Football on Thanksgiving is a tradition in most American homes. It plays on a TV in the living room while the kitchen gets loud and the table fills up. The 2026 slate has three games, with the Bears visiting the Lions, the Eagles heading to Dallas, and the Chiefs traveling to Buffalo for the night game.
Thanksgiving Day schedule
The day starts early in Detroit, where the Bears and Lions kick off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The Eagles and Cowboys follow at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX from AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Chiefs and Bills close the day at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
On a US sports betting board, these three games usually sit near the top of the holiday listings, since the matchups are some of the most watched of the season. All three also carry plenty of history behind them, which is where the real story of the day starts.
Bears at Lions
Detroit has played on Thanksgiving since 1934 and has done it every year since 1945. This is its 86th holiday game. The Lions face a division rival for the fourth year in a row. The Bears are the reigning NFC North champions after ending Detroit’s two-year run at the top of the division.
The coaching storyline is hard to miss. Ben Johnson used to be the Lions’ offensive coordinator, and he is 0-2 against his old team since moving to Chicago. Caleb Williams and Jared Goff are the quarterbacks, with Jahmyr Gibbs and Aidan Hutchinson among the names to watch. The last meeting on this date went to Detroit 23-20, after the Bears came back from a 16-point hole and then lost the game on a clock-management mistake. Chicago still leads the holiday series 11-9, so the Lions have ground to make up on the all-time board.
Eagles at Cowboys
Eagles and Cowboys on Thanksgiving does not happen often. The two teams have met on the holiday only twice since 1966, and Philadelphia won both games. Dallas finished last season at 7-9-1 and put a lot of its offseason into the defense. Philadelphia has won back-to-back division titles, but its offense struggled again last year, and that is the thing to watch.
By the time this game kicks off, the turkey is usually gone, and the table is a mess of plates. This is when you might enjoy a dessert on the couch with the game on and the family arguing about the officials. A game between two NFC East rivals can give the argument plenty of fuel.
Chiefs at Bills
The night game is the headliner because it puts Patrick Mahomes against Josh Allen. The two teams have played ten times since 2020, including the playoffs. Kansas City is 4-0 against Buffalo in the postseason, while Buffalo has won five straight regular-season meetings. Six of the last seven games were decided by a touchdown or less.
There are new faces on both sides. Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl LX MVP, has joined Kansas City, and DJ Moore is now in Buffalo. The Bills also have a new head coach after Sean McDermott was let go following nine seasons. Joe Brady, who is 36, will face Andy Reid, who is 68, on the opposite sideline.
How to watch the games
If you are working out where to watch NFL games on Thanksgiving, the network depends on the time slot. CBS has the Lions game and also streams it on Paramount+. FOX has the Cowboys game and streams it on FOX One. NBC has the Bills game with Peacock as the streaming option. NFL+ lists all three games as well, which helps if you are away from a TV. The Eve and Black Friday games sit on streaming services only, so those need a separate login.
Thanksgiving week games
Two more games sit on either side of the holiday. The Packers visit the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix. The Broncos play at the Steelers on Black Friday at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Five games across three days make it a long football week with the holiday as only one part of it.
