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This could be the year the Jaguars make their Thanksgiving debut

• The Jaguars have never gotten a Thanksgiving game Is this the year the streak ends?

By Carlos Sanchez

Nov 24, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Recording artist Andy Grammer performs during the halftime show of a
Nov 24, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Recording artist Andy Grammer performs during the halftime show of a / Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
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The NFL has yet to release the 2024 schedule but there have been rumblings about the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially playing the Detroit Lions in Thanksgiving. There's a reason to believe it could happen, and if it does, the Jags will put an end to a long-time streak.

Jacksonville has never appeared on the yearly Thanksgiving game. In case you aren't familiar with the tradition, the Detroit Lions started it in 1934 to draw more fans. It worked, so it became a yearly tradition. The opponents have always varied, but the Jags haven't had the pleasure to be part of the tradition. That could change soon though.

There are no official reports but rumors about the Jags facing Detroit in 2024 have persisted. @ScheduleLeaks24 is a Twitter account devoted to — as its name implies — sharing schedule leaks, and it has Jacksonville playing the Lions in the earliest Thanksgiving slate. Juston Lewis of the Florida Times-Union, for his part, believes it will happen and included it among his predictions for the announcement.

One thing that makes it a realistic possibility is that the Jaguars have gotten a Thursday Night game 14 of the last 15 years, with 2010 being the only time they didn't. There's a strong chance they will keep the trend going in 2024, and maybe this is the year they get to play on Thanksgiving since it's on Thursday.

What else should the Jaguars expect in the 2024 NFL Schedule release?

Last year, the Jags got three primetimes because they won the AFC South and made the playoffs in 2022. However, they took a step back in 2023 and failed to qualify for the postseason after a strong start. While the Jags have a few things going for them, including star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, it's hard to see them getting three primetime games once again.

For the sake of argument, let's say they get to play the Lions on Thanksgiving. That would be one, and maybe they could get another one on Sunday Night Football. It could be against a division foe, possibly the Indianapolis Colts or the Houston Texans. This would make sense when you take into account that all three teams were in the thick of the division race for most of 2023 and they all loaded up on talent in the offseason.

This Sunday Night matchup would be especially intriguing if the AFC South race is tight again late in the season. That said, the Jaguars have had a hard time getting many primetime games in recent years. Heck, before 2023, the last time they played on Monday Night was in the distant year of 2011.

Ultimately, it would be great to see the Jaguars get a game on Thursday Night, even if it isn't on Thanksgiving and one on Sunday. All things considered, it isn't unreasonable.

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