Jae C. Hong/Associated Press As soon as the 2019 NFL schedule was released Wednesday, many players and fans turned their attention to Thanksgiving Day. We already knew we'd be watching the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions while we eat our holiday meals, just like every other year, but some of the other top teams in the NFC will also be on display during the triple-header. Even with some reruns from last year's games, there should be enough talent on the field that no one should be complaining. Here is a breakdown of the three Thanksgiving battles to watch in 2019. 2019 NFL Thanksgiving Day Schedule (Thursday, Nov. 28) Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, 12:30 p.m. ET (Fox) Buffalo Bills at Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS) New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC) Video Play Button Videos you might like Bears at Lions Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images This is a rematch of last year's opening game on Thanksgiving, but there is a lot more hype for the Bears this time around. Going into 2018, Chicago was just a struggling franchise that had gone seven years without a playoff berth and was coming off a 5-11 season. However, things changed in a big way last season with a 12-4 record and the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL. Khalil Mack was the big addition, but Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller, Akiem Hicks and others had big years and should be back for more in 2019. Meanwhile, Mitchell Trubisky has proved to be a dynamic quarterback who can lead an exciting offense. This group should enter the season a top contender for the Super Bowl, and this national game will be a good chance to show what it can do. Of course, the Lions will use this game to show that last year's problems were just a fluke. The offense ranked just 25th in the NFL in 2019, but Matthew Stafford will return to a group of young weapons including Kenny Golladay and Kerryon Johnson. These players could cause problems for the Bears defense, potentially creating a close divisional battle in Week 13. Bills at Cowboys Harry How/Getty Images The Cowboys were 10-6 last season and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, but few teams in the NFL were better in the second half of 2018. Dallas was 7-1 in the last eight games of the regular season, with a young defense that continued to improve throughout the year. The bad news for the rest of the NFC is that most of the players are back and should only be better in 2019, especially Byron Jones and Leighton Vander Esch. The pressure will be on Dak Prescott to stay consistent, an issue that has haunted him throughout his young career. Even if he doesn't play well, however, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper make this offense a scary one. On the other hand, the Bills are trying to continue their rebuilding effort behind Josh Allen, last year's seventh overall pick. The quarterback showed impressive flashes during his rookie season, especially when given space to make plays with his legs. While expectations are still low—the team has just 125-1 odds to win a Super Bowl, per Vegas Insider—there is enough talent to improve upon the six wins from last year. Facing a defense that ranked second in yards allowed in 2018, Dallas likely won't run away with this one. Saints at Falcons Scott Cunningham/Getty Images When these teams played last year on Thanksgiving, the Saints came away with a 31-17 win. However, this game will be in Atlanta, and that could make a huge difference. New Orleans was the far superior team in 2018, but the Week 3 matchup between these squads in Atlanta came down to overtime before the Saints escaped with a 43-37 victory. Last season, Matt Ryan's quarterback rating was 18.3 points better at home, while Drew Brees' rating was 34 points worse on the road. Playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium will give the Falcons a chance to avenge last year's sweep against their division rival. Meanwhile, Atlanta could be much better than last year's 7-9 disappointment, especially if the key players on each side of the ball remain healthy. New Orleans is already expected to be one of the top teams in football next year after retaining most of the roster that went 13-3 in 2018. Brees remains one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league and has plenty of weapons around him, which could make the offense nearly unstoppable. When these teams get together, it could be a high-scoring battle that comes down to the last possession.<doc-sep>The leaks are over, the 2019 NFL schedule has been released! For a full look at the entire schedule, be sure to click here or you can keep scrolling down and check out our live blog as we go through the ups and downs of each team's schedule. Now that we have the full 256-game regular season schedule, here's a few highlights: The Patriots will kick off off their season by hosting the Steelers on Sunday night in Week 1. The Saints and Falcons will be playing in the primetime game on Thanksgiving. The Bills will also be playing on Thanksgiving with their game against the Cowboys marking the first time since 1994 that Buffalo has played on Turkey Day. Odell Beckham will be returning to New York in Week 2 for a Monday night game against the Jets. Also in Week 2, the Saints will have a chance to get revenge on the Rams for the NFC title game. Once again, you can click here to check out the entire schedule or you can check out our schedule analysis in our live blog below (click here to refresh if the live blog doesn't load) Keep in mind that the schedule you see below is based on leaks and that nothing is official until the NFL announces the schedule at 8 p.m. ET. Join us at CBS Sports HQ as we break down everything you need to know about