NFL on Thanksgiving Day

"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

Thanksgiving football before the NFL

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

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

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

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

• 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

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

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

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

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

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

1920–1940

• 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.

Season Visiting team Score Home team Score November 25, 1920 Canton Bulldogs 0 Akron Pros 7 Decatur Staleys 6 Chicago Tigers 0 Detroit Heralds 0 Dayton Triangles 28 Columbus Panhandles 0 Elyria Athletics * 0 Hammond Pros 0 Chicago Boosters* 27 All-Tonawanda * 14 Rochester Jeffersons 3 November 24, 1921 Canton Bulldogs 14 Akron Pros 0 Buffalo All-Americans 7 Chicago Staleys 6 November 30, 1922 Buffalo All-Americans 21 Rochester Jeffersons 0 Chicago Bears 0 Chicago Cardinals 6 Milwaukee Badgers 0 Racine Legion 3 Oorang Indians 18 Columbus Panhandles 6 Akron Pros 0 Canton Bulldogs 14 November 29, 1923 Toledo Maroons 0 Canton Bulldogs 28 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 3 Hammond Pros 0 Green Bay Packers 19 Milwaukee Badgers 16 Racine Legion 0 November 27, 1924 Buffalo Bisons 0 Akron Pros 22 Chicago Bears 21 Chicago Cardinals 0 Dayton Triangles 7 Frankford Yellow Jackets 32 Milwaukee Badgers 10 Cleveland Bulldogs (at Canton) 53 Green Bay Packers 17 Kansas City Blues 6 November 26, 1925 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 0 Kansas City Cowboys 17 Cleveland Bulldogs (at Hartford) 0 Rock Island Independents 6 Detroit Panthers 3 Green Bay Packers 0 Pottsville Maroons 31 November 25, 1926 New York Giants 17 Brooklyn Lions 0 Los Angeles Buccaneers 9 Detroit Panthers 6 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 0 Green Bay Packers 14 Frankford Yellow Jackets 20 Providence Steam Roller 0 Pottsville Maroons 8 Akron Pros 0 Canton Bulldogs 0 (AFL I) Los Angeles Wildcats 0 Chicago Bulls 0 (AFL I) Philadelphia Quakers 13 New York Yankees 10 November 24, 1927 Chicago Cardinals 3 Chicago Bears 0 Providence Steam Roller 0 Pottsville Maroons 6 Green Bay Packers 17 Frankford Yellow Jackets 9 Cleveland Bulldogs 30 New York Yankees 19

Season Visiting team Score Home team Score November 29, 1928 Providence Steam Roller 7 Pottsville Maroons 0 Dayton Triangles 0 Detroit Wolverines 33 Green Bay Packers 0 Frankford Yellow Jackets 2 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 34 November 28, 1929 New York Giants 21 Staten Island Stapletons 7 Green Bay Packers 0 Frankford Yellow Jackets 0 Chicago Cardinals 40 Chicago Bears 6 November 27, 1930 New York Giants 6 Staten Island Stapletons 7 Providence Steam Roller 12 Brooklyn Dodgers 33 Green Bay Packers 25 Frankford Yellow Jackets 7 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 6 November 26, 1931 Green Bay Packers 38 Providence Steam Roller 7 New York Giants 6 Staten Island Stapletons 9 Chicago Cardinals 7 Chicago Bears 18 November 24, 1932 Green Bay Packers 7 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 New York Giants 13 Staten Island Stapletons 13 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 24 November 30, 1933 New York Giants 10 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 22 Chicago Cardinals 6 November 29, 1934 Green Bay Packers 0 Chicago Cardinals 6 New York Giants 27 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 19 Detroit Lions 16 November 28, 1935 Green Bay Packers 7 Chicago Cardinals 9 New York Giants 21 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 2 Detroit Lions 14 November 26, 1936 Chicago Bears 7 Detroit Lions 13 New York Giants 14 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 (AFL II) Cleveland Rams 7 Rochester Tigers 6 November 25, 1937 Chicago Bears 13 Detroit Lions 0 New York Giants 13 Brooklyn Dodgers 13 November 24, 1938 Chicago Bears 7 Detroit Lions 14 New York Giants 7 Brooklyn Dodgers 7 November 23, 1939 Pittsburgh Pirates 14 Philadelphia Eagles 17 November 21, 1940 (AFL III) New York Yankees 16 Columbus Bullies 17 (AFL III) Buffalo Tigers 13 Milwaukee Chiefs 30 November 28, 1940 Pittsburgh Steelers 0 Philadelphia Eagles 7

1945–1959

• 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

• The American Football League (AFL) also played Thanksgiving Day games during this decade.
• The Dallas Cowboys started playing their traditional series in 1966.

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

• 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

• 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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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)

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)

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)

