Nielsen’s new mechanism for measuring out-of-home viewing has helped the NFL, considerably.
All numbers are up in 2025. Including the Christmas games.
Via NFL Media, the Lions-Vikings game set a streaming record, with an average audience of 27.5 million. The early game between the Cowboys and Commanders averaged 19.9 million, creating a two-game numer of 23.7 million.
The captive audience of Christmas Day offset the fact that the games weren’t particularly compelling. And the Netflix production left much to be desired, given the ill-advised decision to interview via Zoom four former players during the back-to-back games.
No one wanted that. No one, except the Netflix exec who thought it was a good idea. Everyone who watched the games had to deal with the distraction to the coverage, including canned questions like, “What does football mean to you?”
It means enough to us to tell Netflix to never do in-game Zoom interviews again.
Commanders Clips
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni declined to confirm a report that the team plans to rest its starters against the Commanders on Sunday, but it’s a good bet that any player with an injury issue will have the week off to get as close to 100 percent for the playoffs as possible.
Defensive end Jaelan Phillips and tight end Dallas Goedert are on that list. Phillips missed practice with an ankle injury on Wednesday while Goedert did not participate due to a knee injury.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean (hamstring) and right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) were also out of practice. Dean did not play in Week 17 while Johnson has been out since November 16.
Linebacker Jihaad Campbell (back, shoulder) was a limited participant and tackle Cameron Williams (shoulder) was a full participant.
The Commanders have made a move to formally end the season of one of their offensive linemen.
Washington has placed center Tyler Biadasz on injured reserve, the team announced on Wednesday.
Biadasz is dealing with injuries to his ankle and knee suffered during the Christmas Day loss to the Cowboys. Head coach Dan Quinn had previously said it would be hard for him to play in the season finale against the Eagles.
Biadasz will finish his second season with Washington having started 16 games.
As a corresponding move, the club has signed offensive lineman Julian Good-Jones to the 53-man roster off of its practice squad.
Additionally, guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu and defensive end D.J. Johnson have been signed to the practice squad.
The Eagles offense had a rough second half against the Bills in last Sunday’s win, but it doesn’t look like they’ll use Week 18’s game against the Commanders as a chance to try to get the unit back on track ahead of the playoffs.
Head coach Nick Sirianni said on Monday that the team had not made any decisions about resting starters ahead of a home game in the wild card and they have reportedly made up their mind. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the team is expected to rest quarterback Jalen Hurts and most other starters against Washington.
The Eagles will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC. A win and a Bears loss against the Lions would make them the No. 2 seed.
Getting that spot would give them the possibility of hosting two playoff games next month, but it seems Sirianni and company have decided that upside is not worth the risk that comes with having their starters on the field this Sunday.
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota did not participate in the team’s walkthrough on Monday, coach Dan Quinn said.
Quinn said it is “still a stretch” for Mariota to play, but the Commanders will have a better idea of his availability for Week 18 on Wednesday.
“There’s still hope,” Quinn said.
Mariota injured his hand and a quad on the same play in the Week 16 loss to the Eagles and missed the Week 17 game against the Cowboys.
Josh Johnson started for Mariota, who was starting for injured starter Jayden Daniels, and Johnson would start Week 18 against the Eagles if Mariota can’t play. The Commanders also have Jeff Driskel on their 53-man roster and Sam Hartman on their practice squad.
Center Tyler Biadasz (ankle/knee) does not require surgery on his injuries, according to Quinn, but Biadasz is unlikely to play Sunday.
The Eagles will be either the No. 2 seed or the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs. They’ll definitely start the playoffs at home, but they definitely won’t earn a bye week and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Which means Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Commanders could matter a little for playoff seeding, but it won’t make a big difference to the Eagles’ path to the Super Bowl.
And that means Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has not yet decided whether to play all his starters on Sunday, or rest his top players to keep them healthy and fresh for the playoffs.
“There’s still things up in the air as far as seeding goes,” Sirianni said. “We’ve done it both ways. We’ve had opportunities to rest, weve had opportunities to get a better seed and played. You go through your process, you go through all those different things, but every season is a little bit different. Every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team. We’re still thinking through it. That’s not a decision we have to make today or even tomorrow. It’s just something you have to go through the process of making. We’ll do what we feel is best for the team. I know there will be debate about whatever we do, but that’s why we have to go through our process and do what we feel is best to help our team moving forward.”
