Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day: Your Complete 2026 NFL Holiday Betting Slate Preview

NFL Thanksgiving Schedule and Odds

Thanksgiving is synonymous with the NFL. This year, the league has taken things one step further and introduced its first-ever “Thanksgiving Eve” game, giving us even more action to bet on.

Packers at Rams – Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. (Netflix)

The night before the turkeys go in the oven, the Packers and Rams meet at SoFi Stadium in a heavyweight NFC showdown. These were two of the best teams in the conference in 2025, and things are looking up entering the 2026 campaign.

This will be the first meeting between Green Bay and Los Angeles since Week 5 of the 2024 season. The Packers went on the road and defeated the Rams 24-19 behind Jordan Love’s 224 yards and two touchdown passes and Josh Jacobs’ score on the ground.

Los Angeles (+750) is the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, with Green Bay well behind at +2200. Plenty will change between now and November, but this remains a must-win game for both sides. Each team has a bye in Week 11 and will want to claim victory here to establish some momentum down the stretch of the regular season.

Bears at Lions – Thursday, Nov. 26 at Noon (CBS)

Bears-Lions on Thanksgiving is a tradition unlike all but one other. Lions-Packers is the only matchup that’s ever gotten more run on Turkey Day, with a record 22 entries. This year’s edition of Bears-Lions will be the 21st all-time.

Historically, it’s been tight. Chicago has the 11-9 edge, though Detroit won the most recent matchup in 2024, 23-20. Of course, these teams are also familiar outside of the holiday, given their status as NFC North rivals. The Lions won both meetings in 2025, including a 52-21 result in Week 5.

Detroit (+165) is favored to win the NFC North title this year, followed by Green Bay (+240), Chicago (+310), and Minnesota (+425). As one of the tightest divisions in the sport, this Thanksgiving showcase could go a long way in determining the final order.

Eagles at Cowboys – Thursday, Nov. 26 at 4:30 p.m. (FOX)

It might come as a surprise to learn that this will only be the third Thanksgiving matchup between the Eagles and Cowboys. It’s a smart play on the NFL’s part to slide this game into the 4:30 timeslot, though: This will be a ratings smash.

Eagles-Cowboys is one of the premier rivalries in the NFL, and that’s not set to change anytime soon. To date, the NFC East contenders have met 134 times. This meeting will be the 136th – Philadelphia will host Dallas in Week 7 on Monday Night Football.

There are stars all over the field. The Eagles have Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, and DeVonta Smith. The Cowboys roster includes Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens. It will be fierce, and it will be fun.

Chiefs at Bills – Thursday, Nov. 26 at 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen in the Thanksgiving nightcap. Does it get any better than that?

Chiefs-Bills has become one of the premier rivalries in the NFL. This will be the 11th matchup dating back to the 2020 season. It’ll also serve as a tiebreaker: they’re currently split 5-5. Kansas City, however, has won all four playoff games during that span, including two AFC Championship meetings.

The Chiefs and Bills are again considered to be among the top contenders to win Super Bowl LXI. Kansas City (+1200) is only slightly behind Buffalo (+1000), but both teams rank inside the top four overall.

With both sides boasting shiny new additions on offense (the Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker III, the Bills traded for DJ Moore), this feels primed to be another high-stakes shootout.

Broncos at Steelers – Friday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

There’s another Black Friday game on this year’s schedule, and it could be a doozy. The Broncos, fresh off a 14-3 season and a trip to the AFC Championship Game, head to Pittsburgh to take on the new-look Steelers.

Denver’s defense is a big part of what makes this team so dangerous. The Broncos ranked third league-wide in points allowed per game in 2025, and they gave up the fewest passing yards per attempt. That’s a terrifying combination for any opponent, let alone Pittsburgh.

The Steelers will have a new coach for the first time since 2007 as Mike McCarthy patrols the sideline. By this point in the season, he’ll already be 10 games into his tenure as the coach of his hometown team. The real question: Will it be Aaron Rodgers under center? Or could rookie quarterback Drew Allar be the one dropping back to pass by Week 12?

