A Lions fan checks a Thanksgiving turkey while tailgating before a game between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014. Paul Sancya/AP Photo
With a tradition that dates back to the inception of the National Football League in 1920, NFL Thanksgiving games have become as ingrained in the holiday as cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or carving the turkey itself. The 2024 NFL Thanksgiving Day games offer an interesting slate that likely looked much more attractive when the schedule was released in the spring, but sports fans won’t complain about having football on all day.
The day starts, as is customary, with the Detroit Lions (10-1) hosting, and the current Super Bowl favorite will welcome the Chicago Bears (4-7) to town. Then, the Dallas Cowboys (4-7) resume their coveted late-afternoon spot as the New York Giants (2-9) will head to Big D. Finally in the nightcap, the Green Bay Packers (8-3) will get a visit from the Miami Dolphins (5-6), in what’s shaping up to be the best game of the day. Here’s s deeper look at each game.
Bears at Lions (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
No franchise has more games (84), wins (37) or losses (45) on Thanksgiving than the Lions, who have played on the holiday since 1934. While the Lions are riding a nine-game win streak this season, they have a seven-game losing streak on Thanksgiving.
Another Turkey Day defeat would put the Lions one shy of matching the NFL’s longest losing streak on Thanksgiving, which Detroit also holds, losing nine straight from 2004-12. Fortunately for Detroit, the Bears have lost their last five games of this season, so one team’s futility has to come to an end.
The Lions are head and shoulders above all others in terms of balance, as they rank first in scoring offense and second in scoring defense. They’ve scored 52 points in back-to-back home games and have allowed just 12 points in their last two games. However, Chicago won when they last met in 2023, and the Bears have beaten the Lions in three straight Thanksgiving games. While Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, has been sacked a league-high 44 games, Lions quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in 2016, face-planted in his last nationally televised game, throwing five picks on Sunday Night Football to the Houston Texans in Week 10.
Giants at Cowboys (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
Fans hoping for a Dak Prescott vs. Daniel Jones matchup will have to settle for Cooper Rush vs. Tommy DeVito. This divisional rivalry has been as one-sided as could be in recent years, with Dallas winning the last seven meetings, and 14 of the last 15 matchups. The Cowboys are 2-0 all-time on Thanksgiving versus New York, including a 28-20 victory in 2022.
The Giants enter this contest on a six-game losing streak, and with an even more dubious streak that stretches a bit further back. The Giants haven’t intercepted a pass in 10 straight games, which is tied for the longest streak by any team in NFL history. However, they also have a fierce pass rush, ranking fifth in defensive sacks, and could get to a quarterback in Rush who, over his three starts, has been sacked seven times, fumbled five times, and has three giveaways.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have been dominated in the trenches like no other team. They rank dead last in both rushing touchdowns scored (three) and rushing touchdowns allowed (19). The Cowboys have also been embarrassed in AT&T Stadium every time they’ve taken the field there recently as they have trailed by 20-plus points in each of their last six home games, unsurprisingly, losing all six.
Dolphins at Packers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
If this matchup seems like one you’ve seen before on a holiday, that’s because it is, as the two last met on Christmas Day in 2022. The Packers won that game on the road, have won three straight over Miami, and also prevailed over Detroit on Thanksgiving last year. Outside of the Lions (84 games) and Cowboys (56 games), no team has played on Thanksgiving more than the Packers (37 games). This year, Green Bay is one of five NFL teams to rank in the top 10 in points scored, points allowed, and turnover differential.
At the same time, quarterback Jordan Love is someone who is tailor-made for this day of giving as he ranks second in interceptions (11) despite ranking 23rd in pass attempts. Love can be a double agent at times—helping out both teams—and Miam’s defense has been its constant all year. It ranks in the top seven in third-down defense, red-zone defense and total yards allowed, having held its last three opponents to under 20 points each.
The Dolphins’ record being under .500 is a bit deceiving as the squad is a completely different team when Tua Tagovailoa is upright and under center. The Dolphins’ five highest point totals have all come in the last five weeks—which coincides with Tagovailoa coming off injured reserve—and they’re on a three-game winning streak entering Thursday. But one thing to keep an eye on leading up to the game is the weather at Lambeau Field. The Hawaii-born, Alabama-raised, Miami-residing Tagovailoa is 0-6 in his NFL career when the temperature is 46 degrees or lower, with the weather forecast for Thursday night in Green Bay being 28 degrees.
