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NFL on Thanksgiving Day

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"Thanksgiving Classic" redirects here. For the Canadian Football League games, see Thanksgiving Day Classic. For the black college football rivalry, see Turkey Day Classic.
The NFL Thanksgiving logo used for 2016; the year is updated annually, with the new NFL shield being used for the first time in 2008.

Since its inception in 1920, the National Football League (NFL) has played games on Thanksgiving Day, patterned upon the historic playing of college football games on or around the November holiday. The NFL's Thanksgiving Day games have traditionally included one game hosted by the Detroit Lions since 1934, and one game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys since 1966 (with two exceptions in 1975 and 1977). Since 2006, a third game has also been played in prime time on Thanksgiving night. Unlike the two afternoon games, this game has no fixed teams.

In 2001, the NFL began branding the games as the Thanksgiving Classic.[1] In 2022, the league changed the branding to the John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration in honor of former head coach and broadcaster John Madden, who died in December 2021.[2]

History

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Thanksgiving football before the NFL

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The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented, as it was a day that most people had off from work. In that year, the college football teams at Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day.[3] The University of Michigan also made it a tradition to play annual Thanksgiving games, holding 19 such games from 1885 to 1905.[4][5][6][7][8] The Thanksgiving Day games between Michigan and the Chicago Maroons in the 1890s have been cited as "The Beginning of Thanksgiving Day Football."[9] In some areas, most commonly in New England, high-school teams play on Thanksgiving, usually to wrap-up the regular-season.

By the time football had become a professional event, playing on Thanksgiving had already become an institution. Records of pro football being played on Thanksgiving date back to as early as the 1890s, with the first pro–am team, the Allegheny Athletic Association of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1902, the National Football League, a Major League Baseball-backed organization based entirely in Pennsylvania and unrelated to the current NFL, attempted to settle its championship over Thanksgiving weekend; after the game ended in a tie, eventually all three teams in the league claimed to have won the title.

Members of the Ohio League, during its early years, usually placed their marquee matchups on Thanksgiving Day. For instance, in 1905 and 1906 the Latrobe Athletic Association and Canton Bulldogs, considered at the time to be two of the best teams in professional football (along with the Massillon Tigers), played on Thanksgiving. A rigging scandal with the Tigers leading up to the 1906 game led to severe drops in attendance for the Bulldogs and ultimately led to their suspension of operations.

During the 1910s, the Ohio League stopped holding Thanksgiving games because many of its players coached high school teams and were unavailable. This was not the case in other regional circuits: in 1919, the New York Pro Football League featured a Thanksgiving matchup between the Buffalo Prospects and the Rochester Jeffersons. The game ended in a scoreless tie, leading to a rematch the next Sunday for the league championship.

The pioneer NFL and Thanksgiving Day games

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Several other NFL teams played regularly on Thanksgiving in the first eighteen years of the league, including the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals (1922–33; the Bears played the Lions from 1934 to 1938 while the Cardinals switched to the Green Bay Packers for 1934 and 1935), Frankford Yellow Jackets, Pottsville Maroons, Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs (even after the team moved to Cleveland they played the 1924 Thanksgiving game in Canton), and the New York Giants (1929–38, who always played a crosstown rival).

The first owner of the Lions, George A. Richards, started the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day game as a gimmick to get people to go to Lions football games, and to continue a tradition begun by the city's previous NFL teams.[10] What differentiated the Lions' efforts from other teams that played on the holiday was that Richards owned radio station WJR, a major affiliate of the NBC Blue Network (the forerunner to today's American Broadcasting Company); he was able to negotiate an agreement with NBC to carry his Thanksgiving games live across the network.[11]

During the Franksgiving controversy in 1939 and 1940, the only two teams to play the game were the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, as both teams were in the same state (Pennsylvania). (At the time, then-U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted to move the holiday for economic reasons and many states were resistant to the move; half the states recognized the move and the other half did not. This complicated scheduling for Thanksgiving games. Incidentally, the two teams were also exploring the possibility of a merger at the time.[12]) Because of the looming World War II and the resulting shorter seasons, the NFL did not schedule any Thanksgiving games in 1941, nor did it schedule any in the subsequent years until the war ended in 1945. When the Thanksgiving games resumed in 1945, only the Lions' annual home game would remain on the Thanksgiving holiday.

The All-America Football Conference and American Football League, both of which would later be absorbed into the NFL, also held Thanksgiving contests, although neither of those leagues had permanent hosts. Likewise, the AFL of 1926 also played two Thanksgiving games in its lone season of existence, while the AFL of 1936 hosted one in its first season, which featured the Cleveland Rams, a future NFL team, and the 1940–41 incarnation of the American Football League played two games in 1940 on the earlier "Franksgiving" date.

Thanksgiving football in the late 20th century

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The Detroit Lions, seen here during the 2007 Thanksgiving game against their division rival Green Bay Packers, have played on Thanksgiving since 1934.

In 1951, the Packers began a thirteen-season run as the perpetual opponent to the Lions each year through 1963.

In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys, who had been founded six years earlier, adopted the practice of hosting Thanksgiving games. It is widely rumored that the Cowboys sought a guarantee that they would regularly host Thanksgiving games as a condition of their very first one (since games on days other than Sunday were uncommon at the time and thus high attendance was not a certainty).[13]

This is only partly true: Dallas had in fact decided on their own to host games on Thanksgiving; team president Tex Schramm was enticed by the publicity that would come with a permanent nationally televised contest and volunteered to be host when the NFL proposed the second Thanksgiving game.[14] Schramm also anticipated a home field advantage in that the shorter week would favor the home team because the opponent would not only lose three days of practice but additional time traveling to Dallas that the Cowboys could use to prepare.[13]

In 1975 and 1977, at the behest of then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle, the St. Louis Cardinals replaced Dallas as a host team (Dallas then hosted St. Louis in 1976). Although the Cardinals, at the time known as the "Cardiac Cards" due to their propensity for winning very close games, were a modest success at the time, they were nowhere near as popular nationwide as the Cowboys, who were regular Super Bowl contenders during this era. This, combined with St. Louis's consistently weak attendance, a series of ugly Cardinals losses in the three-game stretch, and opposition from the Kirkwood–Webster Groves Turkey Day Game (a local high school football contest) led to Dallas resuming regular hosting duties in 1978.

With their resumption as a regular NFL Thanksgiving Day venue, the Cowboys requested and received an agreement guaranteeing the Cowboys a spot on Thanksgiving Day indefinitely.[15]

Since 1978, Thanksgiving games have been hosted in Detroit and Dallas every year, with Detroit in the early time slot and Dallas in the late afternoon slot. Because of television network commitments in place through the 2013 season, to make sure that both the AFC-carrying network (NBC from 1965 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the NFC-carrying network (CBS from 1956 to 1993, and Fox since 1994) got at least one game each, one of these games was between NFC opponents, and one featured AFC-NFC opponents. Thus, the AFC could showcase only one team on Thanksgiving, and the AFC team was always the visiting team.

Thanksgiving games in the 21st century

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Since 2006, a third NFL game on Thanksgiving has been played in prime time. It originally aired on the NFL Network as part of its Thursday Night Football package until 2011, when the game was moved to NBC's Sunday Night Football package under the NFL's current television deals. The night game has never had a dedicated host team or any conference tie-in, meaning the league can place any game into the time slot. Since NBC took over the prime time game in 2012, divisional matchups have been normally scheduled, with the exceptions being in 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024. In 2014, a series of changes to the broadcast contracts freed CBS from its obligation to carry an AFC team, and by 2018, the last vestiges of conference ties to the Thanksgiving games were eliminated (although in practice games on Fox have remained all-NFC contests).

