Who’s Playing on Thanksgiving NFL?
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- The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1966.
- The Green Bay Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day more than any other team in the NFL, a total of 33 times.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers have played on Thanksgiving Day 20 times, the most of any team in the AFC.
- The Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never played on Thanksgiving Day.
Looking for something to watch on Thanksgiving Day? Check out our guide to who’s playing in the NFL on Thanksgiving!
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1966.
The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day since 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bearss in front of a crowd of 26,000 fans at the University of Detroit Stadium. The Lions have played every Thanksgiving Day since, with the exception of 1939 (due to a scheduling conflict with the Detroit Tigers baseball team) and 1944 (due to World War II). Their annual game has become one of the most anticipated events of the NFL season, and is broadcast to a national audience.
The Dallas Cowboys joined the Lions as an annual Thanksgiving Day opponent in 1966, when they defeated the Cleveland Browns. The two teams have played each other every year since, with the Cowboys holding a slight lead in the all-time series (33-32-1). Thanks to their popularity and success on the field, the Cowboys’ games are often considered the highlight of ThanksgivingDay football.
The Green Bay Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day more than any other team in the NFL, a total of 33 times.
The Green Bay Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day more than any other team in the NFL, a total of 33 times. The Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934, making them the longest-running tradition in the NFL. In 1951, the Lions added another tradition to their Thanksgiving lineup: televised games. That same year, the Dallas Cowboys joined the Lions as the only two teams to host Thanksgiving games every year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have played on Thanksgiving Day 20 times, the most of any team in the AFC.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have played on Thanksgiving Day 20 times, the most of any team in the AFC. The Dallas Cowboys have the most Thanksgiving appearances with 30, followed by the Detroit Lions with 29. The Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders have each played on Thanksgiving eight times. Four teams have never played on Thanksgiving: the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never played on Thanksgiving Day.
The National Football League (NFL) has held games on Thanksgiving Day every year since its inception in 1920, with the exception of 1934. Since 2006, three NFL games are held every Thanksgiving. In addition, the Detroit Lions have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934 except for 1935 and 2019; the Dallas Cowboys have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1966 except for 1967, 1975 and 1977; and the Buffalo Bills have not hosted a game on Thanksgiving Day since 1994 but have played several away games on the holiday.
