For once, the NFL schedule makers got it right.
All three Thanksgiving Day NFL games have playoff implications, and the third annual Black Friday game has the most of them all.
It should be a really fun two days for NFL fans, starting Thursday, 1 p.m. Here’s a look at all four NFL games and what they mean to the playoff races.
Green Bay (7-3-1) at Detroit (7-4), 1 p.m. Fox
First some stats, the Lions come into the game with a 37-45-2 record on Thanksgiving and a 7-18 record since 2000. They broke a three-game losing streak with a win over Chicago last Thanksgiving.
If the Packers can pull off the mild upset (Detroit is 2 1/2-point favorites) they could be in first place in the NFC North by the end of the day, Friday. If the Packers lose, they could be out of the NFC playoff picture going into week 14.
As it stands now, the Lions are the NFC’s No. 8 seed and only seven teams make the playoffs so a Lions loss could be crushing. A win, however, would move them past the Packers in the playoff race.
Green Bay beat the Lions at Lambeau Field in the season opener, 27-13, and are looking for their first sweep of the Lions since 2020.
This is the third consecutive year the Packers will play on Thanksgiving. They beat the Lions two years ago, 29-22, and beat Miami in the night game last year, 30-17. Quarterback Jordan Love put up passer ratings of 125.5 and 129.2 respectively in both games.
Kansas City (6-5) at Dallas (5-5-1), 4:30, CBS
The nine-time defending AFC West champions and three-time defending AFC champions would not be in the playoffs if they began this week.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, there are six games left to get right. And it starts Thanksgiving Day. A loss here and the Chiefs would fall almost entirely out of the AFC West picture with Denver at 9-2. They would also fall further behind Buffalo (7-4), Los Angeles (7-4) and Jacksonville (7-4) for a wild-card spot. KC also loses the tie-breaker to all three of those teams.
Dallas has new life and confidence after its miraculous 21-point comeback to stun the Eagles last week. The Cowboys are also a much better team at home this season as witnessed by their win over Philly and a tie with Green Bay. A win here and that confidence continues. A loss and the season is all but over.
Cincinnati (3-8) at Baltimore (6-5), 8:20, NBC
Here’s what you need to know. Lamar Jackson is banged up again for the Ravens. He’ll likely play, but he’s not completely healthy and Joe Burrow has been activated for the Bengals.
The game means little to Cincinnati, except that it may want to play spoiler and show what it might have been if Burrow had stayed healthy all season.
For Baltimore a sixth straight win would keep it on top of the AFC North after its 1-5 start to the season. A loss and there’s a chance Pittsburgh could move back ahead of them if the Steelers can beat Buffalo at home, Sunday.
Chicago (8-3) at Philadelphia (8-3), Friday at 3, Prime
This is a really interesting game.
Ben Johnson has done a nice job in his first year as Bears head coach and Friday we’ll find out just how real the Bears are. Of their eight wins, seven are against teams with a losing record and the eighth came against Pittsburgh with a backup quarterback.
If the Bears can beat the Eagles, or even keep it a close game, maybe they are a factor in the NFC. If they lose and lose in blowout fashion then maybe they’re just better than a bunch of bad teams.
Philly is coming off one of their worst losses in years when they blew a 21-0 lead to the Cowboys last week. The Eagles are back home, which may, or may not, be a good thing. A poor start in this one and the fans will become very restless.
An Eagles win and they will remain the NFC’s No. 2 seed and just a game back of the Rams for the No. 1 seed. A loss and there will be more questions than answers around the teams.
