Christmas and Thanksgiving have always had a special place in the NFL schedule. The tradition of holiday NFL games has become part of the American identity, a smart move on the part of the NFL. Christmas and Thanksgiving day games get more broadcast numbers than a regular game in the season as most families gather around the TV to watch the biggest teams duke it out. Only the teams with the biggest fanbase’s take part in the holiday spectacular. This year will be slightly different as the streaming services of the world now have some broadcasting rights as well. Lets take a closer look at the schedule.
Which teams will play against each other on Thanksgiving day?
The first game to take place on Thanksgiving is the Green Bay Packers vs the Detroit Lions. The Lions will host the iconic green and gold team in Detroit with the game being broadcast on the old reliable cable channel channel Fox. The game will be 1 p.m. ET on 27 November. The Lions came so close last year and where one of the standout performers last season, with a defense that was hard to beat.
Next up in the Thanksgiving day games is Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys. These two are arguably two of the best supported teams in the league and the game will surely bring in some international fans as well. The game will be broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET, on CBS. The Chiefs in particular are looking to make a good start to this year after being beaten in the Super Bowl last year by the Eagles.
The last game to take place on Thanksgiving will be the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Baltimore Ravens. The game will take place in Baltimore and will be broadcast by NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET. Both teams will be looking to have a more successful season than last year and the pressure is on to perform. With the Ravens in particular looking to get over some recent controversy.
What is the schedule for the Christmas day games and where can I watch them?
The Christmas day games also get a new twist this year. Recently the NFL has explored a new platform for their broadcasting needs. The streaming services of the world have begun to broadcast sport in an attempt to compete with the existing broadcasting infrastructure in the United States. With Netflix being allocated broadcasting rights for Christmas day and Prime Video broadcasting a Black Friday game.
The first game to take place on Christmas will see the Dallas Cowboys travelling to the nations capital to take on the Washington Commanders. The game is part of week 17 of the schedule and will be broadcast on Netflix at 1 p.m. ET. The Cowboys will be playing for the second time on a holiday as they also take part on Thanksgiving day against Kansas City.
With the NFL in a constant state of evolution, the change to broadcast the games on Netflix has seen some backlash from the public. Regardless, if the fans of the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings want to watch the game, they will need a Netflix account, or at least access to one. The last game on Christmas day will be broadcast at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Can the streaming services become the home of the NFL for the future?
The NFL is doing its best to evolve with the times. The change to streaming services for the holiday games is certainly a considered decision that has huge implications for the future. With the international expansion, the NFL is looking for new ways to entice fans to the sport of football. The move away from the traditional broadcasting platforms is a sign of the times. We are always excited to watch the games on Thanksgiving day and Christmas, regardless of where the games will be shown.