The originally scheduled 2020 primetime game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed to the following Wednesday, December 2, after multiple Baltimore players and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in the days before the game. This thus marked the first time no primetime contest was held since 2005.[16]

On November 11, 2022, the league announced that the Thanksgiving games would be branded as the "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration", honoring the memory of head coach and broadcaster John Madden. Madden called 20 Thanksgiving games as the lead analyst for CBS Sports from 1981 to 1993 and Fox Sports from 1994 to 2001.[2]

Landmarks

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  • 1920: An urban legend states that the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys challenged each other to a Thanksgiving duel in the league's inaugural season, with the loser to be relegated out of the league. Although the story is apocryphal, the Tigers did fold after the 1920 campaign and the Staleys moved to Chicago early in the 1921 season, later renaming themselves the Bears.[17]
  • 1921: In a matchup of two of the league's best teams, the Chicago Staleys lost to the Buffalo All-Americans at home. The Staleys demanded a rematch, with Buffalo agreeing to a December reprise only as an off-the-record exhibition game. Chicago won the second game, which ended up counting despite the All-Americans' insistence, controversially handing Chicago the championship.
  • 1925: A Thanksgiving NFL game was played in Detroit for the first time when the league's second Motor City team, the Detroit Panthers, hosted the Rock Island Independents. The visitors won, 6–3.[18]
  • 1928: A third Detroit NFL franchise, the Wolverines, hosted a Thanksgiving Day game during their one and only year of existence.[19][20] The team won a laugher, 33–0, over the Dayton Triangles at University of Detroit Stadium.[19]
  • 1929: The Chicago Cardinals' Ernie Nevers scored all 40 points — a record that still stands — in a 40–6 rout over their crosstown rivals the Chicago Bears.
  • 1934: The fourth Detroit NFL franchise, the Lions, began their Thanksgiving tradition with a game hosting the Chicago Bears. George S. Halas & Co. won 19–16 in front of 26,000 people.[21]
  • 1952: The expansion Dallas Texans were forced to move their lone remaining home game to the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio due to a scheduling conflict. Their opponent, the Chicago Bears, underestimated the winless Texans and sent their second string team to the game. The resulting 27–23 upset proved to be Dallas' only victory of their existence.
  • 1962: The Detroit Lions handed the 10–0 Green Bay Packers their lone defeat of the season, 26–14. The game was dubbed the "Thanksgiving Day Massacre" due to the dominant performance by the Lions defense, who sacked Bart Starr 11 times.[22][23]
  • 1966: The Dallas Cowboys joined the Lions as annual Thanksgiving Day hosts with a defeat of the visiting Cleveland Browns, 26–14.[24]
  • 1969: In a blinding snowstorm at Tiger Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings blanked the Lions 27–0, featuring an interception by Jim Marshall, who lateraled to Alan Page on the return, resulting in a touchdown.
  • 1976: The Buffalo Bills managed both best and worst offensive performances in the history of NFL Thanksgiving football when O. J. Simpson ran for 273 yards, an NFL record. Bills reserve quarterback Gary Marangi made history of another sort, completing only 4 of 21 pass attempts for 29 yards and a rating of just 19.7. The Lions won, 27–14.[25]
  • 1980: With the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears tied 17–17 in the new Pontiac Silverdome at the end of regulation, the first Thanksgiving overtime game was born. Speedy Bear Dave Williams returned the opening kickoff 95 yards in 13 seconds for a game-winning touchdown, making the first overtime game also the shortest.
  • 1989: In what was known as the "Bounty Bowl", the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 27–0. Allegations surfaced that the Eagles had placed a bounty on the Cowboys kicker, thus becoming the first of a string of three bitterly contested games between the two teams, the other two being Bounty Bowl II and the Porkchop Bowl a year later.
  • 1993: Cowboy defensive lineman Leon Lett gained fifteen minutes of national infamy when in the final seconds he accidentally turned an apparently game-winning field goal block into a fumble by touching the spinning football and moving it forward. Given a second chance from point blank range, Miami Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich knocked it through for a 16–14 win.[26]
  • 1998: Remembered in football lore as "The Coin Toss game". As the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions went to overtime tied 16–16, Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis called the coin flip correctly. Unfortunately, head referee Phil Luckett erroneously declared Detroit the winner of the toss, all on live TV. The Lions elected to receive and quickly drove down the field to kick a game-winning field goal on their first possession. National controversy ensued.
  • 2008: In one of the greatest mismatches of the Thanksgiving series, the 10–1 Tennessee Titans annihilated the 0–11 Lions, 47–10. Detroit would go on to become the 33rd winless team in NFL history and the first ever to lose 16 games.[27]
  • 2011: The trio of games[28] was lauded as one of the better Thanksgiving Day slates in the series. In the nightcap head coaching brothers John Harbaugh of the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh of the 49ers matched wits in a preview of 2012's Super Bowl XLVII.
  • 2012: In the infamous Butt Fumble game, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran headfirst into the buttocks of his own offensive lineman, guard Brandon Moore. The New England Patriots returned the fumble for a touchdown and would go on to win 49–19 in blowout fashion.
  • 2013: In a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin became the subject of controversy when video replay showed him apparently interfering with a kick return from Jacoby Jones and stopping a probable touchdown as he stood on the sideline.[29] No penalty was called on Tomlin, but the Steelers would still go on to lose, 22–20. Tomlin was later fined $100,000 for his actions by the NFL.[30]
  • 2022: In the "23 Seconds Game",[31] an homage to the 13 Seconds playoff game the year before, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Detroit Lions when with 23 seconds on the clock they ran a 21-second field goal drive. Tyler Bass hit a walk-off 28–25 game winner for the favored Bills.[32]
  • 2023: During a blowout 45–10 win over the Washington Commanders, Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland recorded his fifth interception returned for a touchdown on the season, breaking the NFL record.[33]
  • 2024: After trailing 23–7, the Bears came within three points of the Lions and were driving to tie the game or even pull off the upset. However, Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Matt Eberflus mismanaged the clock in the last 34 seconds: with one time-out remaining, the clock running, and just outside field goal range on third down, the Bears opted to attempt one additional play with the hopes of improving field position, calling a time-out, and making the game-tying field goal attempt, but setting into formation and executing the third-down play ended up taking too much time and ran out the clock, preserving Detroit's first Thanksgiving win since 2016.[34] Meanwhile, it was the Bears' sixth consecutive loss, prompting management to make the franchise's first-ever release of a head coach midseason as it parted ways with Matt Eberflus the following day.[35]

Throwback uniforms

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Since 2001 teams playing on Thanksgiving have worn throwback uniforms on numerous occasions. In 2002, it extended to nearly all games of the weekend, and in some cases also involved classic field logos at the stadiums.

From 2001 to 2003, Dallas chose to represent the 1990s Cowboys dynasty by wearing the navy "Double-Star" jersey not seen since 1995. In 2004, the team wore uniforms not seen since 1963. In 2009, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AFL, both Dallas and Oakland played in a "AFL Legacy Game." In 2013, the Cowboys intended to wear their 1960s throwbacks, but chose not to do so after the NFL adopted a new policy requiring players and teams to utilize only one helmet a season to address the league's new concussion protocol; rather than sport an incomplete throwback look, the Cowboys instead wore their standard blue jerseys at home for the first time since 1963.[36] In 2015, the Cowboys resurrected their 1994 white "Double-Star" jerseys only this time wore them with white pants as part of the league's Color Rush, a trial run of specially-designed, monochromatic jerseys to be worn during Thursday games. In 2022, after the NFL lifted the one-helmet rule, the Cowboys resumed wearing the throwback navy "Double-Star" jerseys on Thanksgiving.

In 2001–2004, and again in 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023 the Detroit Lions have worn throwback uniforms based on their very early years. For 2019 and 2022, Detroit wore its silver Color Rush uniforms.

