- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,128,881
- Reaction score
- 59
The NFL continues treating Thanksgiving like a national football festival, and the 2026 holiday schedule may be one of the league’s strongest in recent memory.
This year’s expanded Thanksgiving week slate includes five standalone games spread across Wednesday, Thursday, and Black Friday. There are rivalry matchups, playoff-caliber rosters, MVP quarterbacks, and enough offensive firepower to keep televisions glued to football all weekend.
Here's a ranking of the NFL's 2026 Thanksgiving week matchups.
This game still carries plenty of AFC intrigue.
The Denver Broncos continue trending upward, while the Pittsburgh Steelers remain one of the AFC’s most physical and emotionally exhausting teams to play against. Still, compared to the other games on this slate, the star power and playoff implications feel slightly lower entering the season. That said, Black Friday football in Pittsburgh sounds wonderfully chaotic.
Tradition alone pushes this game near the top.
The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions rivalry remains one of football's oldest and most underrated annual battles, and now there is real heat attached to it again. Ben Johnson's return to Detroit after helping build the Lions offense adds another fascinating layer, while Caleb Williams and Jared Goff headline one of the NFL's more entertaining quarterback storylines.
The NFC North race could easily run through this game.
The NFL clearly wanted to make a statement with its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve showcase.
Green Bay Packers versus the Los Angeles Rams feels loaded with star power, coaching brilliance, and postseason implications. Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur remain two of the NFL's premier offensive minds, while Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love provide elite quarterback intrigue.
This matchup also carries a sneaky “future playoff rematch" vibe.
This has quietly become the AFC's defining rivalry.
Kansas City Chiefs versus the Buffalo Bills almost guarantees chaos, drama, and elite quarterback play whenever Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen share the field. The late matchup ensures that Mahomes will have time to sharpen his skills after returning from a torn ACL. Every meeting between these franchises now feels important, and placing the game in the Thanksgiving night spotlight feels almost inevitable at this point. There may not be a better pure quarterback matchup anywhere on the holiday slate.
Nothing tops NFC East hatred on Thanksgiving.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys rivalry remains one of the NFL’s premier television products, and the holiday setting only amplifies the emotion. Philadelphia enters the season trying to defend its NFC East crown, while Dallas is attempting to bounce back after an uneven 2025 campaign. Both organizations expect to compete for playoff positioning, which means this game could dramatically impact the division race.
There is also historical intrigue.
The Eagles have defeated Dallas both previous times the teams met on Thanksgiving, including memorable wins in 1989 and 2014. Now another chapter gets added to one of football’s nastiest rivalries. The NFL could have placed almost any matchup into the featured Thanksgiving afternoon window. Instead, it chose Eagles-Cowboys.
Honestly, that was probably the easiest decision schedule-makers made all year.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL delivers stacked Thanksgiving week schedule in 2026
Continue reading...
This year’s expanded Thanksgiving week slate includes five standalone games spread across Wednesday, Thursday, and Black Friday. There are rivalry matchups, playoff-caliber rosters, MVP quarterbacks, and enough offensive firepower to keep televisions glued to football all weekend.
Here's a ranking of the NFL's 2026 Thanksgiving week matchups.
5. Broncos at Steelers (Black Friday)
This game still carries plenty of AFC intrigue.
The Denver Broncos continue trending upward, while the Pittsburgh Steelers remain one of the AFC’s most physical and emotionally exhausting teams to play against. Still, compared to the other games on this slate, the star power and playoff implications feel slightly lower entering the season. That said, Black Friday football in Pittsburgh sounds wonderfully chaotic.
4. Bears at Lions (Thanksgiving Day)
Tradition alone pushes this game near the top.
The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions rivalry remains one of football's oldest and most underrated annual battles, and now there is real heat attached to it again. Ben Johnson's return to Detroit after helping build the Lions offense adds another fascinating layer, while Caleb Williams and Jared Goff headline one of the NFL's more entertaining quarterback storylines.
The NFC North race could easily run through this game.
3. Packers at Rams (Thanksgiving Eve)
The NFL clearly wanted to make a statement with its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve showcase.
Green Bay Packers versus the Los Angeles Rams feels loaded with star power, coaching brilliance, and postseason implications. Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur remain two of the NFL's premier offensive minds, while Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love provide elite quarterback intrigue.
This matchup also carries a sneaky “future playoff rematch" vibe.
2. Chiefs at Bills (Thanksgiving Night)
This has quietly become the AFC's defining rivalry.
Kansas City Chiefs versus the Buffalo Bills almost guarantees chaos, drama, and elite quarterback play whenever Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen share the field. The late matchup ensures that Mahomes will have time to sharpen his skills after returning from a torn ACL. Every meeting between these franchises now feels important, and placing the game in the Thanksgiving night spotlight feels almost inevitable at this point. There may not be a better pure quarterback matchup anywhere on the holiday slate.
1. Eagles at Cowboys (Thanksgiving Day)
Nothing tops NFC East hatred on Thanksgiving.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys rivalry remains one of the NFL’s premier television products, and the holiday setting only amplifies the emotion. Philadelphia enters the season trying to defend its NFC East crown, while Dallas is attempting to bounce back after an uneven 2025 campaign. Both organizations expect to compete for playoff positioning, which means this game could dramatically impact the division race.
There is also historical intrigue.
The Eagles have defeated Dallas both previous times the teams met on Thanksgiving, including memorable wins in 1989 and 2014. Now another chapter gets added to one of football’s nastiest rivalries. The NFL could have placed almost any matchup into the featured Thanksgiving afternoon window. Instead, it chose Eagles-Cowboys.
Honestly, that was probably the easiest decision schedule-makers made all year.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL delivers stacked Thanksgiving week schedule in 2026
Continue reading...
