What NFL Teams Play on Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a day for family, friends, and, of course, football. But which NFL teams play on Thanksgiving? Here’s a look at the schedule.
The Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most popular teams in the NFL and they play on Thanksgiving every year. Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States that is celebrated with a large feast. The Cowboys usually play against one of their division rivals on Thanksgiving. This year, they will be playing against the Washington Redskins.
History of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They are well known for their rivalry with the Washington Redskins, as well as their significant history of playing on Thanksgiving Day.
The team first played on Thanksgiving in 1966, when they were defeated by the then-expansion Atlanta Falcons, 34–14. Since that time, the Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving 38 times (winning 27 of those games). From 1966 to 1978, the Cowboys played on Thanksgiving every year except for 1967 and 1968. In those years, they played on Thanksgiving Day against either the Miami Dolphins or the New York Jets. From 1979 to present day, with a few exceptions explained below, they have always played either the Detroit Lions or the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving Day.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day games in the 2010s
The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving Day ten times since 2010. In those games, they have gone 6-4. They have won three straight games on Thanksgiving, including a 27-20 comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 2016.
The Cowboys have been good for ratings on Thanksgiving Day, as they are often one of the most watched teams on television. In 2016, their game against the Vikings was the most watched Thanksgiving Day game in history, with an average of 32 million viewers.
The Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1934. The Lions have played more Thanksgiving Day games than any other NFL team. The Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1945.
History of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving
The Detroit Lions have a long and storied history of playing on Thanksgiving Day. The team was founded in 1930, and they played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1934. They’ve played every year since, with the exception of 1939, when the game was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.
The Lions have been a dominant force on Thanksgiving, winning 24 of their 34 games. Their most recent victory came in 2016, when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 16-13. The Lions will look to continue their Thanksgiving Day success in 2017 when they take on the NFC North rival Chicago Bears.
The Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day games in the 2010s
The Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934, with the exception of 1939–1944 (due to the NFL’s suspension of its operations during World War II). The tradition began in 1934 when Lions owner George A. Richards bought the team and staged a game on Thanksgiving, which had been popularized in Detroit a few years earlier by high school and college contests. Until 1945, the Lions always played their Thanksgiving game at home. From 1946 to 1951, they alternated between playing at home and away each year. From 1952 to 1963, they played all but one of their games at home; that one “road” contest was in 1959 against the expansion Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. In 1964, the Lions began a tradition of playing their games away from Detroit on Thanksgiving; they have done so every year since (except for 1975 when they again hosted a game at home against Green Bay due to a scheduling conflict at Tiger Stadium). They have played more games on Thanksgiving than any other NFL team.
The 2010s saw the Lions playing on Thanksgiving every year except for 2013 (when they had previously been scheduled to host a game on Thanksgiving before being moved to play on primetime television as part of the NFL’s “Flexible Scheduling” policy). In 2010 and 2011, they defeated NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. The 2012 game saw them lose 40–10 to the Houston Texans; this was their worst defeat on Thanksgiving since 1998, when they also lost 40–10 – although that game was against another AFC South opponent in Jacksonville. The Lions won 34–17 against Philadelphia in 2013, then 24-20 over Chicago in 2014 for their first back-to-back victories on Thanksgiving Day since 1999-2000. In 2015 Detroit won 45-14 over Philadelphia for their third consecutive win against NFC East opponents on Turkey Day (having previously beaten Dallas 17-3 in 2011), but lost 31-26 to Minnesota in 2016 despite having led 26-14 midway through the 4th quarter; this was followed by another loss in 2017 – this time 38-17 at home to Minnesota.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day seven times in their history. The first time was in 1923, when they defeated the Hammond Pros.
History of the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.
The Packers are the last of the “small town teams” which were common in the NFL during the league’s early days of 1920–1930. Founded in August 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the franchise traces its lineage to other semi-professional teams in Green Bay dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and Michigan, before joining the American Professional Football Association (APFA), now known as the NFL, in 1921. Although Green Bay is by far the smallest major league market in North America, Forbes ranked the Packers as the world’s 26th most valuable sports franchise in 2016, with a value of $2.35 billion.
The Packers have played over 100 seasons, compiling an all-time record of 13–4 (.765) in regular season and 19–15 (.559) in playoffs as of February 2017. The team has won 16 NFL championships – nine NFL titles before Super Bowl era (1933), and three Super Bowl victories – 1966 (I), 1967 (II), and 1996 (XXXI).
The Green Bay Packers’ Thanksgiving Day games in the 2010s
The Green Bay Packers have a long and storied history of playing on Thanksgiving Day, dating back to their very first season in 1919. In the 2010s, the Packers have continued that tradition, playing on Thanksgiving Day in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
The Packers’ opponents on Thanksgiving Day in the 2010s have been the Detroit Lions (2010 and 2012), the Dallas Cowboys (2011), the Chicago Bears (2013), and the Minnesota Vikings (2014).
In 2010, the Packers defeated the Lions 31-24. In 2011, they lost to the Cowboys 37-36. In 2012, they defeated the Lions 27-15. In 2013, they defeated the Bears 28-27. And in 2014, they defeated the Vikings 42-21.
