The Buffalo Bills have earned the highest of compliments on the NFL’s calendar. According to MasterTres of Bleacher Report, the Buffalo Bills will play at the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night in the primetime slot.
WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio interviewed Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President of Broadcast Planning & Scheduling, who kept referring to the Bills vs Saints as a marquee game on the schedule. It turns out that was indeed the case, as it’s a cornerstone game for the league’s highest-rated day on television.
The Bills’ placement is no accident. In addition to playing in last year’s AFC Championship Game, Buffalo garnered one of the highest ratings in Thanksgiving history in 2019 when they smacked around the Dallas Cowboys. It was the best regular-season rating of ANY GAME in three years (at the time) and the most-watched Thanksgiving game on CBS in 27 years. It was the second-most watched TV program of the year, only behind the Super Bowl the previous February.
The Saints are sort of a curious decision for the game, though. With Drew Brees retiring, it’s unclear what kind of team New Orleans is going to be able to field in 2021. Can Jameis Winston play well as the lead guy? Is Taysom Hill going to take the next step as a QB? How much trust does the NFL have in Sean Payton?