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

CBS Turkey Leg Award Year MVP (Team) 1989 Reggie White (Philadelphia) 1990 Troy Aikman (Dallas) Emmitt Smith (Dallas) 1991 Erik Kramer (Detroit) Jerry Ball (Detroit) 1992 Emmitt Smith (Dallas) Offensive line (Dallas) 1993 Richard Dent (Chicago) CBS All-Iron Award 1998 Stephen Boyd (Detroit) 1999 Dexter Coakley (Dallas) 2000 Charlie Batch (Detroit) 2001 Mike Anderson (Denver) 2002 Troy Brown (New England) 2003 Jay Fiedler (Miami) Chris Chambers (Miami) 2004 Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) Offensive line (Indianapolis) 2005 Ron Dayne (Denver) 2006 Joey Harrington (Miami) 2007 Tony Romo (Dallas) Defense (Dallas)* 2008 Albert Haynesworth (Tennessee) Chris Johnson (Tennessee) Kevin Mawae (Tennessee) LenDale White (Tennessee) 2009 Miles Austin (Dallas) Tony Romo (Dallas) Jason Witten (Dallas) 2010 Tom Brady (New England) 2011 DeMarcus Ware (Dallas) 2012 Andre Johnson (Houston) Matt Schaub (Houston) J. J. Watt (Houston) 2013 Tony Romo (Dallas) DeMarco Murray (Dallas) Lance Dunbar (Dallas) Honorable mention: Matthew McGloin (Oakland) 2014 Calvin Johnson (Detroit) 2015 Luke Kuechly (Carolina) Jerricho Cotchery (Carolina) Kurt Coleman (Carolina) Cam Newton (Carolina) 2016 Matt Prater (Detroit) Darius Slay (Detroit) Matthew Stafford (Detroit) 2017 None (see below)* 2018 None (see below)* CBS Turkey Leg Award 2019 Josh Allen (Buffalo) 2020 Deshaun Watson (Houston)* 2021 Derek Carr (Las Vegas) CBS Madden Player of the Game 2022 Josh Allen (Buffalo) Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) Tyler Bass (Buffalo) 2023 Dak Prescott (Dallas) DaRon Bland (Dallas) CBS Madden Thanksgiving MVP 2024 Jared Goff (Detroit)

Fox Turkey Leg Award Year MVP (Team) 1994 Emmitt Smith (Dallas) Jason Garrett (Dallas) Brett Favre (Green Bay) Sterling Sharpe (Green Bay) 1995 Herman Moore (Detroit) Brett Perriman (Detroit) Johnnie Morton (Detroit) 1996 Emmitt Smith (Dallas) 1997 Luther Elliss (Detroit) Johnnie Morton (Detroit) Barry Sanders (Detroit) 1998 Randy Moss (Minnesota) 1999 Gus Frerotte (Detroit) Greg Hill (Detroit) Johnnie Morton (Detroit) Robert Porcher (Detroit) 2000 Robert Smith (Minnesota) Randy Moss (Minnesota) Daunte Culpepper (Minnesota) Cris Carter (Minnesota) 2001 Brett Favre (Green Bay) Ahman Green (Green Bay) Fox Galloping Gobbler Award 2002 Emmitt Smith (Dallas) 2003 Dré Bly (Detroit) 2004 Julius Jones (Dallas) 2005 Michael Vick (Atlanta) 2006 Tony Romo (Dallas) 2007 Brett Favre (Green Bay) 2008 DeMarcus Ware (Dallas) 2009 Donald Driver (Green Bay) 2010 Drew Brees (New Orleans) 2011 Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) 2012 Robert Griffin III (Washington) 2013 Reggie Bush (Detroit) 2014 LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) 2015 Matthew Stafford (Detroit) 2016 Dak Prescott (Dallas) Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas) Fox Game Ball 2017 Case Keenum (Minnesota) 2018 Amari Cooper (Dallas) Fox WWE Championship Belt 2019 Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago) 2020 Alex Smith (Washington) Fox Game Ball 2021 Andy Dalton (Chicago) Fox Madden Player of the Game 2022 Dak Prescott (Dallas) 2023 Jordan Love (Green Bay) Fox Madden Thanksgiving MVP 2024 Micah Parsons (Dallas)

NFL Network Pudding Pie Award Year MVP (Team) 2006 Not given 2007 Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis) 2008 Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia) Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia) 2009 Brandon Marshall (Denver) 2010 Brad Smith (New York Jets) Darrelle Revis (New York Jets) 2011 Terrell Suggs (Baltimore) NBC Madden Thanksgiving Player of the Game 2012 Tom Brady (New England) Vince Wilfork (New England) Steve Gregory (New England) 2013 Jacoby Jones (Baltimore) Justin Tucker (Baltimore) 2014 Russell Wilson (Seattle) Richard Sherman (Seattle) 2015 Jay Cutler (Chicago) Tracy Porter (Chicago) NBC SNF on Thanksgiving Player of the Game 2016 Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh) Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh) 2017 Kirk Cousins (Washington) Jamison Crowder (Washington) Ryan Kerrigan (Washington) 2018 Drew Brees (New Orleans) Alvin Kamara (New Orleans) Cameron Jordan (New Orleans) 2019 Drew Brees (New Orleans) Taysom Hill (New Orleans) Cameron Jordan (New Orleans) 2020 Not given (game postponed)* 2021 Josh Allen (Buffalo) Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) Dawson Knox (Buffalo) NBC Madden Player of the Game 2022 Kirk Cousins (Minnesota) Justin Jefferson (Minnesota) Adam Thielen (Minnesota) 2023 Brock Purdy (San Francisco) Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco) Charvarius Ward (San Francisco) NBC Madden Thanksgiving MVP 2024 Jordan Love (Green Bay)

• 2007: Of the members of the Cowboys defense, Chris Canty, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman and Greg Ellis were particularly noted.
• 2017: No formal CBS award was given. Philip Rivers and Keenan Allen (both of the Chargers) were interviewed during post-game coverage.
• 2018: No formal CBS award was given. Chase Daniel (Bears) was interviewed during post-game coverage.
• 2020: The CBS award was sent to Deshaun Watson's home instead of being handed out after the game.
• 2020: No NBC prime time game was held due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

See also

• American football on Thanksgiving
• NFL Christmas games

References

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Bibliography

• 2003 NFL Record and Fact Book ( ISBN   0-7611-3148-5) (for game results through 2002)
• Detroit Lions 2003, 2004 and 2005 game schedules (for game results 2003 to 2005)
• Dallas Cowboys 2003, 2004 and 2005 game schedules (for game results 2003 to 2005)

External links

• NFL.com Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Day Game Results, from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• American Football League Thanksgiving game boxscores