NFL Thanksgiving Schedule 2024: Who is Playing on Thanksgiving?

These six teams will lock horns on the league's flagship day.

Jared Goff celebrates during the Lions' wild-card playoff win over the Rams. / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

There may not be a sports league worldwide more closely associated with one holiday than the NFL is with Thanksgiving in the United States. It is part and parcel to the holiday's appeal, providing families everywhere with safe discussion topics sure to unite—sorry, we almost got through that with a straight face.

As any 21st-century American can tell you, Thanksgiving at its heart is about family dysfunction, bitter rivalry, and suspect interpretations of the relationship between history and modernity. That might as well be the NFC East's mission statement. With three compelling games on the schedule this year, let's dive into the matchups America will be talking about come November.

Which NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving Day 2024?

The three games scheduled for Nov. 28 include a divisional clash between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, another divisional clash between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, and a prime-time contest between the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers.

The Bears-Lions game will take place at Ford Field in Detroit, the Giants-Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the Dolphins-Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. They will air on CBS, FOX and NBC, respectively.

MATCHUP	KICKOFF TIME
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions	12:30 p.m. ET, CBS
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys	4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers	8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

Chicago leads its all-time series against Detroit 105-78-5, dating back to 1930 when the Lions were based in Ohio and known as the Portsmouth Spartans. Dallas leads its all-time series against New York 75-47-2, dating to the Cowboys' inaugural season in 1960. Miami and Green Bay have played much less frequently; the Dolphins lead 10-6 in a series that dates to 1971.

How long has the NFL played games on Thanksgiving?

NFL games on Thanksgiving are as old as the league itself. In 1920, its first season, the league played six games on Thanksgiving—three of which were between NFL teams.

The results back then: a 28-0 Dayton Triangles win over the Detroit Heralds, a 7-0 Akron Pros win over the Canton Bulldogs, and a 6-0 Decatur Staleys win over the Chicago Tigers.

Much has changed in the 104 years since, except for the presence of Detroit. The NFL once had to share Thanksgiving with the college and high school game; now, it has ascended to a position on par with cranberry sauce in its conquest of the holiday.

Why do the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving?

As with most holiday traditions, it comes down to marketing. When the Lions moved from Portsmouth in 1934, owner George A. Richards wanted to boost attendance and score a radio distribution deal with NBC; his solution was to schedule a Thanksgiving game that has endured.

Similarly, Dallas's first president—Tex Schramm—eagerly volunteered the Cowboys to host a Thanksgiving game in the late 1960s. The games were so successful that Dallas was quickly promoted to permanent host status.

A third Thanksgiving game with no fixed opponents was added in 2006, and a game the day after Thanksgiving in 2023.