American Thanksgiving is coming on Thursday, and with it, a host of exciting NFL matchups for a day of football and turkey, followed by another key showdown on Black Friday the day after - all on TSN.
A tradition as old as the league itself, the NFL has played games on Thanksgiving since its inception way back in 1920.
For decades, the tradition has included two teams - the Detroit Lions, since 1934, have hosted a game on Thanksgiving Day every year, and beginning in 1966, the Dallas Cowboys have also had the honour (with two exceptions in 1975 and 1977).
Now known as the John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration, in honour of the legendary broadcaster and former Raiders head coach who helped make Thanksgiving football so special, the stars of the winning team partake in a small turkey feast on the field upon the conclusion of each game.
You can watch all of the action throughout the day on TSN, with the Lions taking on a division rival in the early slot.
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
The most common Thanksgiving Day rivalry is between the Green Bay Packers and the Lions, and the teams will meet this Thursday for the 23rd time in the historic holiday battle.
Green Bay has won four of the past five meetings on Thanksgiving between the two sides - including a 29-22 victory in the last matchup in 2023.
This year’s matchup could go either way in a battle of high-scoring offence against dominant defence.
The Packers throttled the Lions 27-13 in the season opener, where they allowed just 246 yards of offence. The off-season addition of Micah Parsons in a trade from the Cowboys has helped Green Bay’s defence rise to the top of the league, as they enter this game ranked fifth in points allowed (18.4 per game).
On the other side, the Lions own one of the most dangerous offensive units in the league, entering this game ranked second in points scored (29.6 per game).
The Lions defeated the New York Giants 34-27 in overtime a week ago behind a historic performance from star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who totaled 264 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell had this game circled on the calendar since the Lions went on their bye week at the end of October. “It really is just handle your business, man,” Campbell said ahead of their game against the Minnesota Vikings early in November. “And the bottom line is, find a way to win your division. We’ve got Minnesota coming in here, that’s number one, and then you worry about the [Packers] after that.”
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys enter this Thanksgiving Day on the fringe of the NFC playoff picture, but a come-from-behind upset victory over the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday has the team brimming with confidence entering this pivotal clash.
“[Head coach] Brian [Schottenheimer] has got this team with no quit in their vocabulary,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Sunday’s win. “They will not quit ... They’ve had a setback from not being the team that we wanted to be in the early part of the year. But I hope all of our fans agree with me that they showed a lot of grit. They showed a lot of want to. And they certainly showed they haven’t given up as far as giving us a chance to actually get in the playoffs this year.”
The Cowboys will need to use that confidence to full effect against the dangerous Chiefs on Thursday, who are also on the outside of the playoff picture in the AFC after qualifying for the Super Bowl in each of the past three seasons.
Kansas City toppled the Indianapolis Colts in overtime on Sunday to improve to 6-5. It’s been an unusual season for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and co., as they rank in the top-10 in offensive and defensive scoring, and have a plus-76 point differential despite their near-.500 record.
Last season, the Chiefs played with historic success in games decided by one score (eight points or fewer), where they went 11-0. In those games this season, the Chiefs are 1-5, with their lone win coming last week at home against the Colts.
“All five of our losses felt like this game, where there were plays we could make and we didn’t,” Mahomes said after the win. “You can talk about it all day, but until you prove it, it doesn’t. We proved today we could make the plays.”
If the Chiefs can get back on track and start making those plays again, the Cowboys will be in a lot of trouble on Thursday.
Bengals vs. Ravens
Thanksgiving Day football ends with the revival of a classic AFC North rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals (3-8) have dropped four in a row, while the Ravens (6-5) enter this game riding a five-game winning streak in a battle of hot versus cold.
Baltimore’s defence was getting manhandled in the opening weeks of the season, allowing 32.3 points per game in the first six games. Following a bye in Week 7, the Ravens have won five in a row where they’ve allowed just 13.4 points per game.
The Bengals’ season was largely derailed by an injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow, as Cincinnati’s offence has struggled to produce consistently while cycling through backup options. Burrow has a chance to return for this game against Baltimore, which would allow the passing attack to reach levels similar to last year.
The Ravens and Bengals battled in a classic in prime time in 2024, when the Ravens won 35-34 after a two-point convert try by the Bengals with 38 seconds remaining was not successful. The quarterbacks in that game combined for more than 700 yards passing and eight touchdowns.
Black Friday Football pits Bears against Eagles
A pair of NFC division leaders meet in the third annual Black Friday game, as the Chicago Bears travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.
The Bears (8-3) just keep piling up wins under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, as they’ve rattled off four wins in a row and have triumphed in eight of their last nine games.
The offence has looked sharp under Johnson, who joined the Bears after spending three very successful seasons as offensive coordinator with the Lions. Chicago has scored at least 24 points in eight of 11 games this year, and are coming off a 31-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
On the other side, the Eagles are coming off a brutal collapse against the Cowboys but still hold a firm 2.5-game lead in the division.
“I’m not going to make any sweeping judgments at this particular time,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said after the team blew a 21-point lead against the Cowboys. “When there’s a lot of mistakes that we had, some of the self-inflicted wounds that we had today, I’m always going to put that on me as the head coach.”
Philadelphia gets a quick turnaround to right the ship against a Bears team that is still seeking a statement win - of their eight wins on the season, only one (last week against the Steelers) came against a team with a winning record. And the Steelers were playing with their backup quarterback.
