For over a century, the NFL has played games on Thanksgiving.  And, for generations, it has become an annual holiday tradition of family, food and football.

Legend has it, that this tradition was born out of a duel between the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys with the loser having to fold their franchise and leave the league.

As tragic and captivating as this turkey tale is, NFL historians have debunked this story of two teams playing for a pink slip. The general consensus is that the NFL was really just emulating College Football, who had a great deal of success playing games around the holiday.

Regardless of how it started, since 1920, the NFL has become synonymous with Thanksgiving. In fact, it’s hard to imagine one without the other. This is especially true for fans of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys who play annual games on the holiday.

The Detroit Lions were the first NFL team to play annually on Thanksgiving as they began this tradition in 1934. Three decades later, in 1966, the Dallas Cowboys would become the second team to join this holiday tradition.

For over 40 years, football fans would fall into food comas to two holiday matchups each year. However, that would change in 2006, when the NFL added a third game to the Turkey Day slate as a primetime matchup. Instead of making a third team play annually like the Lions and Cowboys, this game features rotating teams each year.

The 2025 NFL Thanksgiving slate features three exciting matchups. And with all three games providing value for potential Playoff seeding, along with featuring Super Bowl contenders, NFL bettors are salivating over the value on the boards.

Now that Week 13 of the NFL season has arrived, it’s time to slice up these games like a juicy turkey and make our Thanksgiving Football predictions.

Don’t forget, the NFL will continue its holiday festivities with their third installment of the Black Friday Game.

What NFL Teams Play on Thanksgiving?

The 2025 NFL Thanksgiving Day game slate will feature two division rivalries and one interesting cross-conference clash. 

The Green Bay Packers will travel to Michigan to battle the Detroit Lions on Turkey Day for the 23rd time. Their 22 previous meetings on Thanksgiving are the most ever Turkey Day matchups. While this marks Detroit’s 85^th appearance on the holiday, Green Bay will make its 39^th showing.

The second Thanksgiving Day game will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys. KC is not a frequent Turkey Day (10 games) participant, but Dallas is. Thursday’s game will mark the Cowboys’ 57^th appearance.  

The last game of Thanksgiving Day has AFC North rivals squaring off. Joe Burrow will return from injury to lead his Cincinnati Bengals against the surging Baltimore Ravens who sit atop of the AFC North. This will be just Cincy’s second ever Turkey Day contest, while Baltimore will be playing in their third holiday game.

Thanksgiving Day Football Schedule

Here’s the official 2025 Thanksgiving NFL schedule. The games are spread out, per usual, with the Packers and Lions facing off in game one. That should surprise nobody, as both of these teams are staples of Thanksgiving NFL action.

KC visits Big D for the afternoon game, which is only a shock from the KC side. Dallas often hosts Turkey Day games, and are a primetime draw in general. The fact that they were also featured on the NFL Christmas Day schedule last year is evidence of that.

The night game features a possible shootout between the Bengals and Ravens. The two sides engaged in some intense battles last season and will likely surpass expectations again in 2025.

What Channel Is Thanksgiving Football on?

The Thanksgiving football games will air on the following major networks:

• Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions on CBS
• New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys on FOX
• Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers on NBC

Thanksgiving Football Games Odds

Keep an eye on the latest NFL odds for Thanksgiving and monitor how the lines change throughout the week.

• Green Bay Packers (+3) -115 vs. Detroit Lions (-3) -105
• Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) -105 vs. Dallas Cowboys (+3.5) -115
• Cincinnati Bengals (+7) -105 vs. Baltimore Ravens (-7) -105

The Ravens enter the holiday as the biggest favorite. Baltimore is favored by 7 points over the Bengals and sport a -350 moneyline. The other two games are field-goal spreads as sportsbooks expect close matchups.

The Packers vs. Lions sport the closest odds with the spread set at 3 points and the Lions listed as a -160 favorite over the +135 Packers. This game is also tied with the Chiefs vs. Cowboys for the largest Total of the day with an O/U of 51.5 points.

This means that the Chiefs are the biggest Away Favorite of the day as the Lions and Ravens are both playing as the home teams. Away Favorites are 51-24-1 on the season, which is a 67.1% winning percentage. Home Favorites are 73-28 on the season, with a 72.3% winning rate.

