Johann Hunt
Thanksgiving always brings a mix of familiar sounds, from family chatter to the crowd noise spilling out of the TV before the food even hits the table. Football has turned the holiday into a full-day event, and the 2025 schedule gives you plenty to look forward to. Each matchup lands in a different pocket of the afternoon or night, so you can map out your breaks between the main meal and dessert without missing the plays everyone will talk about later. Keep reading to see who is playing, when they kick off, and how you can watch every moment.
Packers Vs Lions Early Tradition (1 p.m. ET)
Detroit fires up Thanksgiving again in 2025, keeping a ritual that began in 1934 when the team used the holiday spotlight to draw curious listeners. The Lions and Packers know this stage well—they’ve crossed paths on Thanksgiving more than twenty times, building a rivalry that feels baked into the day itself.
The early window always hits while kitchens are humming. You get the thump of a closing oven door, a pan sliding across the stove, and the roar from Ford Field rolling through the house. It sets the rhythm for the rest of the holiday before the first plate is filled.
Chiefs Vs Cowboys Afternoon Spotlight (4:30 p.m. ET)
Dallas steps into the familiar Thanksgiving glow, a tradition the franchise has carried since the mid-nineteen sixties. Kansas City arrives with extra storylines, including its first Thanksgiving appearance in nearly two decades and Patrick Mahomes returning to his home state, which adds a spark before kickoff even happens.
The late afternoon slot usually lands right as families settle in after the main meal. With bellies full and leftovers tempting from the counter, the game becomes the unofficial pause before dessert. The matchup’s star power makes it the kind of showdown people slide back to the sofa for.
Bengals Vs Ravens Primetime Clash (8:20 p.m. ET)
The night game continues its rotating tradition with an AFC North showdown carrying plenty of bite. Baltimore brings the speed and power of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, while Cincinnati counters with Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase, a pairing that has fueled more than one memorable finish.
By the time kickoff arrives, most homes have settled into their end-of-day groove. The dishes are done, the pies are cooling, and the TV glow becomes the last anchor of the holiday. A rivalry like this fits the mood, giving Thanksgiving a final jolt before everyone calls it a night.
How To Watch Every Down Without Missing Dessert
All three games air on free over-the-air channels, so an inexpensive antenna still works if you live close enough to your local Fox, CBS, or NBC tower. That detail is easy to forget in the age of endless apps, but it keeps football on the menu for households that cut cable years ago.
For streaming, you can bundle the day with one live TV service, or mix and match: Fox through one app, CBS through Paramount Plus, NBC through Peacock, with NFL Plus as a mobile backup. On top of that, the holiday weekend adds a Black Friday special between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles on Prime Video the very next afternoon, in case your couch still has your shape pressed into it.