Thanksgiving and NFL football, it’s as American as you can get. Football and Thanksgiving have gone hand-in-hand for about a century now, as the tradition of the Detroit Lions playing on this special Thursday began in 1934, while the Dallas Cowboys began their Thanksgiving tradition in 1966, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This year, we once again have a Turkey Day triple header, starting at 12:30 pm ET on Thursday (with a game on CBS) and rolling through the night with the last tip scheduled for 8:20 pm ET. Below, we’ll break down the three Thanksgiving contests coming up in 2024.
12:30 pm ET on CBS, stream on Most important+
Spread: Lions -10.5, O/U 48.5 through BetMGM sportsbook
The Lions get a division rival again on Thanksgiving, as they will host Caleb Williams and the Bears. Chicago started the season 4-2, but has now lost four straight games. It led to the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, but that in itself still wasn’t enough to spark the offense.
The Lions are probably the best team in the NFLas they average a league-leading 33.6 points per game, and a third-best 394.7 total yards per game. Detroit has weapons all across the board with Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, which made life easier for Jared Goff, who is completing a career-high 73% of his passes.
The Lions are 37-45-2 all-time on Thanksgiving, and were actually upset by the rival Green Bay Packers last year, as Jordan Love threw three touchdowns.
Last time these two teams played: Bears 28, Lions 13, Week 14 (2023) – Justin Fields and the Bruins upset the Lions in Chicago as Goff turned the ball over three times while the Lions didn’t score a single point in the second half.
4:30 pm ET on Fox, stream on fubo
Spread: Cowboys -4, O/U 39 through DraftKings sportsbook
Just like last year, “America’s Team” will host a division rival at 4:30 pm ET on Thanksgiving Day. However, instead of the Washington Commanders, this time it’s about the New York Football Giants. It won’t be Dak Prescott vs. Daniel Jones, as the former suffered a season-ending hamstring injury earlier this month, while the latter was benched. This time, we get Cooper Rush vs. Tommy DeVito.
DeVito’s first NFL start actually came against Dallas. He threw for 86 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Week 10 49-17 loss last year. The Cowboys defeated the Giants, 89-17, in 2023, and already have a win against them this season. Even if this matchup is missing some of the more famous players, it’s still a rivalry.
Last time these two teams played: Cowboys 20, Giants 15, Week 4 (2024) – A “Thursday Night Football” matchup where the Giants rushed for just 26 yards against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. New York couldn’t find the end zone as all 15 points came through the leg of Greg Joseph.
8:20 pm ET on NBC, stream on fubo
Spread: Packers -3, O/U 47.5 through Caesar sports book
Our Thanksgiving nightcap takes place in Green Bay, as the Packers will host the Dolphins. This matchup features two young quarterbacks who got paid this offseason in Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa. Both are also looking to bounce back after missing time due to injury earlier in the season. Love missed two games after spraining his MCL in the season opener, while Tagovailoa missed four games after suffering a concussion in Week 2.
Miami has now won two straight games to get back into the playoff race, and even scored a season-high 34 points this past week against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Packers’ 7-3 start is their best 10-game start to a season since 2021, but they still haven’t looked like the Super Bowl sleeper many anticipated they would be. This is another opportunity on a national stage to create some momentum. Green Bay went 6-2 to end the season last year. Can the Packers do something similar this season?
Last time these two teams played: Packers 26, Dolphins 20, Week 16 (Christmas Day, 2022) – Miami blew a 20-13 halftime lead to Aaron Rodgers when Tagovailoa threw three interceptions on the Dolphins’ final three possessions. He entered concussion protocol the next day.
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