Also of note, Away Favorites are just 39-36-1 ATS (52%), while Home Favorites are 52-47-2 ATS (52.5%). Neither Favorites are covering the spread at an impressive clip. In fact, this actually inspires us to look at potential value on the Underdog to cover the spread. to catch my top picks and predictions. For more advice, be sure to check out the top handicappers available online.

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Thanksgiving Day Football Predictions

Let’s take a closer look at the three NFL Thanksgiving games and make our NFL picks for the holiday:

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions Odds

These longtime NFC North rivals have played against each other 192 times, which includes only two Postseason matchups. The Green Bay Packers hold a commanding lead in this rivalry with a 107-78-2 series record.

These divisional foes already played this season, and it was the Packers who won 27-13 in Week 1. Green Bay looked like the best team in the NFL after that impressive home victory. It was a few days after the team acquired Micah Parsons and that defense stuffed the Lions’ potent offense.

The Packers and Lions have also faced each other 22 times on Thanksgiving. Forget breaking bread together, these teams like to break each other on the field instead. The Lions hold the Turkey Day advantage with a 12-9-1 record. However, the Packers have won the last four Thanksgiving Day games. Detroit has lost nine in a row on Turkey Day.

Furthermore, the Lions are 6-2 SU and 12-5 ATS against the Packers. More specifically, Detroit is 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games versus Green Bay.

Could this be an NFC Championship game preview?

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions Betting Trends

Check out the following Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions betting trends:

Green Bay Packers Betting Trends

• 5-2 SU in last seven games
• 5-0 SU in last five Week 13 games
• 1-6 ATS in last seven road games
• 2-7 ATS in last nine games
• Under is 6-3 in last nine NFC games
• Under is 4-1 in last five November games

Detroit Lions Betting Trends

• 14-6 SU in last 20 games
• 4-1 SU in last five home games
• 2-4 ATS in last six games
• 1-4 ATS in last five November games
• Over is 10-5 in last 15 NFC North games

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions Predictions

These teams enter Week 13 sitting ½ to a full game behind the North leading Chicago Bears who play on Friday against the Eagles. So, the winner of this game could be in the driver’s seat for the division lead heading into December.

With that said, I do like the Lions (7-4) in this matchup. I believe they will get revenge on the Packers (7-3-1) for the Week 1 defeat and do so with an explosive offense and an aggressive defense.

The Lions have one of the best offenses in the league as they average 29.6 ppg (2^nd), 378.5 total ypg (4^th), 3.6 TDs per game (1^st), 139.8 rushing ypg (3^rd), and 238.6 passing ypg (8^th). More specifically, I see Jahmyr Gibbs continuing his torrid stretch by putting up at least 150 total yards on the Packers.

Sure, Green Bay has the no.6 rush defense that allows only 96.5 ypg, but Gibbs and the Lions are explosive. He can easily break a long touchdown just like in Week 12 where the second-year RB broke one for 69 yards on his way to a monster performance of 219 rushing yards.

The Packers offense won’t be able to keep up a high scoring pace with the Lions, so they better hope that their defense can limit the touchdowns and hold Detroit out of the endzone.

The Packers are a middling offense that’s floating around the 15^th spot in most major categories. Detroit has the no.5 defense in regards to sacks with an 8.38% sack rate.

I’m taking the Lions to win this game at home. However, I suggest skipping the Total as both teams have shown an ability to score few points in games. If you want to hit the spread for this week, take the Lions to cover since the Packers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games and Detroit is 6-2 ATS in their last eight home games against Green Bay.

Bet: Detroit Lions -160, Lions -3 (-110), Total (pass)

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys Odds

The Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) and Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1) have played against each other 12 times, and it’s the Cowboys that hold the slight advantage with a 7-5 series record.

These two franchises last played against each other in 2021, and the Chiefs won that game 19-9. That means Patrick Mahomes is 1-0 against Dallas.

