Which NFL team plays on Thanksgiving in 2022?

Football is one of the national pastimes during Thanksgiving. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are two teams who regularly host a football game on the yearly holiday. This arrangement has existed since the league's establishment in 1920.

Three games will be played on the same night in 2022, continuing the tradition. But which NFL side will be playing on the holiday this year?

These are the three matchups lined up for the holiday this year:

• Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions: 12:30 pm ET

• New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: 4:30 pm ET

• New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings: 8:20 pm ET

On Thursday, 24 November, the start of Week 12 in the 2022 regular season, these games will take place.

What football teams always play on Thanksgiving?

The Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions have had games on Thanksgiving for 44 straight seasons. However, the Lions' record is older than that of the Cowboys. This will be the Cowboys' 55th contest on this holiday and the 83rd in NFL history for the Lions.

There is no formal agreement that these two groups must compete every Thanksgiving, but it has been a yearly event for many years. The Cowboys started their tradition of having a match on this day in 1966, but the Lions started theirs in 1934. Therefore, it is by no means a new practice.

The Lions' president, George A. Richards is the one to whom many attribute the initiative to have games on this holiday annually. He may indeed be one of the explanations for how there are always games in Detroit on this day.

Richards tried out a football game on the special day to pull in some funds. The Lions became the first franchise to have a Thanksgiving Day contest telecast. Although it was on the radio, 94 NBC stations across the nation aired the show.

That Richards controlled one of those 94 channels and was able to secure that national broadcast undoubtedly helps.

Since then, the Lions have always played on the holiday, except for the brief period from 1942 to 1944 when games were suspended due to World War II.

The Green Bay Packers have faced off with the Detroit Lions the most for these games. There have been 21 matchups between the NFC North foes.

The Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-14 in their inaugural Thanksgiving game at the Cotton Bowl in 1966. The holiday game made excellent sense, according to general manager Tex Schramm, who wanted the Cowboys to receive more national attention.