Thanksgiving football schedule 2012: Texans get their own holiday spotlight

Already stealing some of the attention from the state's more well-known team with their best season in franchise history, the Houston Texans now have a chance to take away some of the spotlight from the Dallas Cowboys' traditional Thanksgiving stage. Houston will be in Detroit to play the Lions in the early Thanksgiving Day game Thursday.

Houston is pacing the rest of the AFC with a 9-1 record. Their one loss came out of conference to the Green Bay Packers at home. The Lions know the Packers well and are fresh off a heartbreaking loss at home to Green Bay themselves.

Texans-Lions is one of three Thanksgiving Day games the NFL will give fans on Thursday. The Cowboys host Texas native Robert Griffin III and the rival Washington Redskins in the afternoon game, while the New England Patriots and New York Jets renew their fierce rivalry in primetime.

If the Texans and Cowboys aren't enough for Texas fans to get their fill, the Texas Longhorns and TCU Horned Frogs have their own holiday matchup in primetime on ESPN.

Here's a rundown of Thursday's football games. All time are CT:

Houston Texans (9-1) at Detroit Lions (4-6), 11:30 a.m., CBS

Washington Redskins (4-6) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5), 3:15 p.m., FOX

New England Patriots (7-3) at New York Jets (4-6), 7:20 p.m., NBC

TCU Horned Frogs (6-4) at No. 18 Texas Longhorns (8-2), 7:30 p.m., ESPN