Thanksgiving and NFL football have been intertwined for generations, creating a rhythm that feels as familiar as the smell of stuffing in the oven. For many families, the day isn’t complete without the sound of pads crashing and announcers calling plays in the background. The early game kicks off just as folks settle in with coffee and pie leftovers from breakfast, and by the time the second game rolls around, the living room is full of relatives in recliners, half-asleep from turkey and cranberry sauce, cheering or groaning with every touchdown. It’s not just a broadcast, it’s part of the fabric of the holiday.
Over the years, the games have become as much a part of Thanksgiving as parades and pumpkin pie. Whether it’s a heated rivalry, a dramatic comeback, or just the comfort of seeing familiar uniforms on the screen, Thanksgiving football offers a shared experience that brings generations together. Grandparents reminisce about old players, kids pick their favorite teams, and somewhere between the second helping and the dessert tray, football becomes the glue that holds the day together.
Every year, you can count on two teams to always be playing…the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. But why is that? What transpired through the years for these two teams to continue the tradition year after year. Well, here’s the stories of how these two teams settled into being a part of everyone’s Thanksgiving every year.
The Detroit Lions
Back in 1934, the Detroit Lions were a new team in a new city. Originally founded as the Portsmouth Spartans in Ohio, they moved to Detroit that year under the ownership of George A. Richards, who also happened to own WJR, one of the most powerful radio stations in the country.
The Lions were solid on the field but struggled to draw attention in a city obsessed with baseball. The Detroit Tigers had just won the American League pennant, and the Lions were playing to crowds of around 15,000. Richards needed a spark, and he found it in Thanksgiving.
He convinced NBC to broadcast a Thanksgiving Day game nationwide on 94 radio stations, a huge deal at the time. The matchup was perfect: the undefeated Chicago Bears came to town to face the one-loss Lions in a game that would decide the NFL’s Western Division. The Lions sold out their 26,000-seat stadium and had to turn fans away. Even though the Bears won, the Thanksgiving game was a hit, and the Lions have played every year since.
The Dallas Cowboys
Fast forward to 1966. The Dallas Cowboys were still finding their footing in the NFL, and general manager Tex Schramm was looking for ways to boost the team’s national profile. When the league offered them a Thanksgiving game, Schramm jumped at the chance, even though the NFL worried Texans might not show up for football on a holiday.
To ease concerns, the league guaranteed ticket revenue in case attendance was low. But Schramm’s gamble paid off. More than 80,000 fans packed the Cotton Bowl to watch the Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns 26–14. That game set an attendance record and launched a new tradition. Since then, the Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving nearly every year, missing only twice.
In 2006, the NFL added a third Thanksgiving game to the schedule, giving fans a full day of football. Unlike the Lions and Cowboys, this game rotates among different teams.
From its humble beginnings as a publicity stunt to its place as a cherished holiday tradition, Thanksgiving football owes much of its legacy to the Lions and Cowboys. Their annual appearances have become as familiar as pumpkin pie and family gatherings.
