NFL Thanksgiving 2025: Key Matchups & Teams To Watch
The Fumble: Thanksgiving Day Showdowns, Key NFL Matchups & Teams To Watch
Thanksgiving Day in the NFL is a time-honored tradition—and this year’s triple-header comes loaded with storylines. On November 27, fans are in for three compelling football matchups: Packers vs. Lions, Chiefs vs. Cowboys, and Bengals vs. Ravens.
The Fumble hosts Samaria Terry and Rodney Rikai break down the Thanksgiving slate, lock in their predictions, and size up which teams have the edge in Week 13.
Detroit Lions Vs. Green Bay Packers — Are the Lions finally worthy of the holiday spotlight?
The Detroit Lions have hosted on Thanksgiving almost every year since 1934, playing more games on the holiday than any other team. This year, their matchup with Green Bay sets up a key NFC North showdown with playoff implications.
Rodney is still sizing up Green Bay. “It’s hard to gauge how good the Packers are. They’ve had some interesting losses,” he said. “But they play really well. That defense is phenomenal.”
Coming off a tough loss to the Packers early in the season, Detroit appears ready for a rematch. “They have a chip on their shoulder, especially when they lose a game in the way that they lost to Green Bay in Week 1,” Samaria said. “They’re still thinking about that. So they’re not going to let Green Bay come into Ford Field and do whatever they want to do.”
On defense, the Lions look sturdy, Samaria added. But with the departure of their offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, now coaching the Chicago Bears, their offense is in question. “They have to figure it out on the offensive side of the ball. I think once they can do that, then they’ll be a real contender. But until then, it’s still kind of up in the air,” she said.
Offensive concerns aside, the hosts agree: the Lions look strong in this matchup. “I think there’s something about the Lions that’s clicking right now,” Rodney said. “If I had to be a betting man, I would take the Lions by a full touchdown.”
The Fumble’s pick of the game: Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Dallas Cowboys — Will the Cowboys surprise us, or will Mahomes finally look like Mahomes again?
Next up, the Cowboys host the Chiefs in a clash with big names and even bigger questions.
“The Chiefs and Cowboys, man, wow! Just from a name, from a brand cachet standpoint—cool. But these are two teams who have been playing bad football all year long,” Rodney said.
While this promises to be a fascinating showdown, Rodney and Samaria agree that something’s off with the once unstoppable Super Bowl champions. “The Chiefs are interesting. While their record isn’t terrible, when you watch them play they’re clearly not the Chiefs of the past,” Rodney said.
Even with quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs and solid stats on both offense and defense, Kansas City hasn’t been able to turn those numbers into wins, Rodney noted.
“Even though they have all of this talent, it’s like them losing in the Super Bowl killed whatever confidence they had,” Samaria said. “But I will say though, that the Chiefs still know how to win. It’s like they just don’t want to.”
Dallas hasn’t been sharp either, but they may get a boost from returning defenders. “Cowboys had three defensive players return from injury, so that could be something that they’ve been missing,” said Samaria. “So maybe getting those defensive weapons back will be what they need to at least win a few more games to close out the season.”
Still, Rodney sees only one outcome in this matchup. “I think the Chiefs come away with this, victorious,” he said. “I look forward to Patrick Mahomes being back on track and having one of those vintage Patrick Mahomes games.”
The Fumble’s pick of the game: Kansas City Chiefs
Baltimore Ravens Vs. Cincinnati Bengals — Are the Ravens rising while the Bengals fall apart, or is an upset brewing?
Baltimore enters this AFC North clash with the edge, but Cincinnati’s quarterback situation could shift the balance.
“I like Baltimore in this matchup because they seem to be finding their footing now,” Samaria said, noting how far the Ravens have come since their early season struggles.
With quarterback Lamar Jackson back on the field post-injury, Rodney sees a resurgence for Baltimore. “The Ravens still have a chance to win this division. They are playing with a level of vigor right now since Lamar came back,” he said. “Baltimore is trending upward and I think that they recognize they have an opportunity to sneak into the playoffs despite how they started this season off.”
Wide receiver Zay Flowers could be the Ravens’ X-factor. Rodney called him a potential “game breaker,” adding, “I see Zay having a big game. I think it’s about time.”
Samaria agreed, noting the Ravens have what they need to pull off a victory. “They have so much talent on both sides of the ball,” she said. “I just don’t know what’s been hindering them in the past.”
While the Ravens seem to be progressing, the Bengals are regressing, Samaria said. “The Bengals are just having a really rough season, man,” Rodney echoed.
With injured Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow missing games—which forced the team to bring on NFL veteran Joe Flacco to fill in—this made the season feel unstable for Cincinnati. “It’s not uncommon for us to see Joe Burrow miss so much time,” Rodney said. “I don’t know what this team does going forward.”
Should Burrow remain sidelined on Thanksgiving, Rodney isn’t optimistic about Flacco’s odds against Baltimore. “Joe Flacco—Jersey legend, you know, had a phenomenal career,” he said. “But I can’t see him going into Baltimore coming out with a dub over Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, barring some catastrophic injury of some sort.”
The Fumble’s pick of the game: Baltimore Ravens
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The Fumble: Thanksgiving Day Showdowns, Key NFL Matchups & Teams To Watch was originally published on cassiuslife.com