Gaelic Gridiron’s Festive Football Guide

December 18, 2021 by Jimmy English In Articles, college football, Football, irish american football, NFL Leave a comment

Looking for your American football fix over the festive season? We’ve got you covered. 

Whether your favorite team is taking to the field on Christmas Eve or you just need an excuse to get some peace from the family, there are plenty of games to choose from.  Keep reading for our pick of the best games to watch!

In the NFL, it’s getting towards the business end of the season. Division leaders have emerged, while several teams are still scrambling for a spot in the playoffs.  On Christmas Eve ( Friday December 24th) the Titans and the 49ers will play at 1.20am, which is technically Thursday night football stateside. Christmas Day itself gives us the gift of Green Bay taking on Cleveland at 9.30pm, just in time to watch while you digest your turkey and pudding. On St Stephen’s Day, there is a full slate of games starting at 6pm and going until the wee hours of the morning. Notable matchups include the Patriots taking on the Bills and a good old NFC East rivalry game between the Eagles and the Giants. I’m hoping for a bit of a Christmas miracle myself – that my Steelers will beat the Chiefs and keep their playoff hopes alive. 

At the College level, bowl season will be in full swing come Christmas week.  The famed “New Years 6” Bowl games feature some of the biggest names in college football, including those squaring off for a spot in this year’s championship game. Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati and Michigan are all vying for the title. This is the first year that a so-called “Group of 5” team will compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff Final, and Cincinnati will have a tough task if they want to knock off Nick Saban and his Alabama Crimson Tide. In the other semi final, Jim Harbaugh will be looking for the first playoff win in his first playoff appearance as the Head Coach at Michigan. Both games take place on New Year’s Eve at 8.30pm and 12.30am Irish time respectively, and should be available to stream on the ESPN player, or if we’re lucky, on BT Sport. Rounding out the New Year’s games are Michigan and Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, Utah and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and Ole Miss versus Baylor in the Sugar Bowl! This is a real treat for college football fans, and a good way for the uninitiated to get a taste for the collegiate version of the game. All these games will be on ESPN.

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a feel good movie, and for football fan’s there’s a real treat coming on Christmas Day in the form of a Kurt Warner biopic! Dubbed “American Underdog” Featuring Zachary Levi (Shazam!) American Underdog chronicles Warners’ inspiring journey from stocking shelves, toughing it out in NFL Europe to finally becoming a Super Bowl winning Hall of Fame Quarterback with the St Louis Rams. American football movies can be instant hits or huge misses, but I’m a big fan of Levi and I think this will be pretty good. There’s no news yet on what streaming service will land this one, but keep an eye out for updates after it’s released. 

You can watch the trailer below.

There’s plenty of football related content on this Christmas to keep even the most diehard fans happy. So light the fire, put the feet up and enjoy!

Happy Christmas from Gaelic Gridiron!