When the typical American thinks about Thanksgiving, three things come to mind: turkey, napping and football. This year will be no different, with NFL and college football games scheduled for Thursday. All three NFL contests will feature NFC teams, five of which have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs, while the college football slate involves two conference games.
The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears as the first game of the day at 12:30 p.m. ET (CBS). Detroit is aiming to snap a two-game losing streak that has dropped it out of the playoff picture and into second place in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers. Chicago is 5-6 and likely won't qualify for the postseason, but can play the role of spoiler against one of its oldest rivals.
Later in the afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles get together under the roof at AT&T Stadium at 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX). This will be the first meeting between these two on Thanksgiving since 1989, when Reggie White, Jerome Brown and Randall Cunningham shut out Dallas, 27-0. This time around, the two will be fighting for the top spot in the NFC East. Whoever wins will temporarily have the second seed in the NFC, depending on what the Green Bay Packers do against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
In college, the night has a pair of games featuring conference opponents. At 7:30 p.m. ET, Texas A&M and LSU square off (ESPN), while at the same time, No. 5 TCU visits Texas (FOX Sports 1). While the SEC game was long expected to be the bigger one, the Big 12's has stolen the spotlight. TCU is on the brink of the four-team Playoff and can't afford a slip-up against an improving Longhorns squad. Should TCU win and No. 4 Mississippi State lose to No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday, then the Horned Frogs have a great chance to be in the top four spots, with Baylor and Ohio State also in the running.
The NFL caps off the day with a fantastic rivalry game featuring the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in brand-new Levi's Stadium at 8:25 p.m. ET (NBC). San Francisco and Seattle are both 7-4 and trail the Arizona Cardinals by two games in the NFC West. Whoever loses will be in a tough position to make the playoffs, while the winner will improve their odds. San Francisco has won three straight games while Seattle is coming off an impressive win over the Cardinals, 19-3.
TV Schedule
| NFL | Bears at Lions | 12:30 p.m. ET | CBS | Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson |
| NFL | Eagles at Cowboys | 4:30 p.m. ET | FOX | Joe Buck, Troy Aikman |
| CFB | TCU at Texas | 7:30 p.m. ET | FOX Sports 1 | Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Molly McGrath |
| CFB | LSU at Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack |
| NFL | Seahawks at 49ers | 8:25 p.m. ET | NBC | Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth |