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Thanksgiving football is back, and this is your one-stop hub for all of it — from the opening buzz straight through the Bears-Lions, Eagles-Cowboys and Chiefs-Bills triple-header on Nov. 26 and the Broncos-Steelers Black Friday follow-up. Oh yeah, there’s a game on Wednesday!
We’ll be updating this page daily with fresh reporting, odds movement, injury notes and social buzz as the week builds, not just posting a static scores-and-lines tracker like everyone else. Along the way we’re digging into the stuff other sites skip — the John Madden/turducken history, the best Thanksgiving moments ever, and the weird trivia that makes this the NFL’s strangest and best tradition — so check back often between now and kickoff!
📰 In The News
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
🎤 HALFTIME SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT · 11:45 AM ET
U2 to Headline Packers-Rams Thanksgiving Eve Halftime Show
- 🏈 U2 headlines halftime of the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve Game — Packers @ Rams, Wed., Nov. 25 at SoFi Stadium, exclusively on Netflix.
- 🎸 The show marks the 22-time Grammy winners’ and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ 50th anniversary as a band.
- 🏆 U2 last played an NFL halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002.
- 📺 Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT, with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT — streaming free on all Netflix plans.
- 💬 “We’re thrilled that they’ll bring that same magic to the NFL stage on Netflix.” — Ted Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO
Monday, November 2, 2026
📺 TV & RATINGS WATCH · 2:40 PM ET
Fox Rides World Cup High — But Its Thanksgiving Record Bid Is Fading
- 📈 Fox posted a blockbuster fiscal Q1: $4.57 billion in revenue (+22% YoY) and $957 million net income (+57%), powered by the 2026 World Cup.
- ⚽ The World Cup final (Argentina vs. Spain) drew 42.5 million viewers — the most-watched U.S. TV program since Super Bowl LX.
- 🎯 Fox had hoped its Thanksgiving centerpiece, Eagles @ Cowboys (4:30 PM ET, FOX), would break the regular-season NFL viewership record set by last year’s Chiefs-Cowboys game on CBS (57.2M).
- 📉 That bid looks shakier now — the Eagles are 2-6 and could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016 (outside pandemic years), while the Cowboys sit at 3-5.
- 📱 Fox is also streaming the game free on Tubi, which doesn’t typically carry live sports, and CEO Lachlan Murdoch is still calling it a “blockbuster.”
Note: this is the same Eagles-Cowboys window as today’s earlier Wu-Tang halftime update, and the record it’s chasing is the 57.2M Chiefs-Cowboys mark cited in our History section below.
🎤 HALFTIME SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT · 1:15 PM ET
Wu-Tang Clan to Headline Lions-Bears Halftime Show
- 🏈 Wu-Tang Clan headlines the Thanksgiving Halftime Show, powered by Verizon, at the 87th annual Thanksgiving Day Classic (Bears @ Lions, CBS, 1 p.m. ET).
- 🎵 It’s part of the group’s farewell tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, following their recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
- 🎙️ Grosse Pointe Woods native Antonio Cipriano sings the national anthem.
- 🤝 Second year of the Lions’ multi-year halftime partnership with Eminem and Shady Records’ Paul Rosenberg, who select the talent.
- 💬 “We are thrilled to have Wu-Tang headlining our Thanksgiving halftime show.” — Rich Haddad, Lions President & CEO
📅 2026 Thanksgiving Week Schedule
| 📆 Day | 🏈 Matchup | ⏰ Time (ET) | 📺 Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov. 25 | GBGreen Bay Packers@LARLos Angeles Rams |
8:00 PM | Netflix |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | CHIChicago Bears@DETDetroit Lions |
1:00 PM | CBS |
PHIPhiladelphia Eagles@DALDallas Cowboys |
4:30 PM | FOX | |
KCKansas City Chiefs@BUFBuffalo Bills |
8:20 PM | NBC / Peacock | |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | DENDenver Broncos@PITPittsburgh Steelers |
3:00 PM | Prime Video |
| Sun, Nov. 29 | BALBaltimore Ravens@HOUHouston Texans |
1:00 PM | CBS |
NONew Orleans Saints@CINCincinnati Bengals |
1:00 PM | CBS | |
NYJNew York Jets@MIAMiami Dolphins |
1:00 PM | CBS | |
ATLAtlanta Falcons@MINMinnesota Vikings |
1:00 PM | FOX | |
NYGNew York Giants@INDIndianapolis Colts |
1:00 PM | FOX | |
LVLas Vegas Raiders@CLECleveland Browns |
1:00 PM | FOX | |
TENTennessee Titans@JAXJacksonville Jaguars |
4:05 PM | CBS | |
WSHWashington Commanders@ARIArizona Cardinals |
4:25 PM | FOX | |
SEASeattle Seahawks@SFSan Francisco 49ers |
4:25 PM | FOX | |
NENew England Patriots@LACLos Angeles Chargers |
8:20 PM | NBC | |
| Mon, Nov. 30 | CARCarolina Panthers@TBTampa Bay Buccaneers |
8:15 PM | ESPN |
📊 Thanksgiving Game Odds & Line Movements
Below are the latest game odds and lines for the Thanksgiving Week games from Thanksgiving Eve through Black Friday!
Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams Game Odds (Thanksgiving Eve)
📈 LINE MOVEMENT
Packers @ Rams — Spread Tracker
Rams opened as home favorites for the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game. We’ll check the line daily through kickoff (Wed, Nov. 25, 8:00 PM ET, Netflix).
Last checked: Nov. 3, 9:00 AM ET via bet365. Updated as the line moves.
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Game Odds
- TBD
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Game Odds
- TBD
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills Game Odds
- TBD
Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Game Odds (Black Friday)
📈 LINE MOVEMENT
Broncos @ Steelers — Spread Tracker
Broncos opened as road favorites in the Friday Prime Video window. We’ll check the line daily through kickoff (Fri, Nov. 27, 3:00 PM ET, Prime Video).
Last checked: Nov. 3, 9:00 AM ET via DraftKings. Updated as the line moves.
📱 Live Feed & Social Media
🎶 Thanksgiving Halftime Show Performers
🏈 Best Thanksgiving Game Moments
🎙️ John Madden, the Turkey Leg & the Turducken
No one is more responsible for turning Thanksgiving football into a food-and-football institution than John Madden. Madden and Pat Summerall called 22 consecutive Thanksgiving broadcasts starting in 1981, and Madden’s love of food became as much a part of the day as the games themselves. In 1989, he introduced the Turkey Leg Award, handing the first one to Eagles defensive end Reggie White as the best player on the field. A year later, he gave legs to Cowboys rookies Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith — and joked on air that the Dallas offensive line deserved a six-legged turkey. A Texas barbecue owner actually built one, and Madden began awarding it the following year.
The turducken moment came later, on Dec. 1, 1996, when Louisiana chef Glenn Mistich got a turducken to Madden during a Rams–Saints broadcast. Madden ate it on air and raved about it to a national audience, and demand for Mistich’s business exploded overnight. Madden made the turducken the official food of his annual All-Madden Team and featured it in every Thanksgiving broadcast until his retirement in 2009 — and Mistich has reportedly mailed Madden (and later his family) a turducken every Thanksgiving since 1996.
🏆 Turkey Leg / Turducken Award Winners
In 1989, Reggie White received the first Turkey Leg Award followed by Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. While the award isn’t itself recognized officially by the NFL, it has become a tradition for each game to give out version of the ‘Turkey Leg Award’ to the game’s MVP. There’s no complete public archive of every Turkey Leg/turducken recipient from 1991–2009 — Madden gave them out informally on-air rather than through an official league record.
Below are the Lineups.com picks for this year’s Turkey Leg Award winners!
|
🍗
LINEUPS Turkey Leg Picks Thanksgiving Week 2026 |
PACKERS @ RAMS 🍗 Turkey Pick: Christian Watson |
BEARS @ LIONS 🍗 Turkey Pick: Caleb Williams |
EAGLES @ COWBOYS 🍗 Turkey Pick: Dak Prescott |
CHIEFS @ BILLS 🍗 Turkey Pick: Josh Allen |
BRONCOS @ STEELERS 🍗 Turkey Pick: Jaylen Warren |
💡 Fun Facts
Who’s played the most Thanksgiving road games?
