The Chicago Bears are currently in the top spot in the NFC North, but do they play on Thanksgiving?
While the Bears do not play on Sunday this week, they aren’t playing on Thanksgiving either. Instead, the team will be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday at Lincoln Financial Field, giving themselves a stern test as they take on the defending Super Bowl champions.
But what teams do play, and why should Bears fans be paying attention to the games? Here’s what you need to know.
Which NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving?
The day starts off with a battle of NFC North rivals, as the Green Bay Packers visit the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Entering action Thursday, the Packers have a slim 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 taking down a 27-13 win at Lambeau Field.
If the Packers win the game, they not only would grab a tiebreaker over the Lions in the division race, but they would also leapfrog the Bears into the top spot in the NFC North by mere percentage points.
If the Lions win, they would close the gap back to one-half game behind Chicago, and they would move into a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for a playoff spot.
The second game of the day will feature the Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are currently on the outside looking into the playoff picture, with the Chiefs sitting at 6-5 and the Cowboys at 5-5-1.
A loss by the Chiefs would put them even further behind the Chargers, Jaguars and Bills, all of whom are currently sitting at 7-4. The Cowboys meanwhile would be in really rough shape if they were to drop the game, as they would fall further behind the 49ers, Lions and Carolina Panthers in the standings.
The final game of the evening will feature the Cincinnati Bengals visiting the Baltimore Ravens, with quarterback Joe Burrow returning to the lineup for Cincinnati.
This divisional matchup will be critical for the Ravens, as they are currently in a first-place tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. A win would give them a bit of a cushion and would also help solidify their tiebreaker over Pittsburgh, as the Ravens currently have a superior divisional record.
Remarkably, Thursday’s game will mark only the second time the Bengals have ever played on Thanksgiving, and will only be 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 square off in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. Central time.
The game will air nationally on Prime Video, while Chicago-area residents will be able to see the game on Fox.
Just for fun, what’s 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 Thanksgiving games each of the last 85 years, are 38-45-2, while the Cowboys, the other team who 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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