The football community is losing its mind over the 2025 Thanksgiving night game schedule. Internet literally exploded with plenty of frustrating comments after the league locked in Ravens-Bengals for the 8:20 PM slot. Nobody wants to watch two struggling AFC North teams slug it out after turkey dinner.
The majority of people demanded the NFL flex the matchup out of prime time. Nobody is buying what’s being sold, as this year’s lineup features the usual suspects in new wrapping paper.
Outrage Grows Over NFL Thanksgiving Day Prime-Time Matchup
The NFL’s 2025 Thanksgiving slate rolls out three games across the day. The Packers face the Lions in what’s expected to be a competitive NFC North showdown, followed by the Chiefs taking on the Cowboys at 4:30 PM. Then comes the nightcap that’s got everyone heated.
The Ravens will host the Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium at 8:20 PM on NBC. Sounds decent on paper, as AFC North rivals are set for a prime-time slot. But it doesn’t feel like a suit for the national audience because neither team is living up to expectations this season.
The Bengals are limping through another disappointing campaign. Joe Burrow is doing his best to carry a weak roster, but the front seven continues to give up points. Quite frankly, fans think they keep finding creative ways to lose very close games.
The Thanksgiving NFL schedule is set
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/ibEwvT1qNB
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 8, 2025
Meanwhile, the Ravens’ championship window seems shut as two-time MVP Lamar Jackson isn’t playing like a star. Sitting at 1-4, the franchise is in no way looking like a better choice to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
The two teams played thrilling games in 2024, with both ending Baltimore’s way and combining for 148 points across two contests, including one overtime thriller. But that was last year. This season feels extremely stale and desperate. Two fading contenders fighting for playoff scraps doesn’t scream “must-see TV.”
Surprisingly, Detroit used to be the team everyone ignored on Thanksgiving, but that’s no longer the case. They’re now legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and their early matchup against Green Bay is expected to draw huge ratings.
But by 8:20 PM, after watching Kansas City and Dallas battle, fans will be stuffed, tired, and completely uninterested in watching two middling AFC North teams grind out a boring slugfest.
Fans Deliver Brutal Verdicts on Prime-Time Slot
Social media became a warzone once the schedule dropped. The reactions ranged from sarcastic to genuinely angry because nobody’s excited about Ravens-Bengals closing out Thanksgiving night.
One fan wrote, “So, the Toilet Bowl is the night cap Bengwads vs the Cravens. Great!”
The takes kept rolling in hot, with another added, “Looks Like a Total Toilet Bowl.”
A third X user joked, “It’s good they put that Ravens Bengals game on at 820, people will already be asleep so they don’t have to watch that shit show.”
The fourth fan claimed, “Gonna eat an extra plate to make sure I pass out before that ugly night game.”
A fifth user shared, “Detroit used to be the game that the whole country might skip, now it’s the only game worth watching.”
The sixth X user joked, “Hopefully I’ll be drunk by the last game so maybe both QBs will look like Joe and Lamar to me 😂😂.”
Another frustrated fan remarked, “For the love of all that is good, please get the Bengals Ravens game the hell outta here!”
Fans are seemingly frustrated with mediocre matchups in prime-time slots. They want games that actually count and feature top teams, and this season, Ravens-Bengals doesn’t meet either standard.
