Which NFL franchise has never played on Thanksgiving?

Three NFL games will be played on Thanksgiving Day this year: Houston Texans at Detroit Lions, Washington at Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers.

Absent from that schedule, again, is the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars are the only NFL team to have never played on Thanksgiving.

Time to start getting your Thanksgiving #NFL plans in order. #WashingtonFootball https://t.co/QFduChnTed

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) November 17, 2020

It makes sense on one level. The Jaguars debuted as an expansion franchise in 1995, so they're relatively new compared to teams like the Lions, Cowboys and Steelers. The Jaguars have had fewer opportunities than most teams to get on the Thanksgiving schedule simply because they haven't been around for as long as most other teams.

Then again, the Texans are playing on Thanksgiving this year, and they made their franchise debut in 2002.

The Jaguars have had period in the past where they were among the better teams in the NFL, which would make them an appealing TV option for a high-profile Thanksgiving game. They've had star players like running backs Maurice Jones-Drew (2006-2013) and Leonard Fournette (2017-19) who would've made sense to be featured in a Thanksgiving game.

But for some reason, the NFL schedule-makers still haven't put Jacksonville on its Thanksgiving schedule.

One step closer to Canton.@FredTaylorMade and @TonyBoselli have been named modern-era semifinalists for the @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/NKgiB4zWUs

— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) November 24, 2020

The Jacksonville Jaguars are like the NFL's version of Benjamin Button. Their development as a franchise has gone against the grain to where it's basically the reverse of what you typically see in the NFL.

Most expansion franchise struggle for years after their debut and don't settle into something resembling good for until maybe a decade into their existence. The Texans, for example, didn't make their first playoff appearance until their 10th season. The Seattle Seahawks debuted in 1976 and didn't make the playoffs until 1983.

The Jaguars went 4-12 in their first season. Then in 1996, Year 2 of their existence, not only did they make the playoffs at 9-7, but the Jaguars went all the way to the AFC Championship Game. That was the first in a streak of four straight playoff appearances, which included another AFC Championship Game appearance after the 1999 season.

There were some low points for the Jaguars after that, but they made the playoffs in 2005, 2007 and 2017 -- and made another AFC Championship Game appearance after the 2017 season.

Now in 2020, the Jaguars are starting to look like an expansion franchise in its infancy. The Jaguars are 1-9 this season and look like they're starting all over.

With the way they were trading and releasing key players this offseason, the Jaguars were accused of tanking this season in an attempt to land a top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

At this point, who knows when the Jaguars will be intriguing enough to make it onto the NFL's Thanksgiving schedule.

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NFL Thanksgiving Day notes

* Four teams have never lost on Thanksgiving: Ravens, Texans, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. (Five if you count the Jaguars.)

* Three teams have never won on Thanksgiving: Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Four if you count the Jaguars.)