By Moses Joshua 
As Detroit prepares for another holiday kickoff, frustration bubbles over while Minnesota’s defense looms as an added December challenge
Lions’ Holiday Burden Sparks Frustration
Christmas Day football is becoming an increasingly common sight on the NFL calendar, but for at least one Detroit Lion, the novelty has worn thin.
Right tackle Penei Sewell did not hold back when asked about the league scheduling the Lions for yet another holiday game—this time on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit already carries the long-standing responsibility of hosting games on Thanksgiving, a tradition that dates back decades. Adding Christmas to the mix has pushed that obligation too far in Sewell’s eyes.
“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.”
While Thanksgiving games are typically played early in the day—allowing players at least a partial return to family time—Christmas road games demand extended travel, added preparation, and more time away from home. For Sewell, who is married with three young children, that sacrifice is deeply personal.
The league’s push to make Christmas Day a marquee NFL event has been successful from a ratings standpoint, but comments like Sewell’s underline the human cost that often gets overshadowed by television schedules.
Minnesota’s Defense Adds to the Christmas Challenge
As if the holiday inconvenience weren’t enough, the Lions will be facing one of the NFL’s most frustrating defensive units.
Before Minnesota even turns its attention fully to Detroit, the Vikings must navigate Week 16 against the New York Giants. Still, praise for defensive coordinator Brian Flores continues to pour in from opposing quarterbacks preparing for his schemes.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart offered a blunt assessment of what it’s like to face Flores’ defense.
“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.”
That chaos has translated into results. Minnesota shut out the Washington Commanders in Week 14 and followed it up by bending—but not breaking—against the Dallas Cowboys, forcing multiple field goals instead of touchdowns.
‘We Did Not Have a Good Enough Answer’
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott echoed those frustrations after facing Minnesota, detailing how Flores repeatedly pressed the same advantage until the Cowboys cracked.
“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.”
For a Lions team fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive, that defensive discipline represents a serious obstacle—especially on a short holiday turnaround.
Bottom Line
The NFL may see Christmas Day as another prime-time opportunity, but from the players’ perspective, the message feels far less festive. For Detroit, the combination of another holiday game, extended travel, and a daunting Vikings defense makes the matchup feel more like a burden than a celebration.
Penei Sewell summed it up simply: it’s part of the job—but that doesn’t mean players have to like it.