Why Are NFL Teams Wearing Candy Cane Patches?

First appearing on their Week 16 uniforms and carrying over to their Christmas Day matchups, the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers will wear a holiday-inspired patch on their jerseys to mark the occasion.

Got a sweet new patch 🎄 pic.twitter.com/EVHYpuSGTo
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 21, 2024

The patch features the NFL shield flanked by two candy canes and the league’s decision to add it to their uniforms brings to mind the patch that teams wear on Thanksgiving Day in honor of late Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden.

This will mark the fifth straight season the NFL has played games on Christmas Day, even though the holiday falls on a Wednesday and the league doesn’t traditionally schedule games on that day of the week.

IF THEY AIN’T WITH HOUSTON… pic.twitter.com/vzxYXV1245
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 21, 2024

With the Chiefs hosting the Texans and the Ravens welcoming the Steelers in Week 16, the NF bumped up their games to Saturday to add an extra day between their games on Wednesday, when the Steelers host the Chiefs and the Ravens travel to the Texans.

Header photo courtesy of @Chiefs on X/Twitter.