Charity campaigns and halftime concerts

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The 2007 Thanksgiving halftime show in Detroit, featuring the Goo Goo Dolls.

In 1997, the Salvation Army began the tradition of kicking off its Christmas Kettle campaign during halftime of the Dallas game.[37] The campaign kickoff event includes a halftime show by a major recording artist,[38][39] with halftime concerts also eventually being added to the Detroit game (which traditionally supports the United Way's Live United campaign[40][41]). The evening contest also features a halftime concert, which the NFL promotes co-equally with the others, but this concert is usually not televised; its current broadcaster, NBC, uses that time slot to air its own pre-recorded human-interest profiles and typically only airs a few short highlights, whereas CBS and Fox air the Detroit and Dallas halftime shows in full.[42] The NFL has treated the Thanksgiving halftime slots as a prime exposure opportunity second only to the Super Bowl halftime show.[43]

Home team controversy

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It has remained a tradition for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions to host the afternoon games dating several decades. Other teams eventually expressed interest in hosting Thanksgiving Day games. Lamar Hunt, the former owner of the Chiefs (who had hosted Thanksgiving Day games from 1967 to 1969 as an AFL team prior to the merger), lobbied heavily in favor of his team hosting a game on the holiday. When the NFL adopted a third, prime time game, the Chiefs were selected as the first team to host such a contest, but the team was not made a permanent host, and Hunt's death shortly after the 2006 contest ended the lobbying on behalf of the team.

The host issue came to a head in 2008, focusing particularly on the winless Lions. Going into the game, the Lions had lost their last four Thanksgiving Day games, and opinions amongst the media had suggested removing the Lions and replacing them with a more attractive matchup.[citation needed] The team also required an extension to prevent a local television blackout.[44] The Lions were routed by the Tennessee Titans 47–10, en route to the team's 0–16 season.[45] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the Lions would stay on Thanksgiving Day for the 2009 season, but kept the issue open to revisit in the future.[46][47]

Conversely, the Dallas Cowboys, who typically represent a larger television draw,[48] have had far fewer public calls to be replaced on Thanksgiving Day. One issue that has been debated is a perceived unfair advantage of playing at home on Thanksgiving Day.[49] The advantage is given in the form of an extra day of practice for the home team while the road team has to travel to the game site. This is true for most Thursday games, but with the night games, the visitor can travel to the game site after practice on Wednesday and hold the final walkthrough the following morning.

With the introduction of the prime time game, which effectively allows all teams in the league an opportunity to play on Thanksgiving Day, along with the introduction of year-long Thursday Night Football ensuring all teams have one Thursday game during the regular season (thus negating any on-field advantages or disadvantages to being selected for Thanksgiving Day), the calls for the Lions and the Cowboys to be removed have diminished.

Broadcasting

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DuMont was the first network to televise Thanksgiving Day games in 1953; CBS took over in 1956, and in 1965, the first color television broadcast of an NFL game was the Thanksgiving Day match between the Lions and the Baltimore Colts.

Starting in 1970, the Detroit "early" game and the Dallas "late" game initially rotated annually as intra-conference (NFC at NFC) and inter-conference (AFC at NFC) games. This was to satisfy the then-television contract balance between the network holding the rights to the "AFC package" and televised inter-conference games in which the visiting team is from the AFC (NBC from 1970 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the network with the "NFC package" (CBS from 1970 to 1993, and Fox since 1994).

In 2006, the third game in primetime originally aired on the NFL Network. In 2012, NBC took over broadcasting the primetime game, and ever since all three broadcast networks with Sunday NFL rights carry one Thanksgiving Day game apiece. The first two games continue to be split between CBS and Fox, with CBS getting the 12:30 p.m. (EST) Detroit "early" game, and Fox getting the 4:30 p.m. Dallas "late" game in even-numbered years, and Fox getting the "early" game and CBS the "late" game in odd-numbered years.

In 2014, a system known as "cross-flex" was introduced, in which the two networks bound by conference restrictions, CBS and Fox, could carry games from the other conference as part of their Sunday afternoon package,[50][51] including the potential for CBS to broadcast an NFC vs. NFC game on Thanksgiving Day.[52] From that year through 2016, CBS carried all-NFC contests every year on Thanksgiving Day, and in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2023, no AFC teams played in any of the Thanksgiving Day games. To date, the NFL has never assigned an AFC road game to Fox on Thanksgiving Day.

Westwood One most recently held national radio broadcast rights to all three games, with Compass Media Networks sharing rights to the Cowboys contest. (Under league rules, only radio stations that carry at least 12 Cowboys games in a season are allowed to carry the Compass broadcast.) The participating teams also air the games on their local flagship stations and regional radio networks.

The Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game has regularly been the most watched NFL regular season telecast each year, with the Lions' Thanksgiving Day game usually in the top five.[citation needed]

Game results

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(Winning teams are denoted in bold; tie games are italicized.)

1920–1940

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  • All three of the generally recognized iterations of the American Football League that played during this era (AFL I in 1926, AFL II in 1936 and AFL III in 1940) played Thanksgiving Day games, which are also listed as indicated.
  • Non-NFL team games between league teams and non league teams counted in the 1920 standings. The All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks later joined the league as the Tonawanda Kardex, albeit only for one game.
  • Thanksgiving Day fell on the final Thursday in November until 1938 and was held on two conflicting days from 1939 to 1941.

1945–1959

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  • No Thanksgiving Day games were held from 1941 to 1944 due to World War II.
  • Thanksgiving Day games were played on the fourth Thursday in November from 1945 onward.
  • The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) also played Thanksgiving Day games from 1946 to 1949.
Season League Visiting team Score Home team Score Network
November 22, 1945 NFL Cleveland Rams 28 Detroit Lions 21 —
November 28, 1946 NFL Boston Yanks 34 Detroit Lions 10
AAFC New York Yankees 21 Brooklyn Dodgers 7
November 27, 1947 NFL Chicago Bears 34 Detroit Lions 14
AAFC Cleveland Browns 27 Los Angeles Dons 17
AAFC San Francisco 49ers 21 Brooklyn Dodgers 7
November 25, 1948 NFL Chicago Cardinals 28 Detroit Lions 14
AAFC Cleveland Browns 31 Los Angeles Dons 14
AAFC Buffalo Bills 39 Chicago Rockets 35
November 24, 1949 NFL Chicago Bears 28 Detroit Lions 7
AAFC New York Yankees 17 Los Angeles Dons 16
AAFC Cleveland Browns 14 Chicago Hornets 6
November 23, 1950 NFL New York Yanks 14 Detroit Lions 49
Pittsburgh Steelers 28 Chicago Cardinals 17
November 22, 1951 NFL Green Bay Packers 35 Detroit Lions 52
November 27, 1952 NFL Green Bay Packers 24 Detroit Lions 48
Chicago Bears 23 Dallas Texans (at Akron, Ohio) 27
November 26, 1953 NFL Green Bay Packers 15 Detroit Lions 34 DuMont
November 25, 1954 NFL Green Bay Packers 24 Detroit Lions 28 DuMont
November 24, 1955 NFL Green Bay Packers 10 Detroit Lions 24 DuMont
November 22, 1956 NFL Green Bay Packers 24 Detroit Lions 20 CBS
November 28, 1957 NFL Green Bay Packers 6 Detroit Lions 18 CBS
November 27, 1958 NFL Green Bay Packers 14 Detroit Lions 24 CBS
November 26, 1959 NFL Green Bay Packers 24 Detroit Lions 17 CBS

