The Minnesota Vikings will have a short week after Week 16 as they will face the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. However, one Lions player is calling out the NFL for scheduling Detroit in another holiday game this season, in addition to their traditional Thanksgiving game.
Over the last handful of years, the league has been attempting to make Christmas Day a staple on the NFL calendar. The day used to belong to the NBA, but the NFL has wrested it away.
Nonetheless, playing on Christmas isn’t sitting well with one NFL player. Lions right tackle Penei Sewell was blunt about his feelings on suiting up twice over the holiday season this year.
“I’m going to be brutally honest. I’m not happy,” Sewell said on December 18 (h/t MLive). “We already have Thanksgiving. We already play on Thanksgiving, and the fact that we have to play on Christmas (and) away, is something I wouldn’t want to do. So yeah, not fun, but it is what it is. It comes with the job. I’m going to do it.”
Thanksgiving games usually kick off early in the afternoon, giving Lions players a chance to head home later that same day. In contrast, a Christmas game in Minnesota involves more extended travel and more preparation, cutting into time with family. As a result, that schedule affects Sewell, who is married and has three young children.
Giants’ Jaxson Dart Talks Vikings Defense
Before the Vikings can turn to their short week with their game on Christmas Day, they have the New York Giants on their schedule. Moreover, the Minnesota defense will be looking for a third straight impressive showing, and on December 18, Giants signal-caller Jaxson Dart shared his thoughts on defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
“‘Just chaos,” Dart told reporters when asked about his description of Flores’ defense. “Trying to disguise different looks and bring a whole bunch of different pressures, but they’re organized in the back end, too. So they do it soundly.”
The Vikings’ defense dominated the Washington Commanders, holding them scoreless in Week 14. Against the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota allowed some yardage but tightened up when it counted, forcing Dallas to settle for field goals on several drives.
Vikings Defense Is Frustrating Opposing Offenses
Following the Week 15 defeat to the Vikings, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott discussed how Flores and Minnesota’s defense caused frustration,
“The [Cover 0] that we talked about throughout the week showed up a lot,” Prescott told reporters. “We did not have a good enough answer, and when you do not have a good enough answer for that, especially against Flores, you are going to see it again and again. That is what happened.
“They did a great job on the back end, playing with vision. It made it tough to get to the beaters, the normal [Cover 0] beaters when they are playing man. They were not just looking at the man; they were looking at the quarterback.
“They were able to rally when you throw it underneath, and you do not have time to get it past them; they did a good job, kept it on us, and we did not adjust fast enough or come up with something good enough to scare them out of it. We saw it the whole game.”
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