Thanksgiving Day kicks off Week 13, and it gets started with an NFC North rivalry as the Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) visit Motown to battle the Detroit Lions (7-4).
Both teams are chasing the first-place Chicago Bears (8-3), and the Packers already have one victory over the Lions, having beaten them 27-13 in Week 1 in Green Bay. It’s a fight for divisional and playoff positioning that should be an entertaining Turkey Day matchup.
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The Packers kept pace in the division and pushed Minnesota further behind by beating the Vikings easily in Week 12, 23-6. Despite a quiet day from quarterback Jordan Love (14-of-21 passing for 139 yards), Green Bay got a huge contribution from running back Emanuel Wilson. In place of Josh Jacobs, Wilson rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
The Packers’ defense handled the rest, sacking the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy five times and intercepting him twice. They’ll need to keep that going against this explosive Detroit offense.
It took overtime in Week 12 for Detroit to get past the New York Giants, but they got the job done, 34-27. Jahmyr Gibbs was the big story in this game, rushing for 219 yards, two touchdowns and another 11 receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. If the defense can hold up against Green Bay, Detroit could be in for some tasty home cooking.
Packers-Lions start time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Ford Field | Detroit
TV channel, live stream: Fox, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Packers and Lions open up the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day game slate in Week 13:
Live25 updatesThu, November 27, 2025 at 8:33 AM PST
Kate Magdziuk
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions kick off on Thanksgiving, each team has announced its Week 13 inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Packers inactivesLions inactives
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:42 AM PST
Kari Anderson
That’s 50 rushing yards already for Jacobs in this offensively slow first quarter. Green Bay has outpaced Detroit 102-10 on total yards — and Jacobs has half of those.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:36 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:35 AM PST
Kari Anderson
With Detroit already at third-and-15, Micah Parsons takes down Jared Goff for a six-yard loss, and the Lions punt again.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:31 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Detroit wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown went down after a collision with his own teammate, with the receiver’s leg appearing to bend awkwardly.
St. Brown walked off under his own power, but it would be a brutal blow for the Lions to lose the star receiver.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:25 AM PST
Kari Anderson
The Lions defense returns the favor, and the Packers stumble into a three-and-out of their own.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:20 AM PST
Kari Anderson
The Lions offensive line problems are glaring early on as Jared Goff gets completely smothered. On third-and-long, Xavier McKinney and Isaiah McDuffie come out of nowhere to stifle the drive completely.
Detroit goes three-and-out and punts the ball back to the Packers, but it’s a poor start for the home team on offense.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:14 AM PST
Kari Anderson
After Green Bay marches down the field, the Lions defense gets the stop and forces the Packers to settle for a field goal. McManus’ kick is true and gives Green Bay a 3-0 lead early on.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:09 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:07 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:05 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Detroit gets the kickoff, and Green Bay receives the ball first — and immediately gets a holding penalty. Packers will start from their own 17.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:03 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 10:03 AM PST
Kari Anderson
After losing the Week 1 matchup against Green Bay 27-13, Detroit is ready to come back stronger at home. Ahead of Thursday’s game, Lions coach Dan Campbell told Fox that he thinks the team is in a better place to compete.
“There’s things we want to clean up, but we are a better team than we were in Week 1,” Campbell said.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:59 AM PST
Detroit and Green Bay have met a stunning 22 times on Thanksgiving, in a hearty NFC North tradition. The Lions currently lead the Thanksgiving series 12-9-1 — who will come out on top on this year?
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM PST
Get those TVs set! The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions kick off the Thanksgiving Day slate live from Ford Field at 1 p.m. ET, airing live on Fox and NFL+.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:50 AM PST
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM PST
Kari Anderson
Gibbs, who has broken out as one of the best running backs in the league, is setting himself up well to get paid this offseason, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Gibbs will become eligible for an extension after this season assuming that he earns his third Pro Bowl nod — which, given that he is top three in the league in terms of rushing yards and touchdowns, seems incredibly likely.
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM PST
Kate Magdziuk
Thu, November 27, 2025 at 9:22 AM PST
Christian Watson, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 18, spoke about his recovery from the injury on Fox pregame.
“It’s just been a confidence thing,” Watson said. “Throughout the process, I just stayed ten toes through it all and I was making sure I was still catching footballs when I couldn’t run around or anything.”
Watson returned to the field in late October, after signing a one-year deal with Green Bay in September.
Kate Magdziuk
Packers starting running back Josh Jacobs is officially set to return to the lineup in Week 13 after missing one game with a knee injury.
He suffered the injury back in Week 11 against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. He was critical of the turf’s surface, which has been the site of several high-profile (and long-term) injuries, including those to Aaron Rodgers (Achilles), Malik Nabers (ACL) and Nick Bosa (ACL), among others.
“Definitely the worst. Always been the worst. I know if I ever play there again, I will never talk about it because I talked about it all week, how bad it was, and it bit me in the ass,” Jacobs commented on the field surface at MetLife.
UDFA Emanuel Wilson got the start in his place, and he posted a career game in Jacobs’ absence, totaling 125 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 30 total touches. It was just the first time in his career that he totaled more than 15 touches in a single game.
Though Jacobs has already hit double-digit touchdowns, he’s averaging the second-lowest yards per carry average in his career at 3.8, and is still seeking his first 100-plus rushing-yard game.