The Detroit Lions will host their annual Thanksgiving Day game again in 2025, but we’re starting to get a better idea of who won’t be showing up at Ford Field this year.
Thanks to a couple of schedule announcements and leaks this week, we can now cross off two teams from the potential opponent list — the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys.
Bye, Bears
The Bears and Lions have squared off on Thanksgiving four times since 2018, but it won’t be happening this year.
That’s because the NFL announced on Monday that the Chicago Bears will travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles on Black Friday, in a standalone game broadcast exclusively on Amazon Prime. So scratch the Bears off the list.
Cowboys? Always Busy
The Dallas Cowboys are never an option, because they host their own Thanksgiving game every year.
Despite some early speculation that the Lions could get a big-market rematch with Dallas this fall, that option was never really in play. They’re locked into the second Turkey Day time slot every single season, and 2025 will be no different.
Who’s Still in Play?
That narrows Detroit’s Thanksgiving possibilities down to these six teams:
- Minnesota Vikings
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Cleveland Browns
- Green Bay Packers
- New York Giants
The Giants are a bit of a longshot based on recent trends, and the Browns don’t bring much national sizzle. But teams like the Vikings, Steelers, Packers, and Buccaneers could offer a meaningful matchup — especially with the Lions’ rise to prominence.
We’ll know for sure when the NFL releases the full 2025 regular season schedule Thursday night.
