Three good Thanksgiving football games are on the schedule for Thursday afternoon and evening, two of which will take place in the state of Texas.
Thanksgiving football 2012 schedule: NFL rivalries highlight afternoon slate
Two great NFL rivalries and a game between Big 12 conference foes highlight a solid afternoon and evening of Thanksgiving football.


The Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys will kick off the afternoon action at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III returns to his home state for the first time as a pro. He and the Redskins face a Cowboys team that has a chance to move into a tie for first place in the NFC East with a win and a New York Giants loss on Sunday.
Following the completion of that rivalry game, another game between division rivals will begin with the New England Patriots taking on the New York Jets at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The Patriots have taken a three-game lead in the AFC East by winning four consecutive games, a streak that started with a 29-26 overtime victory over the Jets on Oct. 21. New England will have to beat New York without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who broke his forearm late in the Patriots' Week 11 win.
Sandwiched between the NFL games is a Big 12 contest between the TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns, which can be seen at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Longhorns have won four straight games to climb to No. 16 in the BCS rankings. They’ll face a TCU team that has undergone its fair share of turmoil in its first season in the conference. The Horned Frogs lost quarterback Casey Pachall earlier this year, leaving the position in the hands of freshman Trevone Boykin.











