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Do the Detroit Lions play NFL football today on Thanksgiving?

Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions celebrates with Malcolm Rodriguez #44 of the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter of a game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on Nov. 19, 2023 in Detroit. Rey Del Rio / Getty Images

There are three big traditions associated with Thanksgiving: Turkey, Black Friday deals and Detroit Lions football.

Today, there are three NFL games on the Thanksgiving football schedule. Does that mean the Detroit Lions are playing today? Read on to find out all you need to know about today's Thanksgiving NFL games, plus infomation on how and when to watch them. (Plus, you can take advantage of these incredible Black Friday streaming deals while you're at it.)


Do the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving this year?

Detroit Lions football is the NFL's longest lasting Thanksgiving tradition. The Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934.

This Thanksgiving is no different: The Detroit Lions will be playing the Green Bay Packers today. The football matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers will be played Thursday, Nov. 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on the providers listed below.


How to watch today's Detroit Lions game

While most cable packages include Fox, you can still watch the game if Fox isn't included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don't have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. Streaming options will require an internet provider.

Stream the game on Sling TV for half price and get a free Amazon Fire TV stick

If you have don't have cable TV that includes the NFL Network, NBC, ABC, Fox or ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream live NFL football this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to the NFL Network, local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups.

Black Friday deal: Sling TV is running a Black Friday deal. That plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you'll pay just $30. With your subscription to Sling TV you'll get a FREE Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, which turns most TVs into a streaming device.

Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:

  • There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
  • You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
  • All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

Watch the Detroit Lions game free with FuboTV

You can also catch the game on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via "NFL on Fox", NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you'll be able to watch more than just today's games, all without a cable subscription.

To watch the NFL without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NFL football, FuboTV offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. 

FuboTV Black Friday deal: FuboTV is running a Black Friday deal. For a limited time, new subscribers can save $40 on Fubo's Pro, Elite, and Premier plans -- $20 off the first and second months. That means you can get a Fubo Pro plan for as low as $55 per month.

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

  • There are no contracts with FuboTV -- you can cancel at any time.
  • The Pro tier includes 169 channels, including NFL Network. (You'll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
  • FuboTV includes all the channels you'll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
  • All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
  • Stream on your TV, phone, and other devices.

Watch today's Detroit Lions game on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch the NFL, including Fox and the NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It's priced at $77.

Hulu Black Friday deal: Note that there is a Black Friday deal on Hulu that doesn't include live NFL streaming -- you can get a year of Hulu for 99 cents per month for a year, and Disney+ for $2 per month extra.


Watch Lions Thanksgiving football live with a digital HDTV antenna

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Amazon

If you're cutting the cord to your cable company, you're not alone; in fact, you are in luck. You can still watch the NFL on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDYC channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here's the kicker: There's no monthly charge.

Anyone living in partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal -- or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch college football without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable (or your cable company gets in a squabble with a network).

This amplified indoor HDTV antenna claims to have a 250-mile range and comes with a 16.5-foot coaxial cable. It's rated 4.0 stars by Amazon reviewers. Regularly $33, it's currently on sale for $23 for Amazon Prime members for Black Friday.


Watch the Detroit Lions game on your phone with NFL+

If you want to catch today's Thanksgiving Day game on your phone -- and all the amazing football ahead this season -- check out NFL+. The premium streaming service, starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), offers access to NFL Network. And yes, that includes games being broadcast out-of-market. To boost your NFL experience even further, you can upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously. A seven-day, free trial is available.

Top features of NFL+:

  • You get access to all NFL preseason games, including those that are out of market.
  • NFL+ lets you watch stream local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet, but not your TV.
  • Includes the NFL Network (and NFL RedZone with NFL+ Premium), so it's a good option for those who are looking to stream football on the go.

Waiting for the game to start? Check out Amazon's new football fan shop

If you're waiting for today's Detroit Lions game to begin, now is a great time to check out Amazon's new NFL Fan Shop. The Amazon NFL Fan Shop is filled to the brim with officially licensed fan gear: You'll find jerseys, team flags, T-shirts, hoodies and more, including tons of great Christmas gifts for the NFL fan in your life. There are plenty of great early Black Friday deals awaiting you at Amazon, too, including some must-see Black Friday deals on TVs for watching football.

Tap the button below to head directly to the NFL Fan Shop page on Amazon and select your favorite team.


What other NFL teams play on Thanksgiving 2023?

Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season begins with three exciting Thanksgiving football games. 


2023 NFL Season Week 12 Schedule

The 2023 NFL Season Week 12 schedule is below. All times listed ET. The game you see broadcast locally will depend on your geographical area. 

Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving)

  • Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions, 12:30 p.m. (Fox)
  • Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. (CBS)
  • San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Friday, Nov. 24

  • Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets, 3:00 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

Sunday, Nov. 26

  • New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
  • New England Patriots vs. New York Giants, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
  • Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
  • Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. (Fox)
  • Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. (Fox)
  • Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
  • Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
  • Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 27

  • Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

Storylines we're following this NFL season

Important dates to remember: 

  • The 2023 NFL regular season runs today through Jan. 7, 2024. 
  • Playoffs are scheduled for January 13 through Jan. 28, 2004.
  • Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
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No. 8 Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson Getty Images

The NFL's first Black Friday game: The league is going big on Thanksgiving this year with three games, followed by its first-ever Black Friday game. Though schedulers had undoubtedly anticipated a bigger matchup between the Dolphins and the Jets prior to Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffering a season ending injury during the team's first game of the 2023 season, the NFL still has high hopes that extending its coverage into Black Friday will also extend the ratings.

Hello, my name is Joshua Dobbs. If you follow the Cleveland Browns, you'll recall the team's training camp backup quarterback was 28-year-old journeyman QB Joshua Dobbs. The Browns traded Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals in August, where he served as the team's starter while franchise QB Kyler Murray rehabbed from injury. On October 31, Dobbs was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Six days later, he was on the field after the Vikings starter left the game with a concussion. Dobbs led the Vikings to a win over the Atlanta Falcons despite having not practiced with, or learned the names of, his teammates. Dobbs became the first quarterback in NFL history with consecutive three-touchdown games for different teams and continues to start for the Vikings.

Good morning, Baltimore. Many hours of NFL sports broadcasts over recent years have been dedicated to arguing the talents (or lack thereof) of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Lamar has always been a dynamic scrambler out of the pocket, but pundits (and Bengals fans) like to argue that Lamar runs the ball too often. The Ravens are 8-3 coming into Week 12 and MVP chants follow Lamar (again) at every turn. Jackson has five rushing touchdowns this season, which has no doubt fueled the fire.


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