Detroit Lions fans will have to wait a little longer than usual to kick off their annual Thanksgiving Day game in 2025 (but not too much longer).
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on April 25, when he said this year’s Thanksgiving Day game featuring the Lions will kick off at 1 p.m. ET instead of the traditional 12:30 p.m. ET start time.
The idea is to make the Thanksgiving Day schedule look like a typical Sunday slate: With the first game at 1 p.m. ET, the second one (hosted by the Dallas Cowboys) at 4:25 p.m. and third game in prime time.
The Lions and Green Bay Packers will kick off at Ford Field in Detroit at 1 p.m., 30 minutes later than normal, and approximately an hour after the end of the city’s Thanksgiving parade down Woodward Ave.
Why is Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving game starting at 1 instead of 12:30?
One NFL executive said the league made the move to get more eyeballs on the game.
“We look at the data where we can to be informed,” NFL executive vice president for media distribution Hans Schroeder said. “It told us there’s a lot more fans that are home, that are back from wherever they are Thanksgiving morning to be on their couches and being able to watch. So that felt like a really obvious thing from the media perspective.”
What are NFL games on Thanksgiving 2025?
Traditionally, the Lions have started the NFL’s Thanksgiving slate with a 12:30 p.m. kick. The Dallas Cowboys play in the 4:30 p.m. window, and the NFL added a rotating Thanksgiving night game in 2006. In addition to the Lions’ game against the Packers, the Cowboys will host the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs on CBS and the Baltimore Ravens will host the Cincinnati Bengals on NBC in the night game.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why does Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game start at 1, not 12:30?
Reporting by Christian Romo and Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