More impressively, Dallas is 5-0 SU in their last five home games against the Chiefs. The last time Dallas hosted Kansas City was in 2017, and they won that game 28-17.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys Betting Trends

Check out the following Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys betting trends:

Kansas City Betting Trends

• 6-3 SU in last nine games
• 9-2 SU in last 11 NFC games
• 1-6 ATS in last seven road games
• 0-8 ATS in last eight November games
• Under is 4-1 in last five NFC East games

Dallas Cowboys Betting Trends

• 8-2 SU in last 10 Week 13 games
• 5-2 ATS in last seven home games
• 4-1 ATS in last five November games
• Over is 4-1 in last five AFC games

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys Predictions

Both teams are coming off season-saving wins in Week 12. If either of them lost, then they would be a few games back in the Wild Card race and drowning in their futility.

KC was able to come from behind and put their Week 12 game against the Colts into OT. The Chiefs stopped Indy, then drove down the field to kick a game-winning field goal.

The Cowboys pulled off an even bigger shocker as they came back from 21 points down to win the game 24-21 and upset their division rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, we head into this big Turkey Day game where both teams need to keep winning.

The Chiefs snapped a two-game losing streak and were able to get above .500 on the season. More importantly, they’re staying within striking distance of the final AFC Wild Card spots since they sit three games back of the AFC West leading Denver Broncos.

Dallas has now won two games in a row and moved to 5-5-1 on the season, but they still sit 2 ½ games behind the Eagles who they just beat this past Sunday. Right now, the Cowboys are in 10^th place in the NFC Standings.

I give the Cowboys a ton of credit for upsetting the Eagles last weekend. However, I don’t see lightning striking twice in Dallas. Instead, I see the Chiefs continuing to build momentum heading into December.

KC has a rugged enough defense to slow down the Cowboys. More specifically, KC will slow down the NFL’s no.1 passing attack as Dallas averages 266.8 ypg. KC will also stuff the Dallas run, as well.

This will put Patrick Mahomes in the ideal situation as he is going to chew up one of the league’s worst defenses. In particular, Dallas ranks 30^th against the pass as they allow 252.3 ypg. KC is no.2 in passing with a 257.7 ypg average.  

Give me the Chiefs in this matchup. I’m also taking the Over due to both teams combining for 54.3 points per game. But I am skipping the spread for this matchup as I don’t like that half point. If it comes down to +/- 3 points, then jump on the Chiefs to cover.

Bet: Kansas City Chiefs  -185, Spread (pass), Total (pass)

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Odds

The Thanksgiving Day finale features two bitter AFC North rivals as the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals. This Week 13 clash will mark the 60^th game between these rivals. The Ravens have a 32-27 series advantage. This will also mark the first game between the two rivals, along with the apparent return of Joe Burrow.

The Ravens are 4-1 SU and 5-1 ATS against the Bengals over the last few years. In fact, Baltimore has won four games in a row. Additionally, the Ravens are 6-1 SU in their last seven home games against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Betting Trends

Check out the following Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Packers betting trends:

Cincinnati Bengals Betting Trends

• 1-8 SU in last nine games
• 1-4 SU in last five AFC games
• 1-5 ATS in last six road games
• 4-8 ATS in last 12 games
• Over is 6-3 in last nine November games
• Over is 5-2 in last seven games

Baltimore Ravens Betting Trends

• 5-0 SU in last five games
• 6-1 SU in last seven AFC North games
• 4-8 ATS in last 12 games
• 1-4 ATS in last five home games
• Over is 8-4 in last 12 games
• Over is 4-1 in last five Thursday games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens Predictions

At this point in the season, the Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) are pretty much playing spoiler for the final six games. While they are still mathematically alive to make the Playoffs, the Bengals would need a miracle and other help to make the postseason. And, that starts with Cincy winning their remaining six games.

Unfortunately, even with a returning Joe Burrow, I don’t see that happening. The Bengals have dropped four games in a row, ever since beating the Steelers on TNF. The Ravens have won five games in a row and are no sitting on top of the AFC North standings.

It will be fun to see Joe Burrow return to action after missing most of the season due to an injury. However, the Cincy defense is atrocious. Only the Dallas Cowboys have a defense just as bad.

The Bengals give up 32.7 ppg which is the most in the NFL. They also give up the most yards (415.8 ypg), the most TDs (3.9), the most passing yards (259.8 ypg) and the second most rushing yards (156.0 ypg).