the schedule (you can find the live feed at the top of this article at 8 p.m. ET). If you made it this far, here's a look at every game that leaked before the schedule came out. Week 1 Thursday, Sept. 5 Packers at Bears, 8:20 p.m. ET (Officially announced) Sunday, Sept. 8 Redskins at Eagles, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Bills at Jets (Source) Ravens at Dolphins (Source) 49ers at Buccaneers (Source) Chiefs at Jaguars (Source) Titans at Browns (Source) Bengals at Seahawks (Source) Rams at Panthers (Source) Colts at Chargers (Source) Giants at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Steelers at Patriots, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Sept. 9 Texans at Saints, 7:10 p.m. ET (Source) Broncos at Raiders, 10:20 p.m. ET (Source) Week 2 Thursday, Sept. 12 Buccaneers at Panthers, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Sunday, Sept. 15 Patriots at Dolphins (Source) Bills at Giants, 1 p.m. ET (Source) 49ers at Bengals (Source) Bears at Broncos (Source) Vikings at Packers (Source) Colts at Titans (Source) Saints at Rams, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Eagles at Falcons, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Sept. 16 Browns at Jets, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 3 Sunday, Sept. 22 Jets at Patriots (Source) Falcons at Colts (Source) Broncos at Packers (Source) Steelers at 49ers (Source) Bears at Redskins (Source) Bengals at Bills (Source) Dolphins at Cowboys (Source) Giants at Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET (Source) Saints at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Rams at Browns, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Week 4 Sunday, Sept. 29 Patriots at Bills (Source) Raiders at Colts (Source) Chargers at Dolphins (Source) Redskins at Giants, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Cowboys at Saints, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Week 5 Sunday, Oct. 6 Bears vs. Raiders in London, 1 p.m. ET (Officially announced) Vikings at Giants, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Buccaneers at Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Packers at Cowboys (Source) Patriots at Redskins (Source) Jets at Eagles (Source) Colts at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Oct. 7 Browns at 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Week 6 Thursday, Oct. 10 Giants at Patriots, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Sunday, Oct. 13 Panthers vs. Buccaneers in London, 9:30 a.m. ET (Officially announced) Cowboys at Jets (Source) Redskins at Dolphins (Source) Saints at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET (Source) 49ers at Rams (Source) Monday, Oct. 14 Lions at Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 7 Sunday, Oct. 20 Cardinals at Giants, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Raiders at Packers (Source) Dolphins at Bills (Source) Saints at Bears, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Texans at Colts (Source) 49ers at Redskins (Source) Monday, Oct. 21 Patriots at Jets, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 8 Sunday, Oct. 27 Bengals vs. Rams in London, 1 p.m. ET (Officially announced) Giants at Lions, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Cardinals at Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Broncos at Colts (Source) Panthers at 49ers (Source) Browns at Patriots, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Jets at Jaguars (Source) Packers at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Oct. 28 Dolphins at Steelers, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 9 Sunday, Nov. 3 Texans vs. Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. ET (Officially announced) Panthers at Packers (Source) 49ers at Cardinals (Source) Jets at Dolphins (Source) Colts at Steelers (Source) Packers at Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Patriots at Ravens, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Nov. 4 Cowboys at Giants, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 10 Sunday, Nov. 10 Giants at Jets (Source) Bills at Browns (Source) Dolphins at Colts (Source) Seahawks at 49ers (Source) Falcons at Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Week 11 Sunday, Nov. 17 Patriots at Eagles (Source) Jets at Redskins (Source) Bills at Dolphins (Source) Jaguars at Colts (Source) Saints at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Cardinals at 49ers (Source) Monday, Nov. 18 Chiefs vs. Chargers in Mexico City, 8:15 p.m. ET (Officially announced) Week 12 Thursday, Nov. 21 Colts at Texans (Source) Sunday, Nov. 24 Raiders at Jets (Source) Giants at Bears, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Dolphins at Browns (Source) Panthers at Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Packers at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Cowboys at Patriots, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Week 13 Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) Bears at Lions, 12:30 p.m. ET (Sports Business Journal) TBA at Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. ET Saints at Falcons, 8:30 p.m. ET (Source) Sunday, Dec. 1 Jets at Bengals (Source) Eagles at Dolphins (Source) Packers at Giants, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Titans at Colts (Source) 49ers at Ravens (Source) Patriots at Texans, 8:20 p.m. ET (Source) Week 14 Thursday, Dec. 5 Cowboys at Bears (Source) Sunday, Dec. 8 Dolphins at Jets (Source) Redskins at Packers (Source) Colts at Buccaneers (Source) 49ers at Saints, 1 p.m. ET (Source) Chiefs at Patriots, 4:25 p.m. ET (Source) Monday, Dec. 9 Giants at Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (Source) Week 15 Thursday, Dec. 12<doc-sep>While the 2019 NFL schedule won’t be released in full until tonight at 8 p.m. ET, schedule leaks are