, though the other two matchups have not yet been announced.
Rams-Broncos was seen as a potential season-opening matchup, but that obviously won’t be happening. Instead, the Rams will face a familiar foe, Russell Wilson, late in the year on Week 16.
The Broncos are a significantly better team now than they have been in recent years after acquiring Wilson, going all-in just as the Rams did with Matthew Stafford last year.
The last time the Rams and Broncos met was in 2018 when Los Angeles beat Denver on the road, 23-20.