Since Detroit and Dallas almost never leave home on Thanksgiving, someone has to keep showing up as the visitor — and it’s the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has made roughly 36 Thanksgiving appearances as the road team, including all 23 of its Thanksgiving trips to Detroit, plus a handful of early games and visits to Dallas. The Chicago Bears are next with roughly 24 road appearances, largely as the Lions’ frequent NFC North punching bag on the holiday.
When did the third (primetime) Thanksgiving game get added?
2006 — the year the NFL launched NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football package. The first-ever primetime Thanksgiving game was Broncos at Chiefs, played at the request of Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt. NBC took over broadcasting the night game in 2012, and unlike the Lions’ and Cowboys’ games, the primetime slot has no permanent host — the league picks a fresh matchup every year.
Why do Dallas and Detroit always get the home games?
Detroit’s tradition goes back to 1934, when Lions owner George A. Richards scheduled the game as a promotional stunt tied to his radio station’s NBC broadcast deal. Dallas joined in 1966 when Cowboys executive Tex Schramm volunteered for the national exposure. The NFL briefly experimented with moving the Cowboys’ game to St. Louis in 1975 and 1977, but poor attendance killed the idea, and in 1978 Dallas was given a standing guarantee to host every year going forward — a deal that’s held ever since.
🍗 Food & Football
📜 Thanksgiving Game Results: Last 10 Years
| Year | Lions Game | Result | Cowboys Game | Result | Night Game | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vs. Packers | L, 24–31 | vs. Chiefs | W, 31–28 | Ravens @ Bengals | Bengals, 32–14 |
| 2024 | vs. Bears | W, 23–20 | vs. Giants | W, 27–20 | Dolphins @ Packers | Packers, 30–17 |
| 2023 | vs. Packers | L, 22–29 | vs. Commanders | W, 45–10 | Seahawks @ 49ers | 49ers, 31–13 |
| 2022 | vs. Bills | L, 25–28 | vs. Giants | W, 28–20 | Patriots @ Vikings | Vikings, 33–26 OT |
| 2021 | vs. Bears | L, 14–16 | vs. Raiders | L, 33–36 | Bills @ Saints | Bills, 31–6 |
| 2020 | vs. Texans | L, 25–41 | vs. Washington | L, 16–41 | Ravens @ Steelers | Steelers, 19–14 postponed to Dec. 2 |
| 2019 | vs. Bears | L, 20–24 | vs. Bills | L, 15–26 | Falcons @ Saints | Saints, 26–18 |
| 2018 | vs. Bears | L, 16–23 | vs. Redskins | W, 31–23 | Falcons @ Saints | Saints, 31–17 |
| 2017 | vs. Vikings | L, 23–30 | vs. Chargers | L, 6–28 | Giants @ Redskins | Redskins, 20–10 |
| 2016 | vs. Vikings | W, 16–13 | vs. Redskins | W, 31–26 | Colts @ Steelers | Steelers, 28–7 |
Fun Fact: The 2025 Chiefs–Cowboys game drew 57.2 million viewers, the most-watched NFL regular-season game ever, as part of a three-game slate that averaged 44.7 million viewers — all three 2025 Thanksgiving games set regular-season viewership records.
🛍️ Black Friday Spotlight & Exclusive Deals
Black Friday football is the NFL’s newest holiday tradition: the Jets and Dolphins played the inaugural edition in 2023, the Chiefs hosted the Raiders in 2024, and the Bears visited the Eagles in 2025. Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit call the 2026 edition from Pittsburgh, with a Spanish-language broadcast (TNF en Español) and Amazon’s “Prime Vision” alternate feed also available — no Prime subscription required to watch.
Also be sure to take advantage of our Black Friday online casino, sweeps and prediction market offers below!
Broncos @ Steelers — Acrisure Stadium, 3:00 PM ET, Prime Video
🛍️ THANKSGIVING WEEK EXCLUSIVE
Black Friday Sweeps & Casino Deals
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Real-money casino bonuses for Black Friday week.
📈 Prediction Market Deals
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