The 2016 NFL Thanksgiving Day schedule is ready to be served up for fans across the country in three healthy servings. The tradition of NFL football on Thanksgiving Day goes back to 1920 and has grown in popularity ever since.
With three games on the Thanksgiving Day NFL schedule this year, fans will surely be in for a treat as every game has possible NFL playoff implications.
The first game on the schedule will take place from Motown when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions from Ford Field. The winner of this game will take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North. Heading into this game, both teams are 6-4 on the season and tied for first place. It was just two weeks ago when the Lions visited Minnesota and pulled off a thrilling overtime win over the Vikings.
It’s hard enough to beat a team twice in a year but to beat them two times within three games is very tough. The Lions are 4-1 at home and seem to play much better under the dome at Ford Field, however, the Vikings will have revenge on their mind as they will bring in one of the best defenses in the NFC so far in 2016.
These two teams do deserve a lot of credit for how well they played so far this season.
Detroit has lost several key defensive players over the past two seasons and they lost Calvin Johnson to retirement during the offseason this year, yet they look strong on offense and not too bad on defense through 10 games.
The same can be said about the Vikings and their 6-4 record. Not many people believed after losing Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson early in the season to injuries that the Vikings would be in this position now.
Yet here are the Lions and Vikings playing for the division lead in Week 12. Just more proof that the old expression is true – the games are not decided on paper, but on the field.
CBS Sports reports the second game of the Thanksgiving Day NFL schedule triple-header will also be a big one as the Washington Redskins travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys.
Dallas is the hottest team in the NFL right now and they will enter the big game against Washington riding a nine-game winning streak, which is the longest in Cowboys franchise history. The Cowboys are having an incredible season so far in 2016 and it’s mainly due to the rookie sensations — Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
When Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was injured in the preseason many fans believed it would be a long season in Big D, little did anyone know the Cowboys would be the best team in the NFL heading into the Thanksgiving matchup against the Redskins.
While Dallas is 9-1 on the season, they just can’t seem to shake the New York Giants who head into Week 12 with a five-game winning streak and a 7-3 record. The Redskins are in third place at 6-3-1 but are very much alive in the playoff race, and knocking off Dallas would be huge for Washington.
Thanksgiving evening will conclude with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Indianapolis Colts.
Both the Steelers and Colts got off to uncharacteristically bad starts in 2016 but they are both currently 5-5 on the season and very much in the playoff hunt.
Indianapolis heads into this game riding a two-game winning streak and looking to close in on the first place Houston Texans. The Steelers are coming into the short week after pounding the Cleveland Browns 24-9. This could be a tough set up for Pittsburgh, who will be playing their second straight game on the road in four days.
Here is a look at the odds, live stream, and TV start times and predictions for the NFL Thanksgiving Day games. All three games will stream live on NFL.com , however, the NBC game between the Steelers and Colts will stream on NBC Sports Network as well.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
- Minnesota at Detroit (-3) — 12:30 pm – CBS — Ford Field
- Washington at Dallas (-7) — 4:30 pm – FOX — AT&T Stadium
- Pittsburgh (-3) at Indianapolis — 8:30 pm – NBC/NBC Sports Extra — Lucas Oil Stadium
Predictions – Detroit -3, Washington +7.5, Pittsburgh -3
[Featured Image by Leon Halip/Getty Images}