For the Eagles to get the No. 2 seed, they need to win on Sunday and the Bears need to lose. Otherwise, the Eagles will be the No. 3 seed. Sirianni will take some time to decide whether that small chance to improve his team’s seed is worth the risk of a key player getting injured.
Last Saturday, an Eagles’ two-point conversion during garbage time sparked a brawl that resulted in three ejections.
It also triggered six fines.
For the Eagles, guard Tyler Steen received a pair of $8,435 fines; one for “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing” and the other for taking a swing at an opponent.
For the Commanders, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was fined $20,288 for taking a swing, safety Quan Martin was fined $11,572 for “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing,” safety Will Harris was fined $11,593 for a facemask, and cornerback Mike Sainristil was fined $9,725 for “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.
The fines (subject to appeals) total $70,048. Steen, Kinlaw, and Martin were ejected at the time.
And these two teams play again next weekend.
With the Lions losing on Christmas Day in Minnesota, the NFC playoff field is nearly set.
The NFC’s postseason qualifiers are the Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers, and the eventual winner of the NFC South.
It will be the Panthers or the Buccaneers winning that division, and hosting a wild-card game as the No. 4 seed against the No. 5 seed.
As to the rest of the seeding, it’s all TBD. Which gives the last two weekends some extra sizzle — possibly with the No. 1 seed coming down to the Week 18 game between the Seahawks and the 49ers.
Three NFC teams that didn’t make it last year are in for 2025: Bears, Seahawks, and 49ers. The number will increase to four if the Panthers take the NFC South from the Bucs, who have won it every year since 2021.
Bounced from the 2024 field are the Lions, Vikings, and Commanders. The failure of the Lions to make it is stunning; they were 15-2 last year. They’re 8-8 through sixteen games in 2025.
The Cowboys have started the 2025 Christmas Day slate with a victory over the Commanders.
Dallas came away with a 30-23 win after controlling the ball and the clock for much of the contest.
Washington kept it close and made things interesting, with Jake Moody hitting a 51-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning to narrow Dallas’ lead to seven points.
But Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott connected with receiver George Pickens on third-and-1 for a 21-yard gain to effectively put the contest away.
The Cowboys scored on all four of their first-half possessions, with the first three going for touchdowns. Prescott opened the contest with 6-yard touchdown to Jake Ferguson. Javonte Williams scored a 4-yard TD on a run before Prescott launched an 86-yard touchdown to KaVonte Turpin.
Brandon Aubrey hit a 42-yard field goal late in the half. While he missed from 58 yards in the fourth quarter, he also hit from 52 and 51 yards in the second half.
Dallas was aggressive offensively, going 6-of-6 on fourth down. Prescott converted the final one with a QB sneak on fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter to prevent Washington from getting the ball again.
Prescott finished 19-of-37 for 307 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed for times for 24 yards.
Williams had 54 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, though he exited and did not return with a shoulder injury. Malik Davis had 103 yards on 20 carries.
Pickens caught four passes for 78 yards while CeeDee Lamb had five catches for 46 yards.
Washington running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for 105 yards with two touchdowns, including a 72-yard score early in the third quarter.
Third-string quarterback Josh Johnson was 15-of-23 for 198 yards in his first start since 2021, playing in place of the injured Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
Now at 7-8-1, the Cowboys will finish their 2025 season with a road contest against the Giants next weekend.
At 4-12, the Commanders will be on the road to face the NFC East champion Eagles in Week 18.
Do the Commanders have a comeback in them on Christmas Day?
After Washington’s defense finally got a stop on Dallas early in the second half, running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt narrowed the Cowboys’ lead to 24-17 with a 72-yard touchdown run.
Croskey-Merritt — better known as “Bill” — took a handoff to the right and used his speed to get down the field for the longest run of his young career.
It was Croskey-Merritt’s seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
On the injury front, Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has been ruled out with a calf injury. He caught a touchdown in the first quarter.
