2024 NFL Schedule Unveiled: Thanksgiving and Black Friday Lineup Features Three Divisional Showdowns

The schedule unveiling on Wednesday showcased both the annual Thanksgiving tripleheader and the second installment of the Black Friday game. For fans nationwide, if the customary Thursday meal and the ensuing Friday bargains fail to satiate their hunger, the football spectacle surely will.

Three division rivalries and one intraconference showdown between 2023 playoff teams highlight the two-day slate:

Caleb Williams’ arrival has injected new life — and interest — into the Chicago Bears, and the NFL’s schedule wizards are joining the party by putting them on the Thanksgiving docket.

Chicago will face a massive test on the holiday when it hits the road for Detroit to take on the division-rival Lions, defenders of the NFC North title.

The game will pit the No. 1 overall pick, Williams, against one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, Jared Goff . That will be the draw, but this contest will be about much more than just that.

Detroit sprinted to the division title in 2023 for the first time in 30 years, then rattled off two playoff wins before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in a heartbreaker in the NFC Championship Game. Amid that stretch of success, though, the Lions still failed to protect their house on Thanksgiving, losing to the Packers in shocking fashion and kicking off Green Bay’s own run to the postseason.

This time around, they’ll meet another team with aspirations of making the leap behind the strength of a young, promising quarterback — and it could have significant implications in the NFC North race.

Thanks to Green Bay’s sudden second-half blossoming in 2023, plus an offseason filled with good vibes for the Bears, the NFC North is suddenly a hot division many expect to be a brawl for the throne. Detroit currently sits on it, but will have to protect its reign in games such as this Thanksgiving tilt. The Lions will have to avoid a repeat performance of their last outing against Chicago, a 28-13 loss to the Bears in the Windy City.

They’ll have the backing of Ford Field on their side this time around.