An NFC North battle with playoff positioning in the balance. The two biggest television draws fighting for their postseason survival in the late-afternoon window. And the return of a star quarterback to top off the night.
Embracing tradition and highlighting the biggest brands while celebrating the new – hey, that Black Friday game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, both 8-3, also seems enticing – was the NFL’s strategy regarding the most popular football weekend in the country. It couldn’t have worked out for the NFL any better and is a big reason why among those waking up Thanksgiving Day and experiencing immediate gratitude are the schedule-makers and the league’s broadcast partners.
Here’s why the league struck gold and could be in for record-setting viewership this Turkey Day:
Who wins on Thanksgiving? NFL Week 13 picks straight up and against spread
For the past two seasons, the NFC North has been arguably the best division in football (and is really only rivaled by the NFC West in 2025). The Lions are grandfathered into the early window on Thanksgiving, and their success in the past three seasons has been a welcome development for the NFL. Adding a legacy brand in the Packers, with a fan base that extends beyond Wisconsin, expands potential viewership reach. This is a rematch from Week 1, a game in which the Packers overwhelmed the Lions, but what leads to the best ratings are well-contested games that come down to the wire, like when the teams played each other on “Thursday Night Football” last December in a 34-31 final that had three lead changes in the fourth quarter and a last-second field goal in Detroit’s win.
