The schedules for all 32 NFL teams will be released Wednesday, but "CBS Mornings" is exclusively revealing a marquee Thanksgiving matchup. Bill Cowher, an analyst for "The NFL Today" on CBS, breaks down the game and contenders for this upcoming season.

The National Football League is preparing to release the full schedules for all 32 teams, with a significant Thanksgiving Day matchup revealed ahead of the official announcement. CBS has confirmed that the Dallas Cowboys will play the Kansas City Chiefs during the Thanksgiving Day afternoon window, a game known for drawing large television audiences. The connection between the two teams extends beyond football, with historical ties through the Hunt family, who originally owned the Dallas Texans before relocating the franchise to become the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL analyst Bill Cowher discussed potential contenders for the upcoming season, highlighting teams and key players in both the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). Cowher identified the Buffalo Bills, led by Josh Allen, and the Baltimore Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson, as persistent challengers aiming to surpass the Kansas City Chiefs, who have represented the AFC in five of the last six years. He also noted the Denver Broncos as an emerging contender within the Chiefs' division, particularly following their progress under coach Sean Payton.

Turning to the NFC, Cowher mentioned the Philadelphia Eagles and their aspirations to return to the Super Bowl, as well as the Detroit Lions. The Lions and Eagles both faced the loss of key coordinators but have demonstrated resilience in previous seasons. Cowher also referenced the Washington Commanders and new talent Jaden Daniels.

In terms of new players, Cowher pointed out Travis Hunter, a versatile wide receiver and defensive back drafted by Jacksonville, and Ashton Gente, a running back selected by the Raiders as the highest-drafted player at his position since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Both are expected to make immediate impacts in their respective teams.



Preview of NFL 2025 schedule release

We are gearing up for the 2025 NFL season and who better to talk football with then Hall of Famer and my studio partner on the NFL today, Coach Bill Cower. All right, coach, the schedules for all 32 teams will be announced tonight on the NFL Network. But first on CBS mornings, we are exclusively revealing a marquee Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs right here on CBS. This is an all American Thanksgiving Day game. Wow. Good morning. And what are you looking for in this? Well, no, no, look at the two of them together, Tony. I think that music comes on and you both start. Yeah, we're a different person. I can't read the weather like that. But you know, you think about these two franchises, the biggest brands in the game today, right? And you talk about this window, the 430 window on Thanksgiving Day has historically been the most watched viewed game in the history of the regular season through the years. But these two teams you talk about week 13 and you talk about the records. But I want to talk about not just the football part of it. How about the family part of this? And talk about the connection to the Kansas City Chiefs, to the Dallas Cowboys. Clark Hunt grew up in Dallas. His father, Lamar Hunt, took the Dallas Texans in 1963, rebranded them and moved them to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Chiefs. And on the other side, Brian Schottenheimer, his father, Marty Schottenheimer, who coached 10 years for the Kansas City Chiefs, my mentor. And for Brian, it's going to be one of those situations. He went to high school there. He sees this. It's Thanksgiving Day. You talk about family after the national anthem. He's going to look up, you know, his father is looking at him. His father's going to look down and say, son, run the ball, run the ball. Yeah, run the ball. That's for sure. All right. So who do you think the contenders will be this year coming out of the AFC? AFC, I think, listen, you can't dismount Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Buffalo Bills. I think, number one, those two quarterbacks, this has been their nemesis. This is getting against the Kansas City Chiefs. They got to get over that hump, coach. They got to. Five of the last six years, the Kansas City Chiefs have represented the AFC. But the other team in their division for the Kansas City Chiefs, I think the Denver Broncos. What they did a year ago, Bo Nix, what they came in and did with him, went to the playoffs. A year later, I think Sean Payton is building himself a contender right now in Denver. Do you think the Eagles are going to be back at the Super Bowl? I'm asking this because I saw Jalen Hurts recently. He said not only will the Eagles be back, but they will win. Well, listen, I think the Eagles did a blueprint. I think the only thing I got to talk about is that team down in Washington, the Commanders, Jaden Daniels, what they can. And how about the Detroit Lions? Now I'm talking about the Detroit Lions. You know, you talked about Philadelphia last year. They lost both their coordinators, yet they went on to win the Super Bowl. Detroit Lions this offseason, they lost Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, and they both lost their coordinators. So maybe the blueprint is there for the Detroit Lions to make the next step. We were talking about the NFL draft a couple weeks ago. Any players from the draft going to make an immediate difference? Travis Hunter. Think about that, man. He's the most athletic guy that came out of this draft. He played wide receiver. He played defensive back, a lot like his head coach, Deion Sanders, did when he played. And so I think he's in Jacksonville. And just to make a note, when the depth chart came out, Travis Hunter was listed as a wide receiver first. So that's there. But I think the other guy is Ashton Gente. You think about the running back position. It's been devalued in the past. But for the first time since 2018, the highest picked player in the draft, who's number six this year, was Ashton Gente. 2018, number two, Saquon Barkley. So let's see if Ashton Gente can give the Raiders that same kind of— They call this the offseason. This is midseason. You're cooking, coach. You're cooking. Hey, we appreciate you. Thank you so much, Coach Cower.

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