Thanksgiving Day NFL Schedule 2015: TV Info, Game Times and Predictions

For the 10th consecutive year, the NFL is rolling out the red carpet on Thanksgiving with three games to celebrate the holiday. Each game does have playoff implications for at least one team, making the short week of preparation even more intense.   

As per usual, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will host the early games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, respectively. The marquee game matchup is an NFC North showdown between erratic Chicago Bears and resurgent Green Bay Packers.     

Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Odds (via Odds Shark)	Prediction
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions	12:30 p.m.	Fox	Pick 'Em	Lions, 24-16
Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys	4:30 p.m.	CBS	Pick 'Em	Cowboys, 27-24
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers	8:30 p.m.	NBC	Packers (-10)	Packers, 31-21

Eagles at Lions

Even though both the Eagles and Lions would picking in the top 11 of the 2016 NFL draft, Philadelphia still has legitimate playoff aspirations despite a 4-6 record because the NFC East has been so bad this season. 

These two teams have been moving in opposite directions lately, with the Lions winning their last two games and the Eagles dropping back-to-back contests. Philadelphia saw the bottom drop out in Week 11 with a 45-17 loss at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

It appears that defeat is also leading to some infighting in the locker room, with one anonymous Eagles player questioning DeMarco Murray's effort level to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"Well, when you see DeMarco sliding before getting hit, you tell me. Was that giving full effort?" said the Eagles player. "You see that [stuff], and it makes you wonder."

Everything that could have gone wrong for the Eagles in 2015, with head coach Chip Kelly's revamped roster, essentially has. Murray has not lived up to his contract with a paltry 3.7 yards per carry; quarterback Sam Bradford was a mess before missing Week 11 because of injuries.

Former Eagles president Joe Banner took to Twitter to criticize another of Kelly's high-profile investments, cornerback Byron Maxwell:

Bradford is still uncertain for Week 12 with a concussion, though he was cleared to practice. All of these questions suggest bigger problems for the Eagles.

On the other hand, Detroit has started to look more competent with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin finding the right formula in the last two weeks against Green Bay and the Oakland Raiders, per Tim Twentyman of Lions.com:

"

Consider this: Over the first eight games of the season that saw Detroit flounder to a 1-7 record, opponents were averaging 133.8 yards per game on the ground and averaging 4.35 yards per carry.

Green Bay and Oakland combined for just 97 yards on the ground the last two weeks. That comes out to 48.5 yards per game and just a 2.48 average per carry.

We’re talking nearly a 2.0 yards per carry difference and around 85 total yards on the ground per game.

"

Thursday's game will be another test for the Lions against a solid running team, as the Eagles rank 11th with 119.2 yards per game on the ground. 

Detroit's offense is still trying to find a rhythm, having scored just 18 points in each of these two wins. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been solid with 524 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. 

With a nonexistent running game, Stafford has to play turnover-free football to give the Lions consistency on offense. He's always a wild card, but in a game that could feature Bradford or Mark Sanchez on the other side, the Lions are a safer bet. 

Panthers at Cowboys

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Not that teams have to prove anything when they win nine straight games, but the Carolina Panthers made a statement in Week 11 to push their record to 10-0 with a 44-16 win over Washington.

It was the most complete game of the year for head coach Ron Rivera's team: Cam Newton threw five touchdowns. Jonathan Stewart had over 100 yards rushing. The defense forced five turnovers. And it had possession for over 38 minutes. 

Making that effort better for Newton, as noted by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, it came at a time when there were still skeptics of his MVP credentials:

The Panthers rank in the top 10 in rushing yards, scoring offense and scoring defense this season. There isn't a better team in the NFC, possibly in the NFL, than Carolina at this moment. 

So naturally I would pick the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys to win this game. It's nothing against the Panthers as much as it is a belief in the Cowboys at home on a short week with Tony Romo back under center after getting his feet wet in Week 11. 

Per the NFL Network, the Cowboys are vastly better in 2015 when Romo is their quarterback:

Romo wasn't especially good against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, throwing for 227 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but his ability to create time with his legs opens up so many things for the offense. It also helped that Darren McFadden ran for 129 yards in the 24-14 win. 

The key matchup in this game will be Carolina cornerback Josh Norman against Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant. Even though the Cowboys star receiver has been held in check the last two weeks, quarterbacks still targeted him 21 times during that stretch. 

Per Pro Football Focus, Norman has been among the most consistent cornerbacks in the NFL this season:

On paper, so much in this game favors Carolina. It's hard not to like what the Panthers are doing, but the Cowboys also understand they have little margin for error even in the dreadful NFC East. They have seven losses already, with an eighth likely making their quest for a playoff spot too steep. 

Romo completely changes the dynamic of the Dallas offense, so the Cowboys get a slight edge. 

Bears at Packers

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

If fans ever need a reminder of how fickle narratives are in the NFL, look no further than this week's matchup between the Bears and Packers. 

One week ago, the Bears were a potential playoff spoiler after winning two straight games. Jay Cutler was finally reaching his potential after all these years under offensive coordinator Adam Gase, throwing five touchdowns and one interception against the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams.

The Packers, at the same time, were coming off their third straight loss and were held under 20 points for the second time in three weeks. ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky was using Aaron Rodgers' relationship with Olivia Munn as a possible reason why the quarterback wasn't playing well. 

Fast forward one week in which the Bears actually played a good Denver Broncos team. Cutler was just 18-of-32 for 265 yards and one interception in a 17-15 loss. Green Bay went into Minnesota, which was riding a five-game winning streak, and dominated both sides of the ball in a 30-13 win. 

These two teams met in Week 1, with Rodgers throwing for 189 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-23 win. 

Rodgers loves playing the Bears, as Green Bay's quarterback owns a 13-3 career record against the NFC North rivalry. Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune did try to think of reasons for optimism in Chicago this week:

"

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is unreal the way he has turned the notion of “next man up’’ into “next man into the backfield.’’

Here’s more Bears hope: Packers receiver Randall Cobb continues to drop passes.

Here’s still more Bears hope: Cornerback Tracy Porter didn’t play in the opener against the Packers. He’s healthy now, is defending passes, and isn’t Alan Ball.

Even more Bears hope: Rookie safety Adrian Amos just keeps getting better. He has played smart and fast, and he hits people. Hits hard.

"

There are reasons to be optimistic about Chicago's future, especially with rookie wide receiver Kevin White practicing with the possibility of playing before the 2015 season ends, per NFL.com's Marc Sessler. 

Yet the Packers are still the white whale the Bears have to overcome. It hasn't happened in a game Rodgers started and finished since September 2010. That streak won't end on Thursday.