Nfl Christmas Day Scores
NEW ORLEANS -- — Alvin Kamara expects a fine for wearing a pair of Christmas-themed shoes that, as it turned out, would also be worthy of a Hall of Fame display.
With a red shoe on his right foot and a green one on his left, Kamara tied an NFL record set in 1929 by running for six touchdowns in a game. He finished with a career-high 155 yards rushing to help New Orleans beat the Minnesota Vikings 52-33 on Friday and clinch a fourth straight NFC South title.
Here are the results of NFL games played on Christmas: 1971 – Dallas Cowboys 20, MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12 # The Cowboys' defense forced five turnovers to give Dallas control of the game. Feb 06, 2021 Not only is Christmas just a day away, but with only one week left in the NFL regular season, the 2020 NFL Draft is just right around the corner. Christmas Day football schedule 2020 Feb 06, 2021 Since Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday this year, there was no Thursday Night Football contest in the NFL.
Is There A Nfl Game On Christmas Day 2019
“It just feels good to have one of those days, just for the team,” Kamara said, showering credit on the offensive line and insisting that he did “the small part.”
“I’m not focused on personal, like, goals and yards and stuff like that,' Kamara continued. 'As long as the team has success, then personal success will come.”
And it has come all season for Kamara, who during training camp signed a five-year contract worth up to $75 million. He has since set Saints records for rushing TDs in a season with 16 and total TDs with 21 (he has five receiving).
As for wearing shoes that didn't conform to the NFL's uniform codes, Kamara said, “If they fine me, whatever it is, I’ll just match it and donate to charity. You know, the Grinch always tries to steal Christmas.”
Kamara slipped a couple tackle attempts and then sprinted into the clear for a 40-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive. He added scoring runs of 1, 5, 6, 7 and 3 yards against a Minnesota defensive front hit hard by injuries, and equaled Hall of Fame fullback Ernie Nevers' achievement.
Minnesota (6-9) was eliminated from playoff contention while allowing the most points by any Vikings team since 1963.
“They just mashed us up front,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said, calling his defense 'the worst one I've ever had' as a coach. 'We couldn’t slow them down. It would be 8-yard gain, 7-yard gain.”
The Saints (11-4) never punted, and set a record of yards gained in a game by a Vikings opponent with 583.
Saints coach Sean Payton said it felt like a CFL game, with many first-down conversions coming before New Orleans even got to third down. The Saints might have won by a greater margin if not for two interceptions of Drew Brees, one of them on a pass that deflected off receiver Emmanuel Sanders' hands.
Brees completed 19 of 26 throws for 311 yards in his second game back from rib and lung injuries that had sidelined him for four games.
Sanders had four catches for 83 yards, while tight end Jared Cook caught three passes for 82 yards. New Orleans' 264 yards rushing were the most by a Vikings opponent in Zimmer's seven seasons.
New Orleans native Irv Smith Jr. caught a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter for the Vikings, the second pulling Minnesota to 31-27. But the Saints responded with two short touchdown runs by Kamara and one by reserve QB Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Kirk Cousins passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings, who never led and trailed for good after Kamara's second TD in the first quarter.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Kamara equaled a record Nevers set for the Cardinals way back when they called Chicago home.
“It was awesome,” Brees said. “Six touchdowns for a running back is just astounding.”
Saints players celebrated the last TD by pretending to make snow angels on the Superdome turf, which center Erik McCoy planned during the final drive as something that stuck with the Christmas theme.
Payton, who spent part of his youth in the Chicago area, was thinking about Gale Sayers’ six-TD game (four rushing touchdowns, one TD catch, one punt return) against San Francisco in 1965 when he called the play that led to Kamara’s sixth TD with just less than two minutes left.
Nfl Christmas Day Scores
“I’d say most of these players have no idea how good Gale Sayers was,” Payton said, adding that Kamara’s TD total “was a big deal. He played fantastic.”
MOMENTUM PLAY
In a game that saw both defenses struggle, Saints receiver Marquez Callaway made a play that any defensive back would appreciate when he prevented Eric Wilson from intercepting a pass Brees threw right at the linebacker. With a second chance, Brees hit Callaway for 11 yards on the next play and then found Cook 19 yards to the Vikings 6. That set up Kamara's third TD run of the half to put New Orleans up 24-14.
INJURIES
Vikings: Minnesota did not report any injuries.
Nfl Christmas Day Scores 2020
Saints: LB Kwon Alexander injured his right ankle late in the third quarter. He was initially helped off the field but later took a cart from the sideline to the locker room.
UP NEXT
Vikings: visit Detroit on Jan. 3, the final Sunday of the regular season.
Saints: visit Carolina on Jan. 3.
Has There Ever Been An Nfl Game On Christmas Day
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The NFL regular season is in its last month of play already. We’ve been handing out winners throughout the season on the best NFL odds and parlay plays, and the Christmas Day showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints is our next target. We’ll break down this matchup and give the best combination of bets for you to score with in Week 16.
Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints
Friday, December 25, 2020 – 04:30 PM EST at Mercedes-Benz Superdome
The return of Drew Brees is going to be carefully scrutinized in these last two games before the playoffs. The Saints have gone cold with two straight close losses, and the passing game is a big reason for their demise. Brees was just 15-of-34 against Kansas City and his arm looked cooked for much of the game.
If Brees looks like that from here on out, my guess is we're about to witness the last three or four games of his career. The offense is vertically challenged enough with him back there but the efficiency usually overcomes his limited arm strength. It was apparent this past week that a good team will load up passing lanes to keep Brees' game under control and reliant on screens.
This Saints teams relies heavily on the run game and Alvin Kamara's open-field talent. Both offenses are wanting to run the ball a lot and simply ask the passing game to connect on a few big plays in between efficient attempts. Neither offense is comfortable getting into a shootout.
Nfl Christmas Day On Tv
That's usually a recipe for an under total and low-scoring game, but neither of these defenses has been overly effective in recent weeks. The Saints have the upside to be dominant but the Vikings seem to impose their will in the run game better than anyone even when it's known it's coming at heavy doses. Dalvin Cook has been tremendous and Kirk Cousins continues to be a productive even if flawed passer.
The presence of Cook and star receiver Justin Jefferson will certainly be an issue for the Saints defense. They must apply a ton of pressure to Cousins to keep Jefferson from taking over. He's the key for the Saints to stop if they want to cover this spread.
It's a tough call. The Saints have a talented secondary and can certainly get after the quarterback with a variety of pass rushers. Their usage of Malcolm Jenkins, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marshon Lattimore in particular highlight how talented this back end is. They've built up a modern pass defense but are still fantastic against the run, so keep that in mind when making your NFL picks.
I think that pays off for the Saints. Their offense won't have to be brilliant against a defense that's been porous in almost every game. The Vikings simply lack the top-end talent on the interior defensive line and cornerback positions to force the big plays they need.
This could be a damning loss for Mike Zimmer and company. His future looked clearer after a good midseason recovery but two straight losses against the Bucs and Bears put a dagger in their playoff hearts. In retrospect, there's no reasonable reason to have thought this roster would win at a high enough level because the defense is transitioning all over with young players.
Christmas Day Nfl Scores
They're still tough-nosed even if undermanned, though. If you can get this line under seven, certainly jump on it. I love the over this week as well since the trends show that both teams are good to score in the high twenties. The SBR parlay calculator is showing a juicy payout for this one.
Nfl Christmas Day Results
Free NFL Parlay:Saints -6.5 (-117) and Over 52 (-110) for (+254) parlay odds at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)