1960–1969

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Season League Visiting team Score Home team Score Network
November 24, 1960 NFL Green Bay Packers 10 Detroit Lions 23 CBS
AFL Dallas Texans 35 New York Titans 41 ABC
November 23, 1961 NFL Green Bay Packers 17 Detroit Lions 9 CBS
AFL Buffalo Bills 14 New York Titans 21 ABC
November 22, 1962 NFL Green Bay Packers 14 Detroit Lions 26 CBS
AFL New York Titans 46 Denver Broncos 45 ABC
November 28, 1963 NFL Green Bay Packers 13 Detroit Lions 13 CBS
AFL Oakland Raiders 26 Denver Broncos 10 ABC
November 26, 1964 NFL Chicago Bears 27 Detroit Lions 24 CBS
AFL Buffalo Bills 27 San Diego Chargers 24 ABC
November 25, 1965 NFL Baltimore Colts 24 Detroit Lions 24 CBS
AFL Buffalo Bills 20 San Diego Chargers 20 NBC
November 24, 1966 NFL San Francisco 49ers 41 Detroit Lions 14 CBS
Cleveland Browns 14 Dallas Cowboys 26 CBS
AFL Buffalo Bills 31 Oakland Raiders 10 NBC
November 23, 1967 NFL Los Angeles Rams 31 Detroit Lions 7 CBS
St. Louis Cardinals 21 Dallas Cowboys 46 CBS
AFL Oakland Raiders 44 Kansas City Chiefs 22 NBC
Denver Broncos 20 San Diego Chargers 24 NBC
November 28, 1968 NFL Philadelphia Eagles 12 Detroit Lions 0 CBS
Washington Redskins 20 Dallas Cowboys 29 CBS
AFL Buffalo Bills 10 Oakland Raiders 13 NBC
Houston Oilers 10 Kansas City Chiefs 24 NBC
November 27, 1969 NFL Minnesota Vikings 27 Detroit Lions 0 CBS
San Francisco 49ers 24 Dallas Cowboys 24 CBS
AFL Denver Broncos 17 Kansas City Chiefs 31 NBC
San Diego Chargers 21 Houston Oilers 17 NBC

1970–2005

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  • From 1970 to 2005, two afternoon games were played every Thanksgiving Day. They were held at Detroit and Dallas, with the Lions hosting the "early" game (12:30 p.m. EST) and the Cowboys holding the "late" game (initially at 4:00 p.m. EST, then moved to 4:15 p.m. EST in 1998). Detroit always hosted the "early" game because a 12:30 p.m. EST kick-off at Dallas would be 11:30 a.m. local time (CST), and the NFL avoided starting games before noon locally. Detroit's 12:30 p.m. "early" game kickoff was also thirty minutes earlier than the typical afternoon start time (1:00 p.m.). This helped reduce the chance of the two games overlapping.
  • The two games initially rotated annually as intra-conference (NFC at NFC) and inter-conference (AFC at NFC) games. This was to satisfy the then-television contract balance between the network holding the rights to the "AFC package" and televised inter-conference games in which the visiting team is from the AFC (NBC from 1970 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the network with the "NFC package" (CBS from 1970 to 1993, and Fox since 1994).
  • CBS and NBC initially started their Thanksgiving Day pregame coverage thirty minutes before kickoff of their respective games, similar to their thirty-minute pregame coverage on Sunday afternoons. After Fox acquired NFL rights in 1994, and debuted the hour-long Fox NFL Sunday pregame show, they also started their hour-long pregame coverage at 11:30 a.m. when televising the Detroit "early" game, but kept a thirty-minute pregame show when televising the Dallas "late" game. When CBS reacquired NFL rights in 1998, they still started their The NFL Today pregame coverage at 12:00 p.m. when televising the Detroit "early" game due to the fact that their morning parade coverage ran until noon.
  • Dallas was replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals as a host team in 1975 and 1977; Dallas and St. Louis faced each other at Texas Stadium in 1976. Because of the Missouri Turkey Day Game, the long-established Kirkwood–Webster Groves high school football game that takes place on Thanksgiving in St. Louis, weak fan support in St. Louis, and general national preference of the Cowboys over the historically weaker Cardinals, the Cardinals' hosting of the Thanksgiving Day game was not popular. Dallas returned to hosting the game in 1978 and has hosted since. Likewise, the Rams never played on Thanksgiving Day while in St. Louis, in part because of the Turkey Day Game and also because the Missouri State High School Activities Association held its state football championship games on Thanksgiving Day weekend at The Dome at America's Center from 1996 to 2015.
  • After the NFL division realignment in 2002, no team from the AFC North could play a Thanksgiving Day game against the traditional hosts. This was because under the current rotation, the Cowboys and the Lions each play AFC North teams in years that Fox is scheduled to broadcast its Thanksgiving Day game, requiring an NFC opponent. The last game to feature a team currently in the AFC North was the Lions' matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. AFC North teams could play in the prime time game, as the Bengals did in 2010.
Season Visiting team Score Home team Score OT Significance Network
November 26, 1970 Oakland Raiders 14 Detroit Lions 28 — NBC
Green Bay Packers 3 Dallas Cowboys 16 Cowboys–Packers rivalry CBS
November 25, 1971 Kansas City Chiefs 21 Detroit Lions 32 NBC
Los Angeles Rams 21 Dallas Cowboys 28 Cowboys–Rams rivalry CBS
November 23, 1972 New York Jets 20 Detroit Lions 37 NBC
San Francisco 49ers 31 Dallas Cowboys 10 49ers–Cowboys rivalry CBS
November 22, 1973 Washington Redskins 20 Detroit Lions 0 CBS
Miami Dolphins 14 Dallas Cowboys 7 NBC
November 28, 1974 Denver Broncos 31 Detroit Lions 27 NBC
Washington Redskins 23 Dallas Cowboys 24 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry CBS
November 27, 1975 Los Angeles Rams 20 Detroit Lions 0 CBS
Buffalo Bills 32 St. Louis Cardinals 14 NBC
November 25, 1976 Buffalo Bills 14 Detroit Lions 27 NBC
St. Louis Cardinals 14 Dallas Cowboys 19 CBS
November 24, 1977 Chicago Bears 31 Detroit Lions 14 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Miami Dolphins 55 St. Louis Cardinals 14 NBC
November 23, 1978 Denver Broncos 14 Detroit Lions 17 NBC
Washington Redskins 10 Dallas Cowboys 37 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry CBS
November 22, 1979 Chicago Bears 0 Detroit Lions 20 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Houston Oilers 30 Dallas Cowboys 24 Governor's Cup NBC
November 27, 1980 Chicago Bears 23 Detroit Lions 17 (OT) Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Seattle Seahawks 7 Dallas Cowboys 51 NBC
November 26, 1981 Kansas City Chiefs 10 Detroit Lions 27 NBC
Chicago Bears 9 Dallas Cowboys 10 CBS
November 25, 1982 New York Giants 13 Detroit Lions 6 CBS
Cleveland Browns 14 Dallas Cowboys 31 NBC
November 24, 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers 3 Detroit Lions 45 NBC
St. Louis Cardinals 17 Dallas Cowboys 35 CBS
November 22, 1984 Green Bay Packers 28 Detroit Lions 31 Lions–Packers rivalry CBS
New England Patriots 17 Dallas Cowboys 20 NBC
November 28, 1985 New York Jets 20 Detroit Lions 31 NBC
St. Louis Cardinals 17 Dallas Cowboys 35 CBS
November 27, 1986 Green Bay Packers 44 Detroit Lions 40 Lions–Packers rivalry CBS
Seattle Seahawks 31 Dallas Cowboys 14 NBC
November 26, 1987 Kansas City Chiefs 27 Detroit Lions 20 NBC
Minnesota Vikings 44 Dallas Cowboys 38 (OT) Cowboys–Vikings rivalry CBS
November 24, 1988 Minnesota Vikings 23 Detroit Lions 0 Lions–Vikings rivalry CBS
Houston Oilers 25 Dallas Cowboys 17 Governor's Cup NBC
November 23, 1989 Cleveland Browns 10 Detroit Lions 13 NBC
Philadelphia Eagles 27 Dallas Cowboys 0 Cowboys–Eagles rivalry (Bounty Bowl I) CBS
November 22, 1990 Denver Broncos 27 Detroit Lions 40 NBC
Washington Redskins 17 Dallas Cowboys 27 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry CBS
November 28, 1991 Chicago Bears 6 Detroit Lions 16 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers 10 Dallas Cowboys 20 Cowboys–Steelers rivalry NBC
November 26, 1992 Houston Oilers 24 Detroit Lions 21 NBC
New York Giants 3 Dallas Cowboys 30 Cowboys–Giants rivalry CBS
November 25, 1993 Chicago Bears 10 Detroit Lions 6 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Miami Dolphins 16 Dallas Cowboys 14 NBC
November 24, 1994 Buffalo Bills 21 Detroit Lions 35 NBC
Green Bay Packers 31 Dallas Cowboys 42 Cowboys–Packers rivalry Fox
November 23, 1995 Minnesota Vikings 38 Detroit Lions 44 Lions–Vikings rivalry Fox
Kansas City Chiefs 12 Dallas Cowboys 24 NBC
November 28, 1996 Kansas City Chiefs 28 Detroit Lions 24 NBC
Washington Redskins 10 Dallas Cowboys 21 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry Fox
November 27, 1997 Chicago Bears 20 Detroit Lions 55 Bears–Lions rivalry Fox
Tennessee Oilers 27 Dallas Cowboys 14 NBC
November 26, 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Detroit Lions 19 (OT) CBS
Minnesota Vikings 46 Dallas Cowboys 36 Cowboys–Vikings rivalry Fox
November 25, 1999 Chicago Bears 17 Detroit Lions 21 Bears–Lions rivalry Fox
Miami Dolphins 0 Dallas Cowboys 20 CBS
November 23, 2000 New England Patriots 9 Detroit Lions 34 CBS
Minnesota Vikings 27 Dallas Cowboys 15 Cowboys–Vikings rivalry Fox
November 22, 2001 Green Bay Packers 29 Detroit Lions 27 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
Denver Broncos 26 Dallas Cowboys 24 CBS
November 28, 2002 New England Patriots 20 Detroit Lions 12 CBS
Washington Redskins 20 Dallas Cowboys 27 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry Fox
November 27, 2003 Green Bay Packers 14 Detroit Lions 22 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
Miami Dolphins 40 Dallas Cowboys 21 CBS
November 25, 2004 Indianapolis Colts 41 Detroit Lions 9 CBS
Chicago Bears 7 Dallas Cowboys 21 Fox
November 24, 2005 Atlanta Falcons 27 Detroit Lions 7 Fox
Denver Broncos 24 Dallas Cowboys 21 (OT) CBS

