NFL Thanksgiving 2017 TV Schedule: How To Watch Dallas Cowboys, Other Games

Three NFL games are on the 2017 Thanksgiving schedule, two of which feature opponents that are in the middle of the playoff race. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will play in the afternoon, as they do every year, followed by “Thursday Night Football.”

Let’s take a quick look at the complete Thanksgiving schedule, including the start times and TV channels for each contest. Thursday marks the beginning of Week 12 of the 2017 NFL season.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions (12:30 p.m. EST, FOX)

It’d be hard to find a game on the Week 12 schedule with more playoff implications than Thursday’s first contest. A win for the Vikings would all but clinch the NFC North title and keep them in position to get a first-round playoff bye. Detroit can cut Minnesota’s first-place lead to just one game while keeping pace with the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks for the second NFC wild-card berth.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys (4:30 p.m. EST, CBS)

It’s not a stretch to call this game a “must-win” situation for both teams if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. L.A. is one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC’s No.6 seed, but five other teams separate them. Dallas is one of five teams within a game of the NFC’s No.6 seed, but that entire group is ahead of the Cowboys when it comes to tiebreakers. The Chargers have won four of their last six games, while the Cowboys are on a two-game losing streak.

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins (8:30 p.m. EST, NBC)

Both teams are pretty much playing for pride at this point in the season. The Giants have long been out of contention with eight losses in their first 10 games. The NFC is so competitive that the Redskins might still miss the playoffs with a six-game winning streak to close the season. Washington has fallen out of the postseason race with four losses in five games, though three of those defeats have come against the NFC’s top three teams.