Why the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving

For more than a century, Americans have played football on Thanksgiving Day. In 1891, Yale defeated Princeton 19-0 in the first college football game played on the holiday. Professional football began playing official games on Thanksgiving in 1920, beginning with six American Professional Football Association (APFA) matchups.

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, these six games were the first Thursday games in professional football history. This is how the day’s game list ended:

Akron Pros 7-0 Canton Bulldogs
Decatur Staleys 6-0 Chicago Tigers
Elyria Athletics 0-0 Columbus pan handles
Dayton Triangles 28-0 Detroit Heralds
Chicago Boosters 27-0 Hammond Pros
All of Tonawanda 14-3 Rochester Jefferson

In the 104 years since, professional football has become a staple of Thanksgiving, except for a hiatus from 1941 to 1944 due to World War II. Two teams played more games over the holiday than any other: the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.

Both will be back in action this Thursday, hosting their division rivals. The Lions start the day against the Chicago Bears before the Cowboys take on the New York Giants in the second game of the day.

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That’s why they always play on Thanksgiving.

Why do the Lions always play on Thanksgiving?

The Lions played their first Thanksgiving game in 1934, their first season in Detroit. Then-owner George A. Richards, a local radio executive, wanted the team to play on the holidays to attract more fans to the stadium. The city’s MLB team, the Detroit Tigers, were the most popular sports team at the time and Richards believed this could attract more fans to watch the Lions.

A sold-out crowd at the University of Detroit Stadium witnessed a close game between the Lions and Bears. The Bears won 19-16 and Richards got the game broadcast on 94 radio stations, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This game was so popular that it became a regular fixture on the schedule until 1938. The Lions did not play on the holiday from 1939 to 1944, but returned when the NFL reintroduced Thanksgiving games in 1945 after World War II. Since then they have played every year on the holidays.

Lions Thanksgiving record

Detroit has played a total of 84 games on Thanksgiving, by far the most in the NFL, and is 37-45-2 on the holiday. Here are the most common matchups they’ve had:

Lions-Packers (22 games): The Lions lead 12-9-1
Lions-Bears (19 games): The Bears lead 11-8
Lions-Vikings (5 games): The Vikings lead 3-2

Why do the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving?

Dallas is second only to the Lions as the team with the most holiday games in NFL history. NFL attendance grew rapidly in the 1960s and the league added a second Thanksgiving game in 1966. Then-Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm volunteered the Cowboys to attend the second game as long as the team could host the game every year.

The Cowboys won their Thanksgiving debut 26-14 over the Cleveland Browns, and the tradition continued the following season. The St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals took over as the Cowboys’ host team in 1975 and 1977, but Dallas was reinstated in 1978 and has had a permanent spot on the holiday ever since.

Cowboys Thanksgiving record

Dallas has played a total of 56 games on Thanksgiving, with a record of 33-22-1 on the holiday in 2024. Unlike the Lions, they have no popular rivalries for the game; Dallas played 24 different teams this holiday. Here are their most common opponents:

Cowboys Commanders (11 games): The Cowboys lead 9-2
Cowboys-Dolphins (5 games): Dolphins lead 3-2
Cowboys-Cardinals (4 games): Cowboys lead 4-0

Has any NFL team never played on Thanksgiving?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only active franchise that has never played on Thanksgiving. Three teams had a game on the holiday: the Carolina Panthers (2015), the Cincinnati Bengals (2010) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006).

NFL Team Thanksgiving Records

Arizona Cardinals: 6-15-2
Atlanta Falcons: 1-3
Baltimore Ravens: 2-0
Buffalo Bills: 6-4-1
Carolina Panthers: 1-0
Chicago Bears: 20-15-2
Cincinnati Bengals: 0-1
Cleveland Browns: 0-3
Dallas Cowboys: 33-22-1
Denver Broncos: 4-7
Detroit Lions: 37-45-2
Green Bay Packers: 15-20-2
Houston Texans: 2-0
Indianapolis Colts: 2-1-1
Jacksonville Jaguars: 0-0
Kansas City Chiefs: 5-5
Las Vegas Raiders: 4-4
Los Angeles Chargers: 3-1-1
Los Angeles Rams: 4-1
Miami Dolphins: 5-2
Minnesota Vikings: 7-2
New England Patriots: 3-3
New Orleans Saints: 3-1
New York Giants: 7-6-3
New York Jets: 4-4
Philadelphia Eagles: 6-1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-6
San Francisco 49ers: 3-2-1
Seattle Seahawks: 2-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0-1
Tennessee Titans: 5-2
Washington Commanders: 4-9

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