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The 3 NFL Thanksgiving games this season are all actually really fun

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

It has been a long time since we’ve had a great schedule of NFL games on Thanksgiving.

Let’s be honest, most of the time the Detroit Lions have been the issue. They have two winning seasons since 2000. But it’s hard to get lucky enough that every team scheduled seven months in advance for Thanksgiving end up being relevant and fun to watch. And when the NFL added a third Thanksgiving game in 2006, the league made it really hard.

We might have a perfect storm this year.

Thanks to some recent network flexibility that allows two NFC vs. NFC matchups (before 2014, one of the games had to be AFC vs. NFC to appease network rules) the first two games will be huge in divisional races. The third game will impact the AFC playoff race and might be the most exciting game of the day. All six Thanksgiving teams are coming off Week 11 wins, too.

In other words, there won’t be that three-hour window to turn off the TV for the “boring” game when you’re having turkey. Plan accordingly.

Minnesota Vikings (6-4) at Detroit Lions (6-4)
12:30 p.m. ET
CBS

Not too long ago, the Lions were so bad that there was a thought that the NFL might take away the annual Thanksgiving game. That’s not the case anymore.

The Lions aren’t perfect, but they’re exciting. And they’ve put themselves in a position to win the NFC North for the first time. The last time the Lions won a division title, it was the NFC Central in 1993. A win over the Vikings would be a huge step toward that goal.

The Vikings are the biggest roadblock to a Lions division title. The Vikings started the season 5-0 before hitting a slump, but a 30-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday gives them some positive momentum. With the Green Bay Packers sitting in third place at 4-6, whoever wins this game will be in control of the division with just five games to go.

(AP)
(AP)

Washington Redskins (6-3-1) at Dallas Cowboys (9-1)
4:30 p.m. ET
CBS

This would be a headliner of a game any day. On Thanksgiving it’s a real treat.

This is one of the NFL’s classic rivalries, and it’s huge in the NFC East race. The Cowboys are perhaps the biggest story in the NFL after their great start. Much like 2012, when rookie Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III put on a show on Thanksgiving at Dallas, it seems like Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott could really shine. And if not him, maybe Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott.

After an 0-2 start, Washington has quietly become one of the best teams in the NFC East. A 42-24 win over the Packers on Sunday night opened some eyes. A win in Dallas would help the Redskins greatly in the NFC East race.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) at Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
8:30 p.m. ET
NBC

In fairness, this isn’t a game between two great teams. But it’s easy to see this turning out to be the most entertaining game of the day.

Whatever flaws these two teams have, they can both pile up big plays in bunches. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck are two of the best in the game.

And both teams have positioned themselves to make a playoff run. The Steelers won Sunday and are tied with the Baltimore Ravens in first place in the AFC North. The Colts beat the Tennessee Titans and are just behind the Houston Texans in the AFC South. Some kind of 42-40 shootout is on the table for our Thanksgiving NFL dessert.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!