The Thanksgiving Game That Makes Perfect Sense
The 2026 schedule drops Thursday night, and before it does, let’s talk about the most obvious call the NFL should make for our Thanksgiving game. We’ve played seven divisional matchups in the last ten Turkey Days. The other three? AFC teams.
This year we host two AFC squads: the Titans and the Patriots. One of those teams just went to the Super Bowl. The other did not.
Lions versus Patriots sells itself. Dan Campbell versus Mike Vrabel is the kind of coaching matchup that writes its own storylines. Two guys cut from the same cloth, both tough as nails, both building something real. Plus you get Jared Goff against what might be the younger version of himself in Drake Maye, at least in terms of how they entered the league.
The Wrinkle Nobody Wants to Talk About
Here’s the problem. The scandal involving Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini isn’t going away. It’s the story everyone is whispering about, and the NFL knows it.
You have to wonder if the league wants to keep the Patriots out of the spotlight as much as possible right now. It’s one thing when they’re mixed in with the 1:00 and 4:00 crowd. It’s another thing entirely when they’re one of the only games on television.
How far does the NFL go to protect itself and the Patriots from this mess? Do they tell networks to avoid bringing it up? Do they just pretend it doesn’t exist?
The Nuclear Option
There’s also the question of whether Vrabel is even coaching this team in 2026. Some people think he might step down because of the massive distraction this is causing the franchise.
That’s probably the last card to be played, but it’s still a card.
Look, we’re overthinking this a bit. But if the NFL decides to go business as usual and pretend none of this matters, Lions versus Patriots is the game that makes the most sense. It sells itself to neutral fans who aren’t playing on Thanksgiving or don’t play until later that day.
The question is whether the league has the stomach for it. In a perfect world, this is a no-brainer. But this isn’t a perfect world, and the NFL has never been accused of taking the obvious path when there’s controversy involved.
Are we getting the Thanksgiving game we deserve, or is the league going to play it safe and stick us with the Titans? Let me know what you think in the comments.
This would be the perfect game to show everyone what we’re building. Dan Campbell vs a coach like that on Thanksgiving with the whole country watching? That’s how you prove this team is different now. We deserve this matchup and honestly I think the NFL owes it to us after everything we’ve been through.
I get what you’re saying about the Patriots controversy, but let’s be real – the NFL doesn’t avoid anything because of a headline. They’ll do what makes them the most money. If Lions-Pats is the bigger game, they’ll pick it and deal with whatever comes up during broadcast. That’s just how they operate.
You know back in my day we were just happy to get any prime time slot at all. Now we’re talking about being picky with Thanksgiving matchups and coaching philosophies? That’s a good problem to have with this regime. Campbell’s got the respect of people now, and that matters.
Patriots game would go crazy with the Goff vs Maye angle too. Two young promising QBs on national TV, both their fan bases would tune in. This feels like obvious money for the NFL, but knowing them they’ll probably overthink it and hand us the Titans instead.