The Chicago Bears are currently in first place in the NFC North, but are they playing on Thanksgiving?
Although the Bears are not playing on Sunday this week, they are not playing on Thanksgiving either. Instead, the team will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday at Lincoln Financial Field, putting itself through a stern test as it takes on the defending Super Bowl champions.
But which teams are playing and why should Bears fans pay attention to the games? Here’s what you need to know.
Which NFL teams play 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 have a slim lead over Detroit, with a 7-3-1 record compared to the Lions’ 7-4 mark.
The two teams faced off in the first week of the NFL season, with Green Bay taking a 27-13 victory at Lambeau Field.
If the Packers won the game, not only would they earn a tiebreaker against the Lions in the division race, but they would also move ahead of the Bears for first place in the NFC North by just a few percentage points.
If the Lions win, they would close the gap to a half-game behind Chicago, and they would find themselves tied with the San Francisco 49ers for a playoff spot.
The second game of the day will feature the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are currently on the outside looking in and eyeing the playoffs, with the Chiefs sitting at 6-5 and the Cowboys at 5-5-1.
A Chiefs loss would put them even further behind the Chargers, Jaguars and Bills, who are all currently 7-4. Meanwhile, the Cowboys would be in a very difficult situation if they dropped the game, as they would fall further 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, as quarterback Joe Burrow returns to the Cincinnati lineup.
This divisional matchup will be crucial for the Ravens, as they are currently tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. A win would give them a bit of a lead and also help solidify their tiebreaker against Pittsburgh, as the Ravens currently have a superior division record.
Remarkably, Thursday’s game will mark only the second time the Bengals have played on Thanksgiving, and it will be 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 kickoff set for 2 p.m. Central Time.
The game will be broadcast 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 best marks of any team in the NFL.
The Lions, who have played Thanksgiving games in each of the last 85 years, are 38-45-2, while the Cowboys, the other team that usually plays on the holiday, are 34-22-1.
According to Pro Football Reference, only one team did not play on Thanksgiving, and that was the Jacksonville Jaguars.