NFL Christmas Schedule and Odds

The NFL’s annual Christmas schedule has been expanded to feature a Christmas Eve game on Amazon Prime. Now you can enjoy even more of the gridiron while you’re setting out cookies for Santa.

Texans at Eagles – Thursday, Dec. 24 at 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

While visions of sugarplums are dancing in your children’s heads (or nieces and nephews, we won’t judge), the Texans and Eagles will be duking it out in a rare interconference showdown. These two teams have only met six times, with Philly leading the all-time series 6-0.

Houston’s season will be defined by its ability to bounce back from an embarrassing playoff exit. The Patriots made short work of the Texans, forcing C.J. Stroud to throw four interceptions in a 28-16 win in the Divisional Round. With an upgraded offensive line and the addition of hard-nosed running back David Montgomery, Houston looks poised to move on.

For Philadelphia, this game comes right in the middle of an absolute gauntlet. The Eagles host the Seahawks on Saturday, Dec. 19, giving them just five days to recover and prepare for the Texans. The following week, they head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.

Packers at Bears – Friday, Dec. 25 at 1 p.m. (Netflix)

The NFL’s most-played rivalry gets another edition on Christmas Day. After meeting three times in 2025 – including once in the postseason – the Packers and Bears will go to war in a holiday classic. It’ll be their second matchup of the season, too, which only raises the stakes.

Chicago won two out of three against Green Bay in 2025. That includes the one that mattered the most: A thrilling 31-27 victory in the Wild Card round. The Bears trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 after three quarters, but a 25-point surge in the final frame helped deliver an all-time win.

With only two games left on each team’s schedule following this meeting, we can expect to see both sides give everything they have as they presumably compete for one of the top spots in the NFC North.

Bills at Broncos – Friday, Dec. 25 at 4:30 p.m. (Netflix)

Following a probable NFC North bloodbath, the Bills return to Denver to take on the Broncos in a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round thriller. The Bills came all the way back from a 23-10 deficit to force overtime, but folded in the extra frame and lost 33-30.

That loss forced a lot of changes in Buffalo. Coach Sean McDermott, who was installed in 2017, was fired. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over his old position. And as mentioned earlier, the Bills made a move to acquire DJ Moore and get Josh Allen the help he deserves.

Time will tell if Buffalo did enough to put itself back in position to compete for a Super Bowl, but this late-season rematch will serve as an excellent test of what could lie ahead in the postseason.

Rams at Seahawks – Friday, Dec. 25 at 8:15 p.m. (FOX)

If two postseason rematches weren’t enough for you, you’re in luck. The NFL is making this a Christmas to remember and capping off the slate with a replay of the NFC Championship between the Rams and Seahawks.

This matchup was one of the best in football in 2025. Los Angeles took the first meeting in Week 11, holding off a late surge to win 21-19. A few weeks later, Seattle won controversially, defeating the Rams 38-37 in overtime on Thursday Night Football.

Then came the big one. In an instant classic, Seattle held off Los Angeles in the NFC Championship, winning 31-27 to punch its ticket to Super Bowl LX. 

Surprisingly, this will be the first meeting between the Seahawks and Rams in 2026. The final matchup comes two weeks later in Week 18 in a game that will almost certainly decide the NFC West title. 

NFL New Year’s Schedule and Odds

New Year’s Day belongs to college football, but the NFL couldn’t help but sneak in a late-night showdown to send us into 2027.

Ravens at Bengals – Thursday, Dec. 31 at 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

In the final game of the calendar year, the NFL is leaning on a pair of AFC North rivals to deliver everything the division is known for: Intense, hard-nosed, hate-fueled football. 

The Ravens and Bengals are likely to be the prime contenders out of the division this year (sorry, Steelers) and could deliver an all-time great matchup if Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are still healthy by the time this game comes around. 

Burrow appeared in both meetings this past season, leading Cincinnati to wildly different results. His Bengals won 32-14 on the road in Week 13, but they couldn’t get anything going at home in a 24-0 loss in Week 15. 

The AFC North may come down to the result of this matchup. With any luck, it’ll be the cherry on top of a terrific year in football.