Which NFL Teams Play On Thanksgiving Day 2016? Thursday Games Schedule, TV Times, And Live Stream Details
The NFL schedule moves into Week 12 with Thanksgiving Day 2016 arriving during the latest slate of games. Teams are still vying for their playoff positions, with some squads clinging to the hopes that they’ll make it into the postseason. There are some clear contenders from the NFL power rankings, as mentioned here at the Inquisitr, one of whom is in action on Thursday. A tripleheader of games will highlight the annual holiday full of turkey, mashed potatoes, pies, and Black Friday shopping. So which NFL teams will play on Thanksgiving Day 2016? Here’s the latest games schedule with television game times, channels, and live stream online details.
Leading off the Thanksgiving NFL games schedule this year will be two teams currently listed in the playoff picture. They’re also division rivals. Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions will host Sam Bradford and the Minnesota Vikings. The two 6-4 teams are currently battling for control of the NFC North and will go head-to-head in Detroit starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. CBS will provide the live telecast, while the live stream will be through CBS All Access service for subscribers. The subscription can also be tried out on a seven-day free trial basis for new signups.
The two teams met several weeks ago in Minnesota with Detroit escaping with the 22-16 victory in overtime, Vikings reported. Stafford had 219 passing yards along with two touchdowns and an interception. Bradford threw 273 yards and a touchdown with no picks. The difference was a Golden Tate touchdown catch in the end zone in the extra session which gave the Lions an important win. That could go a long way in determining who takes the division, but they’ll be competing again in Detroit on “turkey day.” The Lions are field goal favorites to win at Ford Field on Thursday.
At 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, viewers will get a look at the league’s best team as the 9-1 Dallas Cowboys host the 6-3-1 Washington Redskins. These two division rivals have also met once before in the season. The Cowboys won 27-23 in Week 2, with that particular victory the start of their nine-game winning streak. Now Kirk Cousins and the Redskins will try to snap it. As it stands, Dallas is considered the team to beat in the league and one of the Super Bowl contenders. This game will be shown live on FOX for TV coverage, with Fox Sports Go providing the live stream on the internet and apps.
According to USA Today, Washington will have just a few days of rest before this game, as they just played a Sunday Night Football matchup. The Redskins picked up an important win over the Green Bay Packers to remain within the playoff seed picture. However, the game was late Sunday, with some of the players leaving the locker room around 1 a.m. in the morning. That leaves several days to try to rest and prepare for a huge game on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas is currently favored to win by a touchdown at AT&T Stadium and seems unstoppable thanks to the rookie tandem of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
In the nightcap of the NFL’s tripleheader of Thanksgiving games, the Indianapolis Colts host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Neither team is currently in the playoff picture for the AFC, but that could change with six games remaining in the 2016 season. Both teams own records of 5-5 right now, so unless it ends up in another tie this season, someone will get back on the winning side of things.
Of the two teams, Pittsburgh is licking their chops after the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cowboys this past Sunday. That put the Ravens at 5-5 as well. Baltimore still owns the division due to a head-to-head win over the Steelers, but Pittsburgh realizes more wins can get them to the postseason.
Both the Colts and Steelers had Week 11 success ahead of this Thanksgiving 2016 matchup. Andrew Luck threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns to help guide the Colts to a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t have a huge day, but Le’Veon Bell did with 146 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Steelers also had the advantage of playing the winless Browns and gained a 24-9 victory to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
Indianapolis will host Pittsburgh beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC. The live streaming online coverage will be available through NBC Sports Live Extra website and mobile apps for viewers with participating cable and satellite providers. The Colts will be a home underdog by a field goal ahead of this impending matchup.
For viewers who want a way to watch all three of the NFL Thanksgiving 2016 games with live streaming, the best options include NFL Sunday Ticket through DirecTV or the Verizon NFL Mobile service. Both of these are subscription-based services available through their respective service providers.
The Thanksgiving Day 2016 tripleheader of football action should provide a bit more insight into how the playoff picture will look going forward, and could very well move a few teams closer to contention.
[Featured Image by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images]
