Full NFL Black Friday Game Schedule and History

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For the fourth consecutive year, the NFL is holding a game on Black Friday.
Over the past few years, the NFL began expanding the week of Thanksgiving football by adding a game on Black Friday. They have since annually held a game on Black Friday, and are adding to the week of football by scheduling a game between the Packers and Rams on Thanksgiving Eve. Now, there will be NFL contests on five of seven days during Thanksgiving week this year.
With the 2026 schedule now out, here’s a look at which teams will be taking part in this year’s Black Friday matchup.
NFL Black Friday 2026 schedule
Time | Teams | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
3 p.m. ET | Broncos at Steelers | Amazon Prime |
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
When: Friday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. ET
For the fourth edition of the Black Friday game, the NFL is turning to the Broncos and Steelers, a pair of playoff teams from last season. With Aaron Rodgers agreeing to re-sign with the Steelers, he will get to play under the spotlight in this matchup. Still, of the stacked Thanksgiving week slate, this game has the most questions marks surrounding it at this point of the calendar, particularly in terms of how the Steelers will look playing without coach Mike Tomlin for the first time in two decades.
The Broncos, meanwhile, are bringing back much of the same team and should be in the thick of contention by late November. The biggest changes for Denver are the addition of Jaylen Waddle via trade and Sean Payton handing over play-calling duties to Davis Webb.
For Pittsburgh, this will be the third game in a tough string of matchups after their bye week in Week 9. They return from the bye to face the Bengals in prime time in Cincinnati, then head on the road to Philadelphia before facing the Broncos on a short week. The Broncos have a Week 10 bye and will face the Raiders before traveling to Pittsburgh for this matchup.
Related: Eight Teams That Got Screwed by the 2026 NFL Schedule
The (young) history of Black Friday NFL games
Year | Matchup |
|---|---|
2023 | Dolphins 34, Jets 13 |
2024 | Chiefs 19, Raiders 17 |
2025 | Bears 24, Eagles 15 |
2026 | Broncos-Steelers |
After a blowout in the first rendition of the Black Friday game—featuring a rare Hail Mary pick-six—the NFL has seen two closer, more competitive matchups on the shopping holiday in 2024 and 2025. Ironically, that first game in 2023 between the Dolphins and Jets was supposed to feature Aaron Rodgers, but he was out after tearing his Achilles in Week 1. Now, he’s on track to make his Black Friday debut three years later.
This notably will be the third game featuring a pair of AFC teams, which makes sense because the Thanksgiving slate features two NFC squads in the Cowboys and Lions each year.
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Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.