2006–present

[edit]
  • Since 2006, three contests have been scheduled for Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the traditional Detroit and Dallas home afternoon games, a third game is now played in primetime and televised by NFL Network (2006–2011) or NBC (since 2012). The third game's start times have generally been the same as other primetime games, with pregame coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST and kickoff at 8:20 p.m. EST. The primetime game is hosted by a different team (other than the Lions and Cowboys) each season.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Denver Broncos in the first "Thanksgiving Tripleheader" primetime game in 2006. This game also marked the first time that more than two games were played on Thanksgiving (as well as the first all-AFC holiday matchup) since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.
  • The kickoff for the Detroit game continued to be at 12:30 p.m. EST. In 2012, the Dallas game's kickoff time was moved from 4:15 p.m. EST to 4:30 p.m. EST, with the networks also moving their pregame coverage for that game to 4:00 p.m. EST. This shift provides further protection from possible game overlap, and allows additional time if the league elects to have a special halftime performance.
  • The 2014 season was the first in which CBS no longer had to air an inter-conference (AFC at NFC) Thanksgiving game. Instead, all three games featured NFC vs. NFC opponents for the first time. There were also all-NFC matchups in 2015, 2018 and 2023.[52][53] 2017, 2019 and 2024 each featured five NFC teams and only one participating AFC team.
  • From 2012 to 2015, and 2017 to 2019, the primetime game was held between division rivals. The originally scheduled 2020 primetime divisional rivalry game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed to Sunday, November 29 and eventually again to Wednesday, December 2 after multiple Ravens players and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in the days before the game. This marked the first time no Thanksgiving Day prime time contest was held since 2005.[16]
Season Visiting team Score Home team Score OT Significance Network
November 23, 2006 Miami Dolphins 27 Detroit Lions 10 CBS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 Dallas Cowboys 38 Buccaneers' first Thanksgiving game Fox
Denver Broncos 10 Kansas City Chiefs 19 Broncos–Chiefs rivalry; debut of Thursday Night Football NFL Network
November 22, 2007 Green Bay Packers 37 Detroit Lions 26 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
New York Jets 3 Dallas Cowboys 34 CBS
Indianapolis Colts 31 Atlanta Falcons 13 Colts enter as the defending Super Bowl champions NFL Network
November 27, 2008 Tennessee Titans 47 Detroit Lions 10 CBS
Seattle Seahawks 9 Dallas Cowboys 34 Fox
Arizona Cardinals 20 Philadelphia Eagles 48 A preview of that season's NFC Championship Game. NFL Network
November 26, 2009 Green Bay Packers 34 Detroit Lions 12 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
Oakland Raiders 7 Dallas Cowboys 24 50th anniversary for both teams (AFL Legacy Game) CBS
New York Giants 6 Denver Broncos 26 Super Bowl XXI rematch NFL Network
November 25, 2010 New England Patriots 45 Detroit Lions 24 CBS
New Orleans Saints 30 Dallas Cowboys 27 Saints' first Thanksgiving game, enter as the defending Super Bowl champions; 2009 Week 15 rematch Fox
Cincinnati Bengals 10 New York Jets 26 2009 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch; Bengals' first Thanksgiving game NFL Network
November 24, 2011 Green Bay Packers 27 Detroit Lions 15 Lions–Packers rivalry; Packers enter as the defending Super Bowl champions Fox
Miami Dolphins 19 Dallas Cowboys 20 Super Bowl VI rematch CBS
San Francisco 49ers 6 Baltimore Ravens 16 Ravens' first Thanksgiving game; first Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh matchup NFL Network
November 22, 2012 Houston Texans 34 Detroit Lions 31 (OT) Texans' first Thanksgiving game CBS
Washington Redskins 38 Dallas Cowboys 31 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry Fox
New England Patriots 49 New York Jets 19 Jets–Patriots rivalry (Butt Fumble) NBC
November 28, 2013 Green Bay Packers 10 Detroit Lions 40 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
Oakland Raiders 24 Dallas Cowboys 31 CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Baltimore Ravens 22 Ravens–Steelers rivalry; Ravens enter as the defending Super Bowl champions NBC
November 27, 2014 Chicago Bears 17 Detroit Lions 34 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Philadelphia Eagles 33 Dallas Cowboys 10 Cowboys–Eagles rivalry Fox
Seattle Seahawks 19 San Francisco 49ers 3 49ers–Seahawks rivalry and the 2013 NFC Championship game rematch; Seahawks enter as the defending Super Bowl champions NBC
November 26, 2015 Philadelphia Eagles 14 Detroit Lions 45 Fox
Carolina Panthers 33 Dallas Cowboys 14 Panthers' first Thanksgiving game CBS
Chicago Bears 17 Green Bay Packers 13 Bears–Packers rivalry NBC
November 24, 2016 Minnesota Vikings 13 Detroit Lions 16 Lions–Vikings rivalry CBS
Washington Redskins 26 Dallas Cowboys 31 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry Fox
Pittsburgh Steelers 28 Indianapolis Colts 7 2015 Week 13 rematch NBC
November 23, 2017 Minnesota Vikings 30 Detroit Lions 23 Lions–Vikings rivalry Fox
Los Angeles Chargers 28 Dallas Cowboys 6 Chargers' first Thanksgiving game since before the AFL–NFL merger CBS
New York Giants 10 Washington Redskins 20 Giants–Redskins rivalry NBC
November 22, 2018 Chicago Bears 23 Detroit Lions 16 Bears–Lions rivalry CBS
Washington Redskins 23 Dallas Cowboys 31 Cowboys–Redskins rivalry Fox
Atlanta Falcons 17 New Orleans Saints 31 Falcons–Saints rivalry NBC
November 28, 2019 Chicago Bears 24 Detroit Lions 20 Bears–Lions rivalry;
Bears celebrating their 100th anniversary		 Fox
Buffalo Bills 26 Dallas Cowboys 15 Commemoration of Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII (NFL 100) CBS
New Orleans Saints 26 Atlanta Falcons 18 Falcons–Saints rivalry NBC
November 26, 2020 Houston Texans 41 Detroit Lions 25 CBS
Washington Football Team 41 Dallas Cowboys 16 Dallas–Washington rivalry Fox
November 25, 2021 Chicago Bears 16 Detroit Lions 14 Bears–Lions rivalry Fox
Las Vegas Raiders 36 Dallas Cowboys 33 (OT) Sixth overtime game; first since 2012 CBS
Buffalo Bills 31 New Orleans Saints 6 NBC
November 24, 2022 Buffalo Bills 28 Detroit Lions 25 CBS
New York Giants 20 Dallas Cowboys 28 Cowboys–Giants rivalry Fox
New England Patriots 26 Minnesota Vikings 33 NBC
November 23, 2023 Green Bay Packers 29 Detroit Lions 22 Lions–Packers rivalry Fox
Washington Commanders 10 Dallas Cowboys 45 Commanders–Cowboys rivalry; first Thanksgiving Day game for Washington as the Commanders. CBS
San Francisco 49ers 31 Seattle Seahawks 13 49ers–Seahawks rivalry NBC
November 28, 2024 Chicago Bears 20 Detroit Lions 23 Bears–Lions rivalry; Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after clock mismanagement at end of game CBS
New York Giants 20 Dallas Cowboys 27 Cowboys–Giants rivalry Fox
Miami Dolphins 17 Green Bay Packers 30 The first designated "extra" inter-conference game on Thanksgiving. NBC

