Thanksgiving a feast only if you are an NFC fan

[RecoveringCowboy]

• Chicago @ Detroit
• Philadelphia @ Dallas
• Seattle @ San Francisco

Good divisional rivalries from different regions (read: good for TV), but slim pickings if you are looking for AFC matchups.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I sure wish they put the bills jets game on...wow that was a game!

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Give me 3 good games. I don't care which conference they're in.

 

[jmt57]

That's highly unusual; probably the first time that has ever happened.

Typically you would have one game on each of the networks. That meant a game with visiting team from the NFC on Fox, one with the road eam from the AFC on CBS, and a third game on ESPN/NFLN/NBC. I assume this is a result of this year's cross-flex scheduling, where some NFC games end up on CBS and AFC games on FOX on occasion. The Pats-Packers game was saved for Sunday afternoon, and there are AFC games on Sunday and Monday night. The only other good AFC/CBS matchup is San Diego at Baltimore, but since the Ravens played Monday night they couldn't turn around and play Thursday.

 

[dales804]

That's highly unusual; probably the first time that has ever happened.

Typically you would have one game on each of the networks. That meant a game with visiting team from the NFC on Fox, one with the road eam from the AFC on CBS, and a third game on ESPN/NFLN/NBC. I assume this is a result of this year's cross-flex scheduling, where some NFC games end up on CBS and AFC games on FOX on occasion. The Pats-Packers game was saved for Sunday afternoon, and there are AFC games on Sunday and Monday night. The only other good AFC/CBS matchup is San Diego at Baltimore, but since the Ravens played Monday night they couldn't turn around and play Thursday.

CBS does have the first game, Chicago @ Detroit. Fox has the afternoon and NBC the night game.

 

[jmt57]

CBS does have the first game, Chicago @ Detroit. Fox has the afternoon and NBC the night game.

I mis-worded that, looking back at what I wrote.

I meant to say that it was unusual for all the teams playing on Thanksgiving to be from one conference, and that normally would have never happened in the past - because each network would have one game, and therefore at least one team from each conference.

 

[Oswlek]

I mis-worded that, looking back at what I wrote.

I meant to say that it was unusual for all the teams playing on Thanksgiving to be from one conference, and that normally would have never happened in the past - because each network would have one game, and therefore at least one team from each conference.

Not entirely accurate. Historically, Thanksgiving has had games in Detroit and Dallas, so you are already starting with two NFC teams. The odds are good that both were playing NFC opponents in any given year as well.

The Sunday night Thanksgiving game is a recent addition, so that might have spread things more evenly between conferences, but it is too small a sample to derive anything useful out of.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

Detroit has had the Thanksgiving game since the 30s? Dallas offered to do it in the late 60s under the condition they always played at home...played every year except 76 and 77. The late Lamar Hunt suggested another Thanksgiving game and about five years ago the NFL finally did so.