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What NFL teams play on Thanksgiving? Your guide to Turkey Day football

Tom Viera   Paste BN
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For the 19th consecutive season, three NFL games will be played on Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving NFL games are a staple of the holiday season, and for the 59th year in a row, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will each play.

The wonderful tradition of NFL action on Thanksgiving began back in 1934. The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted a Thanksgiving game annually since the Super Bowl era began.

Both teams will play divisional matchups during the Thanksgiving slate. Detroit takes on the Chicago Bears, while Dallas will play the New York Giants in the late afternoon.

The Thanksgiving NFL games will conclude in historic Lambeau Field when the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers face in a prime-time clash. Here's everything you need to know about this year's NFL Thanksgiving schedule.

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NFL Thanksgiving games

There are three games set to be played on Thanksgiving:

  • Bears at Lions (12:30 p.m. ET)
  • Giants at Cowboys (4:30 p.m. ET)
  • Dolphins at Packers (8:20 p.m. ET)

Where to watch NFL Thanksgiving games

Watch NFL Thanskgiving games with Fubo FREE trial

Lions vs. Bears Thanksgiving game

To kick off the tripleheader, the Detroit Lions will welcome their NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears, to Ford Field. The Lions return home in Week 13 after a road win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12.

Detroit is 10-1 on top of the NFC entering Thursday's matchup divisional matchup. Meanwhile, the Bears have dropped to 4-7 after their fifth straight loss on Sunday. Chicago is coming off a brutal overtime loss at home against the Vikings but will look to play spoiler in arguably the toughest division in the NFL in 2024.

Watch Lions vs. Bears with Fubo FREE trial

Cowboys vs. Giants game on Thanksgiving

The Cowboys will host the Giants in the late afternoon, but the quarterback matchup may not be what fans had hoped for when the season kicked off

Daniel Jones is looking for a new team after being released by the G-Men after a 2-8 record, and Dak Prescott is out for the season after suffering a torn hamstring in Week 9.

In their place will be Tommy DeVito and Cooper Rush.

Entering Week 13, the Giants hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and could be looking ahead to rebuilding around that selection. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are coming off a tremendous win on the road over the Commanders, but their playoff hopes are on life support at 4-7 entering Thanksgiving.

Dallas will aim to improve on their record of 33-22-1 on Thanksgiving.

Watch Cowboys vs. Giants with Fubo FREE trial

Packers vs. Dolphins on Thanksgiving

The Packers and Dolphins will cap off the 2024 NFL Thanksgiving games. Miami will hit the road and travel to Green Bay for a Thursday night showdown.

The Dolphins have won three consecutive games and are riding plenty of momentum into this matchup. Meanwhile, the Packers will play their second straight home game after defeating the defending NFC champions 49ers easily in Week 12.

Both teams are battling for playoff positioning in their respective conferences, making this clash a must-watch to close out Turkey Day.

Watch Packers vs Dolphins with Fubo FREE trial

NFL playoff picture

Here's how the AFC and NFC stack up entering Week 13:

AFC

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1, AFC West leaders)
  2. Buffalo Bills (9-2, AFC East leaders)
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3, AFC North leaders)
  4. Houston Texans (7-5, AFC South leaders)
  5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4, wild card No. 1)
  6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4, wild card No. 2)
  7. Denver Broncos (7-5, wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (5-6), Indianapolis Colts (5-7), Cincinnati Bengals (4-7).

NFC

  1. Detroit Lions (10-1, NFC North leaders)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2, NFC East leaders)
  3.  Seattle Seahawks (6-5, NFC West leaders)
  4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5, NFC South leaders)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2, wild card No. 1)
  6. Green Bay Packers (8-3, wild card No. 2)
  7. Washington Commanders (7-5, wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Arizona Cardinals (6-5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), Los Angeles Rams (5-6), San Francisco 49ers (5-6), New Orleans Saints (4-7), Chicago Bears (4-7).

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