Game standings

[edit]

Of current NFL franchises. This includes American Football League (AFL) games; however, it does not include All-America Football Conference (AAFC) games.

Team Games played First game Most recent Wins Losses Ties Win % Other names appeared under
Arizona Cardinals 23 1922 2008 6 15 2 .304 Chicago Cardinals (1920–1959)
St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1987)
Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993)
Atlanta Falcons 4 2005 2019 1 3 0 .250
Baltimore Ravens 2 2011 2013 2 0 0 1.000
Buffalo Bills 11 1961 2022 6 4 1 .591 Does not include 1–0 record of unrelated AAFC team of same name.
Carolina Panthers 1 2015 2015 1 0 0 1.000
Chicago Bears 38 1920 2024 20 16 2 .553 Decatur Staleys (1920)
Chicago Staleys (1921)
Cincinnati Bengals 1 2010 2010 0 1 0 .000
Cleveland Browns 3 1966 1989 0 3 0 .000 Does not include 3–0 record when team was a member of the AAFC.
Dallas Cowboys 57 1966 2024 34 22 1 .605
Denver Broncos 11 1962 2009 4 7 0 .364
Detroit Lions 85 1934 2024 38 45 2 .459 Portsmouth Spartans (1930–1933)
Green Bay Packers 38 1923 2024 16 20 2 .447
Houston Texans 2 2012 2020 2 0 0 1.000
Indianapolis Colts 4 1965 2016 2 1 1 .625 Baltimore Colts (1953–1983)
Jacksonville Jaguars 0 Never Never 0 0 0 – Only active franchise to have never played on Thanksgiving.
Kansas City Chiefs 10 1967 2006 5 5 0 .500 Dallas Texans (1960–1962), does not include 1–0 record of unrelated NFL Dallas Texans.
Las Vegas Raiders 8 1963 2021 4 4 0 .500 Oakland Raiders (1960–1981; 1995–2019)
Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994)
Los Angeles Chargers 5 1964 2017 3 1 1 .700 San Diego Chargers (1961–2016)
Los Angeles Rams 5 1936 1975 4 1 0 .800 Cleveland Rams (1936–1945)
St. Louis Rams (1995–2015)
Miami Dolphins 8 1973 2024 5 3 0 .625
Minnesota Vikings 9 1969 2022 7 2 0 .778
New England Patriots 6 1984 2022 3 3 0 .500 Boston Patriots (1960–1970)
New Orleans Saints 4 2010 2021 3 1 0 .750
New York Giants 17 1926 2024 7 7 3 .500
New York Jets 8 1960 2012 4 4 0 .500 Titans of New York (1960–1962)
Philadelphia Eagles 7 1939 2015 6 1 0 .857
Pittsburgh Steelers 8 1939 2016 2 6 0 .250
San Francisco 49ers 6 1966 2023 3 2 1 .583 Does not include 1–0 record when team was a member of the AAFC.
Seattle Seahawks 5 1980 2023 2 3 0 .400
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 2006 2006 0 1 0 .000
Tennessee Titans 7 1968 2008 5 2 0 .714 Houston Oilers (1960–1996)
Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
Washington Commanders 13 1968 2023 4 9 0 .308 Boston Braves (1932)
Boston Redskins (1933–1936)
Washington Redskins (1937–2019)
Washington Football Team (2020–2021)

Notable appearance droughts

[edit]

The last currently active franchise to have never played on Thanksgiving through 2024 is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who joined the league in 1995.

An idiosyncrasy in the NFL's current scheduling formula, which has been in effect in its basic form since 2002, effectively prevented teams from the AFC North from playing at the Lions or Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The formula had the AFC North playing at Dallas or at Detroit in years when other divisions were slated to fill the AFC slot on Thanksgiving. These teams, under the television contracts in place at the time, could only play in the third (night) game. With changes in the scheduling practices in 2014 ("cross-flexing"), the division is no longer barred from participating in one of the afternoon games. Even with cross-flexing available, an AFC North team has yet to play at Detroit or Dallas on Thanksgiving, and all of the AFC North's appearances have thus far been in the night game.

The Los Angeles Rams have the longest active appearance drought of any team, with their last appearance coming in 1975.

