A look back at the NFL’s most historic New Year’s Eve and New Year's Day games

Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman talks about the budding Taylor Swift narrative on "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich."

For many families, holiday festivities are synonymous with food and football. 

Watching football on Thanksgiving, in particular, has become an annual tradition for sports fans. 

While college football is typically king around the New Year holiday with bowl season, NFL games on New Year's Day or New Year's Eve are more of a coincidence. 

Football is often played on holidays. (Reading Eagle via Getty Images)

STEELERS VS. BROWNS BREW A HISTORIC RIVALRY FILLED WITH FOOTBALL FERVOR

Historically, most NFL games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day have been played on Sundays, although there have been a handful of games on other days of the week. 

Prior to 1961, the season wasn't long to reach into the New Year. After the first New Year's Eve championship game was played between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants in 1961, there have been numerous games played around the occasion. 

THANKSGIVING: 6 CLASSIC AND UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS FROM PAST NFL TURKEY DAY GAMES 

The Green Bay Packers were the first Super Bowl champions.  (Fred Roe/Getty Images)

During the 1966 NFL season, there was a playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys Jan. 1, 1967. The Packers defeated the Cowboys in that New Year's Day game, earning them a ticket to the Super Bowl. 

On Jan. 15, 1967, the Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first Super Bowl.

THE HISTORY OF NFL GAMES ON CHRISTMAS DAY: FOOTBALL FANS HAVE BEEN GIFTED GAMES FOUR CONSECUTIVE YEARS 

On Sunday, Dec. 31, 1967, the Green Bay Packers were crowned champions of the NFL for a third straight year after their victory against the Cowboys.