The 2017 NFL schedule for Week 12 will get underway on Thanksgiving Day with three huge games on the docket, all of which are important in terms of playoff positioning. Thanksgiving Day football has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Nowadays, Thanksgiving and football go hand in hand! So which teams will be battling it out on the gridiron this Turkey Day? Here's a complete breakdown of all of Thursday’s action, along with the game odds and TV start times for the Thanksgiving Day 2017 schedule.

Vikings at Lions — 12:30 PM ET — FOX

The Minnesota Vikings are on fire!

The Vikings are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, and a win at Ford Field could put a stranglehold on the Detroit Lions in terms of winning the NFC North division. The Vikings (8-2) currently hold a two-game lead over the 6-4 Lions and will enter this contest riding a six-game winning streak.

Detroit does not want to fall three full games behind Minnesota, especially with only five games remaining. The term “must-win” does have a tendency to be overused in sports, but this really is a game Detroit needs to be victorious in if they are dreaming of a division title or making the playoffs at all for that matter. The logjam in the NFC for a wild card spot is getting tighter each week

The Lions are currently listed as a 1-point favorite, with the over/under point total set at 44.5.

Chargers at Cowboys — 4:30 PM ET — CBS

Dallas is in trouble. The loss of Ezekiel Elliott due to suspension has seemingly put the entire Cowboys offense on ice. The Cowboys were thrashed on Sunday night by the Philadelphia Eagles by the final score of 37-9. The previous week Dallas fell to Atlanta 27-7. The defense is getting soft, the offense has no direction, and what once looked like a banner year just three weeks ago has turned into a nightmare for Big D fans.

If the Boys want to stay in wildcard contention, they have to win on Thanksgiving Day against the LA Chargers. At 5-5, Dallas is still in the thick of the playoff race, but a loss to the Chargers would be a big step back for a team that many experts had winning this year’s Super Bowl.

Dallas is listed as a 1.5 point favorite against the Chargers on Thursday.

The over/under number is currently set at 47.5

Redskins at NY Giants — 8:30 PM ET — NBC

Back in August, this game was supposed to be a meaningful one in terms of which team may win the NFC East in 2017. Now that Thanksgiving week has arrived, it is far from a battle for division supremacy.

At 4-6, the Redskins are not out of playoff contention, but a loss to the 2-8 NY Giants could start to dim the lights on the 2017 season very quickly. Washington, like a handful of teams in the NFC, is just 2.5 games behind in the wild-card race.

Both of these teams have tons of talent and big-name playmakers, which is why it is so puzzling that they are playing at such a low level so far this season. Las Vegas oddsmakers have the Washington Redskins listed as a 7-point favorite for this game against the NY Giants with the over/under number set at 44.5.

Happy Thanksgiving football fans!
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