Since 2010, several appearance droughts have ended. New Orleans, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Houston, and Carolina all played their first Thanksgiving games during this time frame. San Francisco likewise played their first Thanksgiving game since 1972 in 2011. The Los Angeles Chargers, who last played on the holiday in 1969 (while the team was still an AFL franchise in San Diego), appeared for the first time as an NFL member in 2017.[54]

Thanksgiving Day records of defunct teams

[edit]
League teams only, since 1920.
Team Wins Losses Ties Win Pct. Other names appeared under
Frankford Yellow Jackets 2 0   1.000 Defunct (1931)
New York Yankees* 2 0   1.000 Defunct (1949)
Pottsville Maroons 2 0   1.000 Defunct (1928)
Boston Yanks 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1948)
Buffalo Bills* 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1949), unrelated to current NFL team with this name
Dallas Texans 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1952), does not count AFL's Dallas Texans, which are now the Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Buccaneers 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1926)
Oorang Indians 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1923)
Rock Island Independents 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1925)
All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks 1 0   1.000 Defunct (1921)
Akron Pros 3 1 1 .700 Defunct (1926)
Buffalo Bisons 1 1 1 .500 Buffalo All-Americans (1920–1923), Defunct (1929)
Canton Bulldogs 1 1 1 .500 Defunct (1926)
Cleveland Bulldogs 1 1   .500 Defunct (1927)
Dayton Triangles 1 1   .500 Defunct (1929)
Kansas City Cowboys 1 1   .500 Kansas City Blues (1924), Defunct (1926)
Milwaukee Badgers 1 1   .500 Defunct (1926)
Brooklyn Lions 0 1   .000 Defunct (1926)
Chicago Tigers 0 1   .000 Defunct (1920)
Detroit Heralds 0 1   .000 Defunct (1920)
New York Yanks 0 1   .000 Defunct (1950)
Providence Steam Roller 0 1   .000 Defunct (1931)
Racine Legion 1 1   .500 Defunct (1926)
Toledo Maroons 0 1   .000 Defunct (1923)
Brooklyn Dodgers* 0 2   .000 Defunct (1949)
Chicago Hornets* 0 2   .000 Chicago Rockets (1946–1948), Defunct (1949)
Columbus Panhandles 0 2   .000 Defunct (1926)
Detroit Panthers 0 2   .000 Defunct (1926)
Hammond Pros 0 2   .000 Defunct (1926)
Rochester Jeffersons 0 2   .000 Defunct (1925)
Los Angeles Dons* 0 3   .000 Merged with Los Angeles Rams after 1949 season

*All-America Football Conference team.

Most frequent match-ups among active teams

[edit]
Count Matchup Record Years played
22 Lions—Packers Lions, 12–9–1 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1984, 1986, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2023
20 Bears—Lions Bears, 11–9 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
12 Battle of Chicago (Bears—Cardinals) Bears, 7–3–2 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933
11 Cowboys—Washington Cowboys, 9–2 1968, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023
5 Lions—Vikings Vikings, 3–2 1969, 1988, 1995, 2016, 2017
5 Cowboys—Dolphins Dolphins, 3–2 1973, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2011
4 Cowboys—(St. Louis) Cardinals Cowboys, 4–0 1967, 1976, 1983, 1985
4 Lions—Chiefs Tie, 2–2 1971, 1981, 1987, 1996

Game MVPs

[edit]

Since 1989, informal and sometimes lighthearted Most outstanding player/MVP awards have been issued by the networks broadcasting the respective games. Running back Emmitt Smith holds the record for most Thanksgiving MVPs with five (1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2002), followed by Tony Romo with four (2006, 2007, 2009, 2013). Among players not from Detroit or Dallas, Josh Allen, Drew Brees and Brett Favre each hold three. Voting on the respective awards is typically done informally by the announcing crew and/or producers, and criteria are loose. Noteworthy statistical accomplishments weigh heavily, and "group" awards are not uncommon. The announcement of the winner(s), and the presentation of the award is normally done immediately following the game, during post-game network coverage.

Turkey Leg Award (CBS & Fox)

[edit]

In 1989, John Madden of CBS awarded the first "Turkey Leg Award",[55] for the game's most valuable player. Pursuant to its name, it was an actual cooked turkey leg, and players typically took a celebratory bite out of the leg for the cameras during post-game interviews. Reggie White of the Eagles was the first recipient. The gesture was seen mostly as an amusing gimmick tied to the holiday and relating to Madden's famous multi-legged turkeys and turduckens.[56] Since then, however, the award has gained notoriety. Madden brought the award to Fox in 1994, and it continued through 2001.

Because of the loose and informal nature of the award, at times it has been awarded to multiple players. On one occasion (1994) it was given to players from both teams.

Later Fox awards

[edit]

When John Madden left Fox after 2001, Fox introduced a new award starting in 2002, named the Galloping Gobbler. It was represented by a small silver figurine of a cartoonish turkey wearing a football helmet[57] striking a Heisman-like pose.[58] Much like Cleatus and Digger, the original Galloping Gobbler trophy reflected Fox's irreverent mascots, and went through several iterations.[57] Unimpressed by its tackiness, Emmitt Smith famously threw the 2002 award into a trash can.[57]

In 2007, the kitschy statuette was replaced with a bronze-colored statue of a nondescript turkey holding a football.[58] In 2011, the trophies were discarded altogether and replaced by a commemorative plaque. Unlike the aforementioned "Turkey Leg Award", the Galloping Gobbler was normally awarded to only one player annually,[59] however in 2016, co-winners were honored.[60]

For 2017, the Galloping Gobbler was permanently retired, and replaced with the "Game Ball", a stylish, ornate football-shaped trophy, reminiscent of the tradition where game-used balls are typically awarded to players of the game. For 2019 and 2020 (coinciding with Fox's new partnership with WWE SmackDown), the "Game Ball" was replaced by a WWE Championship Belt. The "Game Ball" returned in 2021.

All-Iron Award (CBS)

[edit]

When the NFL returned to CBS in 1998, they introduced their own award, the "All-Iron Award", which is, suitably enough, a small silver iron, a reference to Phil Simms' All-Iron team for toughness. The All-Iron winner also received a skillet of blackberry cobbler made by Simms' mother.

Through 2006, the trophy was only awarded to one player annually. Occasionally, it was issued as a "group award". In 2008, Simms stated it was "too close to call" and named four players to the trophy; he then gave the award to several people every year until 2013, after which he reverted to a single MVP in 2014.

Simms was removed from the broadcast booth for the 2017 season in favor of Tony Romo, who did not carry on the tradition. Instead, the "Chevrolet Player of the Game" award was extended to CBS' Thanksgiving Day game. As in CBS' regular Sunday afternoon NFL coverage as well as Fox's regular NFL coverage, Chevrolet will donate money in the player's name to the United Way if the game is played in Detroit, or the Salvation Army if the Thanksgiving Day game is played in Dallas.

For the 2019 season, CBS revived the Turkey Leg Award, awarding it to Josh Allen.[61]

Prime time games (NFLN & NBC)

[edit]

During the time when NFL Network held the broadcast rights the prime time game, from 2007 to 2011 they gave out the "Pudding Pie Award" for MVPs. The award was an actual pie. In 2009, NFL Network gave Brandon Marshall a pumpkin pie rather than the chocolate pudding pie of the previous two years.

NBC, which carried Thanksgiving afternoon games through 1997, did not issue an MVP award during that time. NBC began broadcasting the Thanksgiving prime time game in 2012, at which point the MVP award was added. From 2012 to 2015, the NBC award was referred to as the "Madden Thanksgiving Player-of-the-Game", honoring John Madden (who announced NBC games from 2006 to 2008).[62][63] The award then became the "Sunday Night Football on Thanksgiving Night Player of the Game" in 2016. It is typically awarded to multiple players on the winning team.[64] In the first few years, the award specifically went to players on both offense and defense, but in recent years, there have been no quotas for each phase. The winning players are presented with ceremonial game balls and, as a gesture to Madden, a cooked turkey leg.[65] The 2021 award also featured a turkey leg statuette in addition to legs prepared and seasoned by local chef (and former NBC star) Emeril Lagasse.

