Getty The Lions continue their Thanksgiving tradition of playing on the holiday.
No sport is more synonymous with a holiday than football’s connection with Thanksgiving. Between college football and the NFL, fans have five games to choose from throughout the holiday.
Today’s slate of NFL games may be as impressive as we have seen in some time. As is tradition, both the Lions and Cowboys will host games on Turkey Day. Detroit takes on Chicago in an NFC North showdown.
All eyes continue to be on Mitch Trubisky who is nursing an injured shoulder. The Lions need a bit of help to win the division, while the Bears currently sit in the driver’s seat.
The Cowboys host the Redskins in a battle for the NFC East. A victory for the Cowboys would mean the two teams are tied atop the division.
A season-ending injury to Alex Smith has Colt McCoy getting a bit of a Thanksgiving homecoming. McCoy grew up in the state and became a college football legend thanks to his career at the University of Texas.
Dallas is looking for a bit of revenge for their narrow loss to the Redskins earlier this season. Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin believes things can be different this time around.
“You never want to have a game like that, but you are what you put on tape,” Martin said per DallasCowboys.com. “We’ve got to get back to what we do well, and I think we’ve done that over the last few weeks. And it’s a big challenge for us. But that’s not who we want to be, what we showed last time in Washington.”
The NFC South gets the primetime slot as the Saints host the Falcons. The two rivals squared off in a thriller earlier this season as the Saints escaped with a narrow victory.
The Falcons need to win out and likely still need help to have a chance at the postseason. New Orleans is fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC which would allow them to use their major home field advantage during the playoffs.
According to Nola.com, this year marks the first time the Saints have hosted a Thanksgiving game. It is only the Saints second Turkey Day game ever.
If you are a college football fan, there are less options with just two Thanksgiving games. Air Force hosts Colorado State in the lone afternoon game of the day. Ole Miss takes on Mississippi State in a rivalry game that is the marquee college football matchup of Turkey Day.
Here’s a look at the Thanksgiving television schedule for both the NFL and college football.
NFL Thanksgiving TV Schedule
| TEAMS | TIME (ET)/TV |
| Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions | 12:30 p.m. CBS |
| Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys | 4:30 p.m. FOX |
| Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints | 8:20 p.m. NBC |
College Football TV Schedule
| TEAMS | TIME (ET)/TV |
| Colorado State at Air Force | 3:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network |
| Mississippi State at Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. ESPN |