Football on Thanksgiving has been an NFL tradition since the beginning of the league’s existence.
The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving every year since 1934 — except between 1939 and 1944 during World War II. The Dallas Cowboys have played every nearly year since 1966, missing out on only two Thanksgiving games, when the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals played instead in 1975 and 1977.
How far back does the tradition really go, and when was the first NFL Thanksgiving game?
History of Football on Thanksgiving
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first Thanksgiving football games were held on Nov. 25, 1920. Six games were supposedly played that day, and an urban legend states that the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys challenged each other to a Thanksgiving duel in Chicago in the league’s inaugural season.
The Staleys, now known as the Bears, beat the Tigers 6-0 in the matchup. The loser of the matchup was to be relegated out of the league at the end of the season, which explains why the Tigers were the only NFL team to fold after the 1920 season.
The Lions started playing on Thanksgiving in 1934, and the initial scheduling was intentional. George A. Richards, the then-owner of the team, aimed to attract publicity and fans with a holiday game, according to CBS Sports.
This was their first season after being purchased and changed from being the Portsmouth Spartans to the Detroit Lions.
The tradition of Detroit-based football teams playing on Thanksgiving can be traced back to the Detroit Heralds’ 7-0 loss to the Canton Bulldogs in 1917.
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The Detroit Lions began the official tradition of the NFL on Thanksgiving, as the matchup between Detroit and the world champion Chicago Bears became a classic. The Bears beat the Lions 19-16 in front of 26,000 fans at the University of Detroit Stadium on Nov. 29, 1934.
Now, more than eight decades later, Thanksgiving football has become a staple in Detroit, with the Lions going 37-44-2 in the annual holiday classic. The Lions initially won the majority of their Thanksgiving contests, but they have gone 6-17 on Thanksgiving since 2000.
This year marks the 84th time the Lions have played on Thanksgiving, which is the most any team has played on the holiday.
Later on, the Dallas Cowboys began the tradition of playing on Thanksgiving. The team has gone 32-22-1 on Thanksgiving since starting its own holiday tradition in 1966. In their inaugural Thanksgiving game, the Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14.
Since 1966, the Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving every single year, with the exception of 1975 and 1977 as the then-St. Louis Cardinals took their place in those years. St. Louis was blown out in each of the two contests, prompting the game to go back to Dallas. The Cowboys have not missed a Thanksgiving game since.
The Thanksgiving tradition continues this season for both teams, as the Cowboys face the Washington Commanders, and the Lions face the Green Bay Packers. The league has since added a third holiday game, and this year will feature a divisional game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
The Cowboys are off to a 7-3 start this season, as the Commanders sit at 4-7. Dallas has had a successful season with QB Dak Prescott efficiently leading the offense. Meanwhile, the 8-2 Lions are favored against the 4-6 Packers. Detroit has had a phenomenal season so far and leads the NFC North.
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