First, it was only the Detroit Lions hosting a Thanksgiving game, starting all the way back in 1934. The Dallas Cowboys joined as hosts in 1966, and in 2006, the NFL added a third game to the fourth Thursday in November. In 2023, the NFL added Black Friday to its slate, and this year, it is adding Thanksgiving Eve to the fun as well.
Here are the five Thanksgiving 2026 games, with the early skinny on each matchup.
Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 25)
The Packers will head to warmer weather for a holiday-week showdown with another team expected to be in the playoff picture. Both the Packers and the Rams made the 2025 playoffs, with the Packers losing to the Bears in the Wild Card Round and the Rams falling to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
Packers star EDGE Micah Parsons should be back by the time this game rolls around. He tore his ACL in December and may miss some time to begin the season.
Thanksgiving (Nov. 26)
1 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+
The Lions host an NFC North rival this Thanksgiving, with the Bears coming to town. Chicago is coming off a breakthrough 11-6 season that included its first division crown since 2018 and its first playoff win since 2010. Meanwhile, the Lions streak of division titles came to an end at two, and at 9-8, Detroit missed the playoffs entirely.
Under first-year coach Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams put forward a strong second season and showed a flair for the dramatic with six fourth-quarter comebacks. One of the NFL's best running games, led by 1,000-yard rusher D'Andre Swift, certainly helped. The Bears also led the NFL with 33 turnovers forced.
Despite their seasons going in very different directions, Detroit swept Chicago and has won seven of the last eight meetings in this storied rivalry. Jahmyr Gibbs produced over 1,800 yards from scrimmage for the second straight year and made the Pro Bowl for the third time in three seasons, while Amon-Ra St. Brown produced more than 1,400 yards receiving.
Detroit has lost eight of its last nine Thanksgiving games, though the lone win in that span came against the Bears in 2024.
Eagles at Cowboys
It's another divisional rivalry for the second part of the Thanksgiving triple-header as the Eagles visit the Cowboys. Dallas has won four straight Thanksgiving games but lost its last game against Philadelphia on Turkey Day, back in 2014.
The Cowboys boasted one of the NFL's best offenses in 2025, with Dak Prescott throwing for 30 touchdowns and over 4,500 yards, both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb exceeding 1,000 receiving yards, and Javonte Williams going for over 1,200 yards on the ground. Still, Dallas finished just 7-9-1 due to a porous defense. The Cowboys dedicated much of their offseason to improving that aspect, bringing in Christian Parker (most recently the Eagles' secondary coach) as defensive coordinator and drafting former Ohio State star Caleb Downs 11th overall.
The Eagles became the first team in more than 20 years to repeat as NFC East champions, but the offense was inconsistent all year, and Philadelphia lost in the Wild Card Round. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith and a stellar offensive line return, but it looks like A.J. Brown won't join them. Instead, first-round rookie Makai Lemon will have big shoes to fill immediately. With Jalen Carter and Jonathan Greenard up front and Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the secondary, Philadelphia figures to have another strong defense.
Chiefs at Bills
One of the NFL's best non-divisional rivalries serves as the Thanksgiving nightcap as the Chiefs visit the Bills, who will open a new stadium this year.
Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen represent the premier quarterback showdown of this generation; Allen is a stellar 5-1 against Mahomes in the regular season, but Mahomes owns a perfect 4-0 record against Allen in the playoffs.
Both teams are coming off 2025 seasons that ended in difficult fashion. Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in December, and his status for the 2026 season remains uncertain as of this writing.