Thanksgiving Day NFL Schedule 2023: Previewing Cowboys, Lions and Turkey Day Games

The 2023 NFL schedule officially dropped Thursday, and it features a trio of NFC divisional matchups on Thanksgiving Day.

The Green Bay Packers kick things off in Detroit against the host Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET. Then the Washington Commanders will pay a visit to the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. The Seattle Seahawks will host the San Francisco 49ers in the nightcap at 8:20 p.m.

Here's a look at a game-by-game preview of the Thanksgiving Day football festivities.

Packers at Lions

AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Detroit's Jared Goff

No two teams have played on Thanksgiving Day more than the Packers and Lions. In fact, those rivals squared off each year from 1951-1963.

This will be the 22nd time but first since 2013 that Green Bay and Detroit have squared off, and this year is a good time to return to that tradition.

The Packers begin a new era this year after anointing Jordan Love as QB1 following their trade of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

We'll soon find out how Love fares, but it's certainly feasible that the Packers remain playoff contenders with their new signal-caller.

They still have a host of talent on both sides of the ball, including two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Jaire Alexander and last year's team sack leader Preston Smith on defense. The offense includes a potential breakout star in second-year wideout Christian Watson, who scored seven touchdowns in 14 games.

Green Bay needed a win in its final regular-season game against the Lions in Week 18 to make the 2022 playoffs, but Detroit played spoiler with a 20-16 win.

The Lions' hype is real this year after they tripled their win total from three to nine. Detroit returns many of the components from an offense that finished top-five in scoring last year, led by the deadly duo of quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions also added to their skill-position crew via the draft with running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta.

The defense returns a potential superstar defensive end in Aidan Hutchinson, who had 9.5 sacks and three interceptions last year and could be the best defensive player in football by the time this year is done. The Lions also improved the back end by adding defensive backs Cameron Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

On paper, this looks like a competitive game between two teams who should be vying for NFC North supremacy by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

Commanders at Cowboys

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

Dallas' Dak Prescott

This year will mark the 11th time the Commanders and Cowboys will have met for a Thanksgiving Day game.

Washington ended last season with a stunning 22-6 upset win over the playoff-bound Cowboys, who had an outside chance at the NFC's No. 1 seed heading into the matchup.

It wasn't meant to be, as rookie quarterback Sam Howell and a tough Commander defensive effort launched Washington to an 8-8-1 record to close the season.

Washington has the pieces to contend, led by wide receiver Terry McLaurin and a host of front-seven defensive talent (Chase Young, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne).

If Howell can provide even league-average play at QB, this could be a dangerous unit.

Of course, Dallas has plenty of talent itself, with Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Micah Parsons leading the way. The Cowboys have bona fide stars at running back (Tony Pollard) and wide receiver (Cee Dee Lamb) and a host of talents scattered elsewhere (guard Zack Martin, cornerback Trevon Diggs).

The key for the Cowboys is quarterback Dak Prescott, who struggled to close the year and ended up tossing an NFL-high 15 interceptions. His 91.1 quarterback rating was his lowest mark since 2017.

However, if the two-time Pro Bowler is able to return to form, Dallas should be a tough team to beat. Overall, the NFC East looks great on paper, a far cry from when Washington won the division at 7-9 in 2020. Therefore, this Thanksgiving Day game could be a great matchup with serious playoff implications.

49ers at Seahawks

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Seattle's Geno Smith

Thanksgiving ends with a tantalizing NFC West matchup between the Super Bowl-contending San Francisco 49ers and the upstart Seattle Seahawks, who could easily find themselves in the Lombardi Trophy conversation this year as well.

Last year, the 49ers defeated the Seahawks in all three of their matchups, capped by a 41-23 win in the NFC Wild Card Round. San Francisco also beat Seattle 27-7 in Week 2 and 21-13 in Week 15.

There's reason to believe this year may be different. Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith and his fifth-best 100.9 passer rating returns to the mix after signing a three-year extension.

Wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and running back Ken Walker III, all of whom amassed 1,000 or more yards last year, are back as well. They'll be flanked by a few talented rookies in wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet.

The defense looks vastly improved thanks largely to six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, who is back home in Seattle after one season with the Los Angeles Rams. Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones and versatile defensive back Julian Love are also in the mix via free agency.

Seattle added a potential star rookie cornerback in Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick, and linebacker Derick Hall is aboard as well.

The 49ers should be formidable in their own right, although it's unclear if Sam Darnold, Trey Lance or Brock Purdy will be starting at quarterback by the time San Francisco travels to Seattle for Thanksgiving. Still, San Francisco has too much talent to not stay competitive.

The 49ers arguably have the best RB1-WR1-TE1 trio in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, and that group doesn't even include Brandon Aiyuk, who just registered a 78-catch, 1,015-yard, eight-touchdown season and could easily be a WR1 on other teams.

San Francisco returns Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa alongside fellow Pro Bowlers in linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga on the back end. That trio helped San Francisco allow the fewest points per game in the league last year, including just 11.0 PPG from Weeks 8 to 15.

It's not totally out of the equation that the Seattle-San Francisco matchup this year could carry the weight that the rivalry did in the early to mid-2010s, when the two sides combined to win five division titles, three NFC championships and a Super Bowl from 2010 to 2014. Overall, this looks like one of the NFL's top nationally televised games on paper.