Ever since the league's inception all the way back in 1920, Thanksgiving Day has been an integral part of the NFL schedule. Since the mid-60s, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have played host to a pair of Turkey Day afternoon games each year, and starting in 2006, the NFL has added one primetime game to the slate as well.
With the full NFL schedule set to be released tonight at 8 PM on both the NFL Network and ESPN2, multiple games have already been officially announced by the league, with many more being leaked as the hours go by. Consider the NFL's three-game slate on Thanksgiving Day games that, as of right now, have been unofficially announced, per the super-plugged-in NerdingOnNFL Twitter account.
“Official 2024 Thanksgiving Slate: Bears at Lions, Giants at Cowboys, Dolphins at Packers”
Breaking down the matchups
Even though it projects as the most lopsided matchup of the three-game slate, you can expect that Giants vs. Cowboys will accumulate the largest audience of the day by a pretty comfortable margin. Not only do the Giants and Cowboys kick off in the desirable 4:30 PM window, but it's America's Team vs. the team in America's biggest media market, with Tom Brady on the call, with NFC East ties, with millions of Americans with full bellies getting ready to sit down and doze off while watching America's Game — no, not baseball.
Last year, the Cowboys defeated the Giants by a combined score of 89-17 in their two regular season meetings, and I'm not so sure that the Giants have made enough meaningful upgrades to their roster to make it feel as though they've closed the gap in any meaningful way. The Brian Burns acquisition is nice, and pairing Burns with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence gives the Giants an absolutely nasty front. But do G-Men have the firepower to keep up with a Cowboys offense that led the NFL in scoring last year? Things might be more competitive if Brian Daboll and Mike McCarthy were to partake in a turkey eating competition at halftime.
In the early window, it's another pair of division rivals taking the field against one another, when the Chicago Bears make the trip east across Lake Michigan to face the defending NFC North champions, the Detroit Lions. I can't say I'm surprised by the NFL schedule makers decision to put the Bears in this game. Not only has Chicago vs. Detroit been the second-most common matchup on Thanksgiving Day in NFL history — trailing only Green Bay vs. Detroit — but with Caleb Williams joining the Bears, I'd expect to see Chicago in a decent number of nationally televised games.
If you're a fan of the Bears, as I am, then it's hard not to have your mind on a potential postseason berth at the end of this season. But not only will the Bears need to get through those damn cheeseheads in Green Bay, they'll need to get past the reigning North division champions too. Detroit was one half away from making their first ever Super Bowl less than six months ago, and you better believe Dan Campbell will have his squad feeling like this season is Super Bowl or bust.
Hey, speaking of those damn cheeseheads, the Packers will be playing in the final game of the night, hosting the Miami Dolphins who are making the 1,500 mile trek up north to go to work on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. If the football Gods are real and potentially even readers of ClutchPoints, then there will be one hell of a snowstorm hitting Wisconsin on Thanksgiving night, giving this game a distinct Christmas feel.
Tis the season!
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