Detroit crumble and a Kelce farewell? - Christmas Day in the NFL

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

There was a potential Travis Kelce farewell, while Jared Goff suffered a Detroit disaster on Christmas Day in the NFL

ByPaul Higham

BBC Sport journalist

The Detroit Lions produced a terrible display as they were dumped out of play-off contention in one of three eventful Christmas Day games in the NFL.

Festive fixtures are a big deal in the NFL these days, and despite four of the six teams in action already being out of the play-offs all three games were full-blooded encounters.

Detroit faced a must-win in Minnesota but crumbled against the Vikings defence in a statistically wild game - and a loss that handed a Christmas present to the Green Bay Packers as they booked a play-off spot as a result.

The Kansas City Chiefs fought hard but came up short against the Denver Broncos in what could have been Travis Kelce's final home game, and the Dallas Cowboys won a lively contest with the Washington Commanders.

Detroit dumped out by Vikings defence

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

The Lions had eight turnovers in 16 games before conceding six in Minnesota

Detroit had to win both their remaining games to stand a chance of making the play-offs, but went out with an alarming whimper in a 23-10 defeat in Minnesota.

After leading the NFL with just eight turnovers this season, Detroit gave the ball away six times, quarterback Jared Goff being responsible for five of them to continuously kill off any momentum they mustered.

It was shambolic from both offences though, Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer's first home start saw him sacked seven times and pass for just 51 yards yet still win - no other quarterback in the Super Bowl era has managed to win a game with those stats.

Minnesota's smothering defence was again enough to win the game though, with Brian Flores' unit starring in their four-game winning streak to end the season in positive fashion.

A third defeat in a row finished off Detroit's play-off hopes and although injuries have played a part, the manner of those losses when the pressure was on will be a concern for head coach Dan Campbell in the off-season.

A Kelce farewell? Broncos edge out Chiefs

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Was this Travis Kelce's final entrance to an NFL game at Arrowhead?

The Denver Broncos eked out a 20-13 victory as they chase the AFC top seed the Chiefs have claimed so often in the last decade, but Travis Kelce was still the headline news in what could have been his final game in Kansas City.

The 36-year-old seemed to soak in his pre-game introduction more than usual then lingered on the field afterwards with plenty of Broncos players coming over to share a few words and show their respect to the three-time Super Bowl champion - with both his mother Donna and fiance Taylor Swift in the stands watching on.

Kelce and his Chiefs played hard despite being out of the play-offs and being two-touchdown underdogs without injured star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The home crowd and home defence made it tough for a Denver team looking to emulate Kansas City's recent success, but the Broncos' own star quarterback Bo Nix eventually got them over the line with a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Denver are certainly emulating last season's Chiefs in winning tight games, with this their 11th one-score victory - four more than anyone else - while they're the only team in NFL history to earn 12 comeback wins in one season.

But head coach Sean Payton will want a more explosive element to the offence, which dominated possession but struggled to make big plays and score touchdowns, making it a much closer game than it really should have been against a severely depleted Chiefs side.

While the Broncos are building there could be some upheaval in Kansas City this summer, whether that includes losing Kelce at the end of his 13th season remains to be seen.

Dak's Dallas building for next season

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Dak Prescott tied Tony Romo's Dallas record with his fourth season with 30 passing touchdowns

For Dallas, "it's about rolling over the good things for next year and just taking that momentum" according to quarterback Dak Prescott, after the Cowboys beat Washington 30-23.

The last six games have summed up the season for the Cowboys, winning three in a row including beating both of last season's Super Bowl sides in a week before then losing three on the spin.

Prescott has been pretty consistent though, and productive, as he was in Washington with two touchdowns including the longest ever in a Christmas Day game - an 86-yard bomb to speedster KaVontae Turpin.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was aggressive as he looks to finish his first season in charge on a high - the Cowboys converted six fourth down plays, tied for the most in a game since 1991.

Washington were a game away from the Super Bowl last year, but injuries have played a big part in them going from a 12-win team last year to losing 12 games this season.

Dan Quinn still has some good pieces there but they simply have to keep quarterback Jayden Daniels fit, as they had 39-year-old Josh Johnson under centre for this latest loss.