While Lamar Jackson and company haven’t looked like the powerhouse team that we’re accustomed to seeing, they’re still sitting as the no.6 ground attack at 138.0 ypg.

I see this Turkey Day game being a breakout performance for the Ravens’ offense. My hope is that Joe Burrow can return and lead the Bengals to a competitive shootout like last year. However, the Ravens have won four in a row over the Bengals. They’re also 6-1 SU in their last seven home games against Cincy.

I’m taking the Ravens to win this game outright and for the Total to go Over. However, I’m skipping the spread as this rivalry is the epitome of “anything can happen” in a football game. The Over is 4-1 in Baltimore’s last five Thursday games and it’s 5-2 in Cincy’s last seven games. Plus these two teams combine to allow an average of 56.4 points per game.

Bet: Baltimore Ravens -350, Spread (pass), Over 51.5 points (-110)

Thanksgiving Day Prop Bets

Let’s take a look at some of the best Player props and Game prop bets for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day football games:

Jordan Love Passing Yards

• Over 229.5 yards (-110)
• Under 229.5 yards (-110)

In the first game of the day, I really like this prop bet. More specifically, I like Jordan Love to throw for Under 229.5 yards. On the season, he’s averaging 232.7 ypg. However, he’s only crossed the 230-yard mark in five of his 11 starts.

Over the last three games, Love’s highest output was 176 yards. The Lions allow only 210.5 yards per game. In the first matchup, Love finished with 188 yards. Take the Under.

Bet: Under 229.5 yards (-110)

Patrick Mahomes Passing Yards

• Over 273.5 yards (-110)
• Under 273.5 yards (-110)

You have to like this matchup for Mahomes. He’s facing the second worst pass defense that allows 252.3 yards per game through the air. The Kansas City passing attack puts up 257.7 ypg, which is the second-best mark in the league. The no.1 passing offense is Dallas.

So, if KC’s defense can’t slow them down, then this game will be a shootout. That’s just one more reason to love Mahomes and the Over.

Bet: Over 273.5 yards (-110)

Lamar Jackson Passing Yards

• Over 233.5 yards (-110)
• Under 233.5 yards (-110)

For the season, Lamar Jackson is averaging 199.4 yards per game. In fact, he’s only crossed the 234-yard mark one time in eight starts. That came against Detroit in Week 3.

In 12 games (11 with a pass attempt) against the Bengals, Jackson has thrown for 2,472 yards, 22 TDs and just 4 INTs. While his average is 206 ypg over those 12 contests, if you don’t count his first appearance in 2018 where he didn’t even attempt a pass, then Jackson’s career average versus Cincy is 224.7 ypg.

Furthermore, Jackson has surpassed 234 yards in four straight matchups against the Bengals and five of the last six. Last year, he averaged 319 ypg in two contests versus Cincy. I’m not saying he’s going to hit that mark on Thursday, but I expect a 250-yard performance by the two-time NFL MVP.

Bet: Over 233.5 yards (-110)

Thanksgiving Football Best Bets

The best bets for NFL Thanksgiving Day football are as follows:

• Detroit Lions (-160)
• Kansas City Chiefs (-185)
• Baltimore Ravens (-350)

I really like the favorites on Thursday. The Packers’ offense will not be able to hang with this Detroit team. Plus, Jahmyr Gibbs is do electric, that I think Detroit will use him more in the passing game to slow down this Green Bay pass rush.

I like the Chiefs, as well. Mahomes should slice up this Cowboys secondary while KC gets just enough defensive stops to win the game.  

Lastly, the Ravens will beat up on their divisional rival Thursday night. The Bengals get Burrow back but he will be rust. Additionally, they’re missing key players on both sides of the ball for this matchup. Baltimore will come out motivated and crush Cincy.

If you put these best Thanksgiving football bets into a parlay, then you will win $220 for every $100 wagered. That’s a 2x on your parlay card.

If this interests you, then check out our best NFL parlays of the week. We also have weekly College Football parlays, as well.es, while the Packers are 1-4 ATS in that same span.

Thanksgiving Day Records

The following is a list of each NFL team’s record in Thanksgiving football games. These records include a franchise’s previous incarnations.