NFL Holiday Schedule 2025 Released, Previewing Thanksgiving and Christmas Day Games
The NFL released its complete 2025 schedule on Wednesday, and while there are literally dozens of exciting matchups on the slate, the holiday schedule is particularly intriguing.
Fans will get a few extra helpings of Thanksgiving and Christmas football this year.
As has become tradition, three games will take place on Turkey Day—with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions playing host to the two afternoon games. Fans will also be treated to another Black Friday game and a trio of Christmas contests that will be exclusive to streaming services.
Here, you'll find a complete look at this year's holiday NFL schedule with previews for every game.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
1 of 7
Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 27) at 1 p.m. ET
There was a time when watching the Lions wasn't the most exciting way to kick off the Thanksgiving festivities. While Detroit was occasionally playoff-relevant late in November, prior to the 2023 season, its last postseason victory came in 1993.
Over the last couple of seasons, however, the Lions have been one of the league's most exciting teams. They reached the NFL title game two years ago and earned the NFC's No. 1 seed last season—though Detroit had to navigate numerous injuries and ultimately exited the playoffs early.
Barring another rash of injuries, the Lions should be firmly in the playoff mix when they host the rival Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.
Green Bay should also be battling for playoff positioning in Week 13, as it has also reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
While the Packers fell short in both meetings against Detroit last season, they came extremely close to winning the second meeting—which the Lions won with a walk-off field goal following a gutsy 4th-down decision late in the fourth quarter.
There isn't a large gap between these two NFC North rivals, and the Packers may have taken a step toward closing it when they finally used a first-round pick on a wide receiver, Texas' Matthew Golden.
If a classic divisional grudge match wasn't reason enough to tune into this one, fans should the potential back-and-forth players like Golden, Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams are poised to provide.
Thanksgiving's first game will be broadcast on Fox.
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys
2 of 7
Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 27) at 4:30 p.m. ET
Like the Lions, the Cowboys are a regular Thanksgiving draw, and they could be must-watch television this year in their Turkey Day game on CBS.
While Dallas' 2024 campaign didn't go as expected, due in large part to mounting injuries, the Cowboys are a talent-laden team. If players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland are all still healthy in late November, the Cowboys should also be firmly in the playoff mix.
Late on Thanksgiving afternoon, Dallas will host a team that will almost certainly be entrenched in the playoff race. The Kansas City Chiefs haven't missed an AFC Championship Game since Patrick Mahomes became a full-time starter in 2018. They'll provide a tough test for the Cowboys and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer was selected this offseason to help steer the Cowboys back toward relevance after Mike McCarthy declined a new contract. Dallas won just seven games in 2024 but won 12 and made the playoffs in each of the previous three.
Assuming Dallas is a playoff-caliber team once again, this should make for one of the marquee matchups of Week 13.
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
3 of 7
Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 27) at 8:20 p.m. ET
The AFC North doesn't have a Thanksgiving staple like the Lions or Cowboys, but it does have a tremendously entertaining rivalry that will take center stage on Thanksgiving night this year.
NBC will broadcast the first 2025 meeting between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Ravens were one of the top teams in the AFC last season, and while the Bengals fell short of the playoffs, they boasted one of the league's best offenses. Matchups between Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are always exciting, but last year's two meetings featured 148 combined points and two incredible finishes.
Baltimore won one game in overtime and the other by a one-point margin of victory.
The Bengals extended wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins earlier this offseason, so they'll be in full offensive force when they next face the Ravens—and they'll bring a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden. The Ravens, meanwhile, added DeAndre Hopkins to a loaded offense that already featured Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews.
There's a very good chance that fans will be treated to another offensive showcase when these two rivals face off in the Thanksgiving nightcap.
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Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
4 of 7
Black Friday (Friday, November 28) at 3 p.m. ET
Fans won't get to see another Thanksgiving battle between the Lions and Chicago Bears in 2025. That's because Chicago is set to face the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles the following day.
Like last year's Black Friday game, which was an NFL first, this one will be streamed on Amazon's Prime Video.
While fans may not get excited about another streaming game, they can get excited about the matchup. Though Philadelphia lost key contributors like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat in free agency, it remains one of the most talented teams in the entire league.
The last time we checked, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Jalen Carter and Zack Baun were still wearing Eagles green.
The Bears aren't as proven as the Eagles, but they're brimming with potential. 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams will be back under center for Chicago and should have a legitimate chance to make big strides in his second season.
Chicago did a terrific job of reloading its offensive line, and it hired a terrific offensive coach in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
The Bears are also loaded with playmakers like D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, D'Andre Swift, Cole Kmet and rookie tight end Colston Loveland. Maybe this matchup won't be as enticing in the late fall, but right now, on paper, it's marvelous.
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
5 of 7
Christmas (Thursday, December 25) at 1 p.m. ET
While the Cowboys won't face a division battle on Thanksgiving, they will roughly one month later. Dallas will visit the rival Washington Commanders on the first game of the Christmas slate, which will be streamed on Netflix.
Washington was arguably the NFL's biggest surprise in 2024, thanks in no small part to the rapid rise of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The LSU product helped guide Washington to the NFC title game a year after the franchise won just four games.
The Commanders also got a major boost from new head coach Dan Quinn, the former Cowboys defensive coordinator who rapidly changed Washington's culture for the better.
"Nobody ever feels like they’re on an island," punter Tress Way said, per The Athletic's Mike Jones. "And that’s why guys have found it so easy to get behind Dan."
Quinn's presence adds an extra layer to this matchup, though it carries plenty of intrigue without it. These are two bitter NFC East rivals—who split the 2024 series—that should be jockeying for playoff positioning in the penultimate week of the 2025 season.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
6 of 7
Christmas (Thursday, December 25) at 4:30 p.m. ET
The Lions will also be doubling up on the holiday schedule in 2025. Like the Cowboys, they'll be on the road against a division rival on Christmas afternoon.
Like the Cowboys-Commanders matchup, the second Christmas game will be streamed on Netflix.
Detroit will visit the Minnesota Vikings, who should be one of the league's more interesting teams this season. A year ago, Minnesota was forced to lean on journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold after rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, yet the Vikings proceeded to win 14 games.
Last year's Week 18 game between the Lions and Vikings ended up being for both the NFC North title and the conference's No. 1 seed.
With Darnold now a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota will be McCarthy's team in 2025. With playmakers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson at his disposal, McCarthy should have a legitimate chance to replicate Darnold's 2024 success.
If McCarthy does succeed, the Christmas game between these two NFC North rivals could have incredibly high stakes, just like last year's final regular-season meeting.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
7 of 7
Christmas (Thursday, December 25) at 8:20 p.m. ET
The Christmas Day nightcap, like every other Thursday Night Football game, will be streamed on Amazon. It'll also happen to feature the defending AFC Champion Chiefs against the rival Denver Broncos.
Kansas City, which has appeared in three straight Super Bowls, should still be among the AFC favorites late this season, barring injuries. Their December games will likely be meaningful, and divisional games like this one, doubly so.
Denver, after all, was a surprise playoff team last season, thanks to the rapid rise of then-rookie Bo Nix. While he isn't yet a signal-caller on the level of Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, he proved to be a perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense.
The Broncos should again be playoff contenders in 2025, and this game might be extremely important for them. The last time these two AFC West rivals met, Denver walked away with a 38-0 victory. Of course, Kansas City had already locked up the AFC's No. 1 seed before that game and sat the vast majority of its starters.
With this game coming a week earlier than last year's meeting, we should see all healthy starters on the field for both squads.
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