The Detroit Lions have an upcoming Christmas game against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium. While the league schedules such games to entertain fans, some players don’t like the idea of playing during celebrations. Count receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as one on that list.

“How do I feel about playing on Christmas Day, and we had Thanksgiving? I’m not a fan,” he said on his podcast. “We got the two biggest holidays. I feel like, in the United States, we played on both of them, and I don’t have kids yet. But if I had kids, I’d be even more pissed. You can’t really spend it with your family.”

His team also played a Thanksgiving game against the Packers this year.

However, the Lions are still in the hunt for a playoff spot with eight wins up until now. Their playoff odds are around 3 percent.

So, the upcoming game is a crucial one. The roadmap for Detroit is simple. They need to defeat Minnesota on Thursday, and the same with Chicago next week. Plus, Green Bay will need to lose its last two games.

It remains to be seen whether St. Brown will line up for Week 17 as he is dealing with a knee injury. He stayed away from the first day of practice on December 22. But the receiver practiced in a limited capacity the next two days. They have listed him as questionable for the Week 17 game.

The Lions need him, though. He is their best receiver this season. St. Brown is second in the league in receiving touchdowns (11) and fourth in receptions (98) and receiving yards (1,194). He is crucial to their playoff chances.

However, he is not happy with the idea of playing on Christmas. Many players feel the same way.

Many NFL players don’t want to play on Christmas and Thanksgiving

The league cashes in big money on Christmas from its $150 million deal with Netflix. And they have been scheduling the festival games since 1971. Back then, the Cowboys played against the Vikings on Christmas, and so did the Dolphins and Chiefs.

There are no expected changes in the NFL scheduling as of now.  Yet, that doesn’t stop the players from voicing their frustrations. One of the hundreds of players affected by these games is the Lions’ right tackle, Penei Sewell. He would have liked to spend Christmas with his family, but he will be traveling for the road game instead.

“I’m going to be brutally honest. I’m not happy,” Sewell said in an MLive interview on December 18. “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.”

Top Stories

Cowboys Fire Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus: Contract, Salary, NFL Earnings & More

Russell Wilson Announces Retirement Stance as Giants QB Shares Hidden Injury News

Dolphins Reportedly Indecisive About Mike McDaniel as GM Search Kicks Off

Joe Flacco Makes Retirement Decision Clear as Bengals QB’s Final Gesture for Ja’Marr Chase Draws Attention

Brian Schottenheimer Calls Out Controversial Jaxson Dart Incident as Cowboys Star Awaits NFL Punishment

Last Christmas, the Kansas City Chiefs played against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, safety Justin Reid, and defensive tackle Chris Jones were a few players who called it bad scheduling. Jones even said that he would talk to the NFL Players Association about it.

Things have not changed this year and aren’t expected to get better in the coming years, as millions of fans also wait for NFL action on Christmas.