The Detroit Lions are set to continue their Thanksgiving Day tradition for the 86th straight year in 2025—but fans should note one small change. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the league plans to bump the kickoff time from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
It’s a slight adjustment, but it will help tighten the overall Thanksgiving Day schedule. The NFL wants to streamline the broadcast window so that the Lions game rolls more cleanly into the Dallas Cowboys’ 4:30 p.m. matchup, followed by the evening primetime game. That means less downtime between games—and maybe a bit more urgency grabbing that second helping of turkey before kickoff resumes.
