The NFL, Thanksgiving, and turkey: There’s not much more a sports fan will need to get into the holiday spirit.
As has become a tradition since 2006, three games will be played on Thanksgiving Day with two of them coming in the long-time host cities of Detroit and Dallas.
It’s all about the NFC this season, as all three matchups are divisional clashes in the North, East, and West.
Let’s get you ready for the festivities:
2023 NFL Thanksgiving schedule, odds
Green Bay Packers (4-6) vs. Detroit Lions (8-2)
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+
- Spread: Lions -7.5
- Over/Under: 47.5
- Lions Moneyline: -375
- Packers Moneyline: +295
This will be the 84th time that the Lions are partaking in a Thanksgiving Day game, so it’s only fitting that they’ll take on the Packers. The two sides have met 21 previous times on the holiday, making it the most frequent matchup on Thanksgiving in NFL history.
Detroit is on a six-game losing streak on Thanksgiving, not winning on the holiday since 2016 against the Minnesota Vikings, but things have changed quickly. No longer are these the doormat Lions you’ve come to expect across the last three decades. They lead the NFC North and with a win on Thursday, would already tie last year’s win total (nine) and the most wins they’ve had in a season since 2015.
They have one of the best offenses in the league with Jared Goff pulling the strings at quarterback, scoring the sixth-most points and accruing the second-most total yards in the league.
In the role reversal, the Packers are struggling to stay afloat with young quarterback Jordan Love despite a defense that is flirting with the top 10 of the league.
Washington Commanders (4-7) vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+
- Spread: Cowboys -11
- Over/Under: 48.5
- Commanders Moneyline: +455
- Cowboys Moneyline: -625
Sure, the Cowboys look a bit more mortal when they’re not playing the Giants (they outscored them 89-17 this season), but they still have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. They’ve posted 33 or more points in three of their last four games including a 49-point, 640-yard beatdown of Big Blue two weeks ago.
This is as well-rounded a team as you’ll find in the NFL. Their offense ranks second in points scored and fifth in yards gained while the defense ranks fifth in points allowed and second in yards allowed. That’s a good recipe for success.
So it’s no wonder that they’re heavily favored to defeat the Commanders, who were embarrassed by the lowly Giants on Sunday in a 31-19 decision in which quarterback Sam Howell and Co. committed six turnovers.
San Francisco 49ers (7-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: NBC Sports
- Spread: 49ers -6.5
- Over/Under: 43
- 49ers Moneyline: -305
- Seahawks Moneyline: +245
This is the first time either of these two games have played on Thanksgiving since 2014 — which happened to be against each other in a 19-3 Seahawks victory.
The Niners are coming off a second straight win as they continue to flex their muscles as the second-best team in the NFC behind the vaunted Philadelphia Eagles. Not only do they have a top-three offense in the league behind Christian McCaffrey, they have a defense that has allowed the fewest points in the league this season.
This will be the first of two meetings over a three-week span between the 49ers and Seahawks, the latter coming off a bad loss against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11 in which they squandered a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. A win would have kept them on pace with the Niners, though there appears to be a significant gulf in class between them.
Thanksgiving allows Seattle to prove that such a notion might be an overreaction.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.
For more on NFL Thanksgiving Day, visit AMNY.com
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