Has the NFL ever played a game on Black Friday?Jack McKessy, USA TODAYFri, November 28, 2025 at 5:45 PM UTC·2 min readThe Week 13 schedule began with a triple-header on Thanksgiving on Nov. 27, but the NFL is not taking a break after the feasting holiday.
The league is putting on a Black Friday game in 2025. Is it the first time the NFL has played on Black Friday?
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAn annual post-Thanksgiving game is not a brand-new tradition for the NFL, but it has only started recently. The league debuted its Black Friday games series in 2023, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets on the road. The NFL held another divisional game on Black Friday last year, as the Kansas City Chiefs moved to 11-1 with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
This year's Black Friday game will be the third annual iteration of a day-after-Thanksgiving matchup. Here's what to know about the tradition ahead of the Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles game.
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Has the NFL ever had a game on Black Friday?
The Eagles vs. Bears game on Friday, Nov. 28 will be the third annual iteration of the NFL's Black Friday game. It's also the first game on the post-Thanksgiving shopping holiday to not feature an in-division battle.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNFL Black Friday games history
The NFL began its tradition of playing on Black Friday two years ago, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets, 34-13. This year's Black Friday game will be the third annual edition.
Here's how each year's NFL Black Friday game has gone:
Nov. 24, 2023: Miami Dolphins 34, New York Jets 13
Nov. 29, 2024: Kansas City Chiefs 19, Las Vegas Raiders 17
Nov. 28, 2025: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL games Black Friday: How long has it been a tradition?
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