expected throughout the day. And it sounds like we now know the Chicago Bears’ Week 13 opponent. And you might want to adjust your plans accordingly. The Bears will play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, at Ford Field, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Word is #Bears will play at #Lions on Thanksgiving again this year. Nov. 28 at Ford Field. — Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) April 17, 2019 This is a match-up that’s been rumored since February, and it’s not a surprise that the NFL would like to see more of the Bears on national television. When the Bears are good, it’s good for the NFL. It’s a sense of déjà vu as the Bears and Lions met on Thanksgiving just last year. Chicago, without starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky and coming off a Sunday Night win against the Minnesota Vikings, won 23-16. Related Most anticipated Bears games of 2019 This looks like a good second-half game of the season for the Bears, who just last year played the Lions twice in three weeks. Let’s hope those match-ups are spaced out a little bit more this season. Here’s how the Bears’ schedule looks as of now: Week 1 – vs. Green Bay (Thursday, Sept. 5) Week 5 – at Oakland, in London (Sunday, Oct. 6) The Bears will host games against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints. They’ll travel to face the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams, as well as home and away games against their division rivals.<doc-sep>Today’s a fun day around the NFL, as we’ll soon know the league schedule for the 2019 season. While we’ve known about the opponents for quite some time, the exact time and dates were unknown. Both small and big leaks have happened throughout the morning, but up until recently, nothing with the New Orleans Saints. That has changed. According to The Athletic’s Nick Underhill, we have three dates for the Saints to share. Per his report, the team will open the new season hosting the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, which is typically a double-header featuring an earlier start in the first game. In Week 2, the Saints will travel to play the Los Angeles Rams in a much anticipated rematch of last season’s controversial NFC Championship. Finally, the Saints and Falcons will meet again on Thanksgiving, but this time in Atlanta. The NFL will release the full schedule tonight, but each season we get more information available to us before getting to that point.<doc-sep>
Although that bowl of gravy is a long way away from being in your hand ahead of Thanksgiving Day in 2019, we can go ahead and start thinking about the NFL's schedule for that holiday right now, thanks to the release of the full 2019 NFL schedule. Thanksgiving is about traditions and family and familiarity, and the football is no different, as we've got a pair of divisional matchups set up for the day, sandwiching (get it?) the Cowboys hosting a surprising foe. We're breaking down all the schedule info and action on the Pick Six Podcast, our daily NFL pod featuring high-level NFL analysis with more than a dash of mirth. You can get it for free on iTunes or on Spotify or on Stitcher. Let's dive into the three Thanksgiving games. Bears at Lions 12:30 p.m. ET (Fox) Detroit has been the go to for Fox on the early afternoon Thanksgiving game for quite some time, and it feels like this has been either Chicago or Minnesota in this spot every year for the last half-decade. This year it will be the Chicago Bears, meaning there is plenty of juice added to this matchup due to the Bears' success in 2018. Chicago was just a team on the rise -- and one without its starting quarterback -- when they came to Detroit last season. Now the Bears are the defending division champs, a team with a target on its back, and the Lions are sort of figuring out what their identity is after a disappointing first season for Matt Patricia. Still, the atmosphere here will be exciting unless one of these teams stumbles out of the gate. There's plenty at stake when it comes to a division that should have plenty of heat with multiple contenders and the Lions looming as a potential sleeper if Matthew Stafford can return to playing like a quarterback who belongs in the upper-half discussion amongst the league's signal callers. Bills at Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS) Huh. Non-traditional opponent for the Cowboys on Thanksgiving here. It's on CBS, so it's a great game, thanks for asking. I don't think anyone would suggest the Bills have the same headline appeal in a Cowboys matchup as the Redskins, Giants or Eagles, so it's a little surprising to see this non-divisional matchup. But the Bills could be a frisky opponent this year -- Buffalo made some nice additions this offseason, and Sean McDermott gets the most out of his team every single year. The Cowboys will have high expectations after doling out a big deal to Demarcus Lawrence and potentially Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. My early take is this game will end up being a lot better than the matchup might indicate off the bat. Saints at Falcons, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC) This is the second year in a row we're drawing this heated NFC South matchup on Thanksgiving, and there's plenty of reason to believe the 2019 version should be better than the one we saw last year, a romp by the Saints in which Atlanta's season basically came to a close. The Falcons are in a somewhat desperate situation, with owner Arthur Blank making it clear that another rough season for Dan Quinn could result in the coaching staff seeing a huge amount of turnover. The Saints are all in again on 2019 after shoving their chips in the middle of the table last year. Expect a lot of points in this one and a lot of bitter battles between two divisional rivals.