The Chicago Bears are currently in top spot in the NFC North, but do they play on Thanksgiving?
While the Bears don’t play on Sunday this week, they also aren’t playing on Thanksgiving. Instead, the team will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday at Lincoln Financial Field, giving them a tough test against the defending Super Bowl champions.
But which teams play, and why should Bears fans pay attention to the games? Here’s what you need to know.
Which NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving?
The day begins with a battle of NFC North rivals as the Green Bay Packers visit the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Entering action on Thursday, the Packers hold a slight lead over Detroit with a 7-3-1 record compared to the Lions’ 7-4 mark.
The two teams played against each other in the first week of the NFL season, with Green Bay winning 27–13 at Lambeau Field.
If the Packers win the game, they will not only gain a tiebreaker over the Lions in the division race, but they will overtake the Bears for top spot in the NFC North by just percentage points.
If the Lions win, they will close the gap on Chicago to half a game, and they will move into a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for a playoff spot.
The other game of the day will see the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are currently looking at the playoff picture, with the Chiefs sitting at 6-5 and the Cowboys at 5-5-1.
A loss for the Chiefs would also drop them behind the Chargers, Jaguars and Bills, all of whom currently sit at 7-4. Meanwhile the Cowboys would be in really bad shape if they dropped the game, as they would fall behind the 49ers, Lions and Carolina Panthers in the standings.
The final game of the evening will see the Cincinnati Bengals visit the Baltimore Ravens, with quarterback Joe Burrow returning to the lineup for Cincinnati.
This divisional matchup will be important for the Ravens, as they are currently tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC North. A win would give them some relief and also help solidify their tiebreaker over Pittsburgh, as the Ravens currently have a better divisional record.
Notably, Thursday’s game will mark only the second time the Bengals have played on Thanksgiving, and only the third time the Ravens have done so. The Bengals lost their only other Thanksgiving game, and the Ravens are 2-0 on the holiday.
So when do the bears play?
The Bears and Eagles will face off in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, with kick-off at 2 p.m. central time.
The game will air nationally on Prime Video, while Chicago-area residents will be able to watch the game on Fox.
Just for fun, what is the Bears’ record on Thanksgiving?
According to USA Today, the Bears are 20-16-2 in Thanksgiving games, one of the better marks of any team in the NFL.
The Lions, who have played in every Thanksgiving game over the last 85 years, are 38-45-2, while the Cowboys, the other team that typically plays on the holiday, are 34-22-1.
According to Pro Football Reference, only one team hasn’t played on Thanksgiving, and that’s the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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