Madden Player of the Game/Thanksgiving MVP (2022–present)

[edit]

As part of the new "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration" branding in 2022, the league announced that each network will now select a "Madden Player of the Game", with the NFL Foundation donating $10,000 in each winner's name to a youth or high school football program of their choice.[2] Turkey legs continue to be awarded to the players of the game in homage to Madden,[66] except for 2023 when Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was informed that there was none available.[67]

In 2024, the NFL rebranded the award to the "Madden Thanksgiving MVP" and unveiled a new trophy to be awarded to the MVPs from each of the three games, consisting of a granite pylon with gold-colored engraving.[68] The trophy includes an undated quote from John Madden: "There's no place I'd rather be today on Thanksgiving than right here, right now, at a football game."[69] (The quote is a paraphrase of a famous quote originated by Marv Levy: "Where else would you rather be, than right here, right now?"[70])

Complete list

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lefton, Terry (November 15, 2001). "NFL Establishes Thanksgiving Games As New Marketing Platform". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "NFL honors John Madden with Thanksgiving Day commemoration". NFL.com. National Football League. November 11, 2022. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  3. ^ "Navy vs Michigan st (NJ)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "1885 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  5. ^ "1887 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  6. ^ "1888 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  7. ^ "1889 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  8. ^ "1891 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  9. ^ "Football on Thanksgiving: A Brief But Comprehensive History". Midwest Sports Fans. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  10. ^ "Lions Thanksgiving Day Tradition" (PDF). 2019 Detroit Lions Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  11. ^ Jaworowski, Matt (November 24, 2016). "Timeline: How football became a Thanksgiving tradition". WIVB-TV. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  12. ^ See also: Pennsylvania Keystoners
  13. ^ a b Scales, Kristi (November 26, 2014). "Why Do the Cowboys Play on Thanksgiving Day?". 5PointsBlue.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on November 30, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Cunningham, Nate (2024-11-13). "Why Do the Cowboys and Lions Play on Thanksgiving Every Year?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  15. ^ McManaman, Bob (November 22, 2017). "Cardinals, not Cowboys, could have been an NFL Thanksgiving Day staple". AZCentral.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Ravens-Steelers game moved from Thanksgiving to Sunday at 1:15 p.m. ET on NBC". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  17. ^ Prunty, Brenden (November 23, 2019). "The Great Thanksgiving Game That Wasn't". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  18. ^ Tod Maher and Bob Gill (eds.), The Pro Football Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan, 1997; p. 102.
  19. ^ a b "Friedman's Wolverines Crush Dayton Triangles, 33 to 0: Great Passing Routs Ohioans," Detroit Free Press, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 20.
  20. ^ "Triangles are Defeated, 33–0: Benny Friedman Leads Wolverines to Victory in National League," Dayton Daily News, Nov. 30, 1928, p. 38.
  21. ^ Maher and Gill (eds.), The Pro Football Encyclopedia, p. 107.
  22. ^ Richardson, Anwar S. (November 24, 2011). "Stars of Detroit Lions' past see similarities to 1962 Thanksgiving showdown with Packers". MLive. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
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  24. ^ Maher and Gill (eds.), The Pro Football Encyclopedia, p. 129.
  25. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions – November 25th, 1976," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com
  26. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys – November 25th, 1993 | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  27. ^ Hayes, David (12 November 2019). "Full List of Winless NFL Teams Since 1920". Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  28. ^ "NFL Thanksgiving Day Football Preview: Games, TV Schedule, Point Spreads, Picks and Predictions". Midwestsportsfans.com. 2011-11-21. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  29. ^ "Mike Tomlin, Steelers facing fine, possible loss of draft pick". CBSSports.com. 2013-12-01. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  30. ^ "Mike Tomlin Fined $100k for Interfence During Jacoby Jones Kickoff Return | Ravens 101 | Sports Media 101". 2014-11-07. Archived from the original on 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  31. ^ Pergament, Alan (November 24, 2022). "CBS' Nantz, Romo make '23 Seconds' game extra special for anxious Bills fans". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  32. ^ Jeremy Reisman, "Lions vs. Bills Final Score: Detroit’s Upset Bid Falls Just Short, as Buffalo Wins on Last-second FG, 28-25," Pride of Detroit, SB Nation, Nov. 24, 2022.
  33. ^ Kownack, Bobby. "Cowboys CB DaRon Bland sets NFL's single-season pick-six record on Thanksgiving Day". NFL.com. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  34. ^ Associated Press, "Lions beat Bears 23-20 to extend win streak to 10 games," Bears Report, WGN-TV, Nov. 28, 2024.
  35. ^ ESPN, "Chicago Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus: ESPN sources," WLS-TV, Nov. 29, 2024.
  36. ^ Eatman, Nick (November 26, 2013). "Cowboys To Wear Blue Jerseys At Home Thursday". DallasCowboys.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  37. ^ "NFL Thanksgiving Games: History, traditions and best moments". ESPN. November 21, 2023. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  38. ^ StrykerStryker (2023-11-23). "Every Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Performer Ever". 106.3 The Buzz. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  39. ^ Livengood, Paul (2022-11-19). "Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving: We broke down their record by halftime performer music genre". WFAA. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  40. ^ Henne, Bruce. "Kid Rock to play Thanksgiving NFL Halftime Show". Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  41. ^ Woods, Ashley C. (2011-11-24). "After boos, Nickelback plays just one song at Detroit Lions halftime gig". mlive. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  42. ^ Camenker, Jacob. "Lindsey Stirling halftime show: NBC criticized for airing seconds of performance". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  43. ^ Weprin, Alex (2023-11-23). "Why the NFL Is Using Thanksgiving to Expand Its Halftime Show Ambitions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  44. ^ Slevin, Peter (November 27, 2008). "In Detroit, Tradition Takes a Hike; Annual Thanksgiving Football Game Offers Little Joy for Troubled City". Washington Post. p. A1.
  45. ^ Lage, Larry (November 28, 2008). "Once-beaten Titans dominate winless Lions 47–10". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  46. ^ Niyo, John (31 January 2009). "Turkey game safe ... for now". Detroit Free Press. p. C6.
  47. ^ Kowalski, Tom (22 March 2009). "Lions president says NFL will not take away team's Thanksgiving Day game". mlive.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  48. ^ Horn, Barry (10 March 2009). "Networks vie for Dallas Cowboys' home opener". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  49. ^ King, Peter (1 December 2008). "The best football writer of our time". si.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  50. ^ "NFL announces Week 13 flex plan". ESPN. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  51. ^ Best, Neil (December 14, 2011). "NFL renews lucrative TV deals". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  52. ^ a b Patra, Kevin (23 April 2014). "2014 NFL Schedule: No AFC teams on Thanksgiving Day". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  53. ^ Brinson, Will (19 April 2018). "2018 NFL Thanksgiving Schedule, how to watch, stream: Three great division rivalry games, including Bears-Lions on CBS". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  54. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (April 20, 2017). "Previewing the 2017 Thanksgiving Day slate". National Football League. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  55. ^ Charles Taudin (23 November 2022). "Qu'est-ce que le Turkey Leg Award ?" (in French). The Free Agent. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022..
  56. ^ Imnam, Cam (November 23, 2016). "John Madden talks Thanksgiving, his health, Raiders rise, 49ers fall, NFL TV ratings". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  57. ^ a b c "Galloping Gobbler: An evolution of greatness". Laces Out – Fox Blog. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  58. ^ a b "NFL Thanksgiving Day Football History, Trivia, and Fun Facts". Sports Geekery. November 24, 2014. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  59. ^ "NFL Thanksgiving Day Football History, Trivia, and Fun Facts – Sports Geekery". 2010-11-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  60. ^ "Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott win Galloping Gobbler after Thanksgiving win vs. Washington". Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  61. ^ Filipowski, Nick (November 28, 2019). Josh Allen said he dreamed of eating a turkey leg on Thanksgiving after a win. Today, he lived it (...) Archived 2019-11-29 at the Wayback Machine WIVB-TV via Twitter. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  62. ^ "Easton-P'burg TV coverage won't crash gate". The Morning Call. November 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012. As an added bonus, John Madden will return to NBC to open the broadcast and will give his first "Madden Thanksgiving Player of the-Game" award
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Bibliography

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