For NFL fans, Thanksgiving is essentially Christmas. The league has a rich tradition around the day, and at this point, football is practically as closely associated with the holiday as turkey.
This Thanksgiving season, the Lions and Cowboys will play in their customary slots, but their opponents will be different from those of the previous year. After a day of food, food, and more food, fans throughout America are fighting to stay awake during prime time, when a pivotal divisional match is scheduled.
This season, the biggest Thanksgiving storyline might be the Lions’ success. Detroit was beginning to show a pulse when Thanksgiving rolled around last season, and the franchise has fully delivered on high expectations this year with one of the NFC’s best records. A win on Thanksgiving would push the Lions closer to a playoff berth in what could be a dream season for the franchise.
MORE: Watch NFL Thanksgiving games with Fubo (free trial)
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s NFL Thanksgiving slate, including the full schedule and how to watch the games.
The Thanksgiving slate begins at Ford Field, as usual. The Lions will host the NFC North-rival Packers at 12:30 p.m. ET, and for the first time in quite a while, Detroit enters the game fully expecting a victory.
The Lions are leaders of the NFC North, while the Packers are struggling to stay afloat in the NFC in a total reversal of fate from two years ago, when Green Bay had the best record in the conference and the Lions didn’t win a single game until December.
This time, the pressure will be on quarterback Jordan Love to lead the Packers to a road win and avoid putting Green Bay’s hopes totally out of reach
At 4:30 p.m. ET, the Cowboys will host their usual Thanksgiving game, welcoming in the Commanders for the fourth time in the last eight years on turkey day.
The Commanders have been trending in the wrong direction since a 2-0 start to the year, but second-year QB Sam Howell has looked promising in his first season as starter. Whether Washington’s defense has enough in the tank to slow down the Cowboys’ passing game after trading both Chase Young and Montez Sweat is the burning question entering the game.
In the prime-time slot, the Seahawks will host the 49ers in a key NFC West showdown. The Seahawks briefly led the division after San Francisco lost three consecutive games in October, but the 49ers have come out of their bye strong and are looking to extend their dominance of Seattle.
San Francisco won three games over the Seahawks last season, including a wild-card matchup in the playoffs. If Seattle wants to seriously compete for the division crown, at least one win over the 49ers is likely necessary.
