Why do Cowboys and Lions always play on Thanksgiving Day? Unearthing story behind NFL’s yearly tradition

Thanksgiving Day football games involving the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions have been on the forefront for fans since very early in NFL history. Both franchises will carry on that tradition this season as well.

In 1934, the Detroit team started the Thanksgiving football custom. At that time, NBC was persuaded to broadcast a Thanksgiving game between the Chicago Bears and the Lions on 94 stations nationwide as part of a marketing campaign.

It was spearheaded by Lions owner George A. Richards, who aimed to increase fan support for the team.

The Lions sold out their inaugural Thanksgiving Day game, proving that the plan was effective. There were reportedly so many people who came to witness the game that the team was forced to turn spectators back at the entrance.

However, after the Bears, the reigning world champions, defeated the Lions 19–16 in that game at the University of Detroit Stadium before an audience of 26,000 spectators, a new tradition was established.

Since then, only the years 1939–1944—when World War II gripped the globe—have seen Detroit skip Thanksgiving games.

Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys are also a regular fixture on Thanksgiving. In 1966, general manager Tex Schramm agreed to play on that day in order to garner more national attention, and that's when their tradition started.

Similar to Detroit, Dallas saw record-breaking attendance at the game that year, and the standard framework was established. Since then, just two seasons have the Cowboys missed a Thanksgiving Day game: 1975 and 1977, when the game was granted to the St. Louis Cardinals.

NFL Thanksgiving schedule for 2023: TV channel, live stream details and more

This Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions will play their annual Thanksgiving games, but this year's opponents are different from previous year's.

The Lions and Green Bay Packers will play in the first Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field this year. The game will be televised on Fox and get underway at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The Lions, who have exceeded all expectations this season, will get closer to enjoying a dream campaign if they win on Thanksgiving and move one step closer to a postseason berth.

CBS will broadcast the second Thanksgiving Day game, which is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET.

As usual, the Cowboys will play their holiday game at home against the Washington Commanders, a team they have become familiar with playing on Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys and Commanders will square off on Thanksgiving for the fourth time in the previous eight years with this matchup.

The Seattle Seahawks will play host to the San Francisco 49ers in a crucial NFC West matchup on Thanksgiving Day this year.

The Hawks had a short-lived lead in the division following the Niners' three straight losses last month, but San Francisco has now continued to extend their dominance over Seattle after returning from their bye.

On Thanksgiving Day, the 49ers vs. Seahawks game is scheduled to start off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

All the Thanksgiving Day games details are highlighted below:

Game 1: Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers

Stadium: Ford Field

TV channel: Fox

Time: 12:30 p.m. ET

Game 2: Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders

Stadium: AT&T Stadium

TV channel: CBS

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

Game 3: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers

Stadium: Lumen Field

TV channel: NBC

Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

Exploring NFL standings heading into Thanksgiving Day

The 2023 NFL regular season has just seven weeks remaining, and while some teams appear to be well on their way to a postseason berth, others are falling short.

Particularly, the AFC has shown itself to be a very competitive conference, with up to 14 teams still having a legitimate chance of qualifying for the postseason. The NFC postseason race is a little bit more open now that a few teams have built a sizable lead over their opponents.

AFC Playoff Picture

#1 - Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)

#2 - Baltimore Ravens (8-3)

#3 - Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3)

#4 - Miami Dolphins (7-3)

#5 - Cleveland Browns (7-3)

#6 - Houston Texans (6-4)

#7 - Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

#8 - Buffalo Bills (6-5)

#9 - Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

#10 - Denver Broncos (5-5)

#11 - Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)

#12 - Las Vegas Raiders (5-6)

#13 - Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)

#14 - New York Jets (4-6)

#15 - Tennessee Titans (3-7)

#16 - New England Patriots (2-8)

NFC Playoff Picture

#1 - Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

#2 - Detroit Lions (8-2)

#3 - San Francisco 49ers (7-3)

#4 - New Orleans Saints (5-5)

#5 - Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

#6 - Seattle Seahawks (6-4)

#7 - Minnesota Vikings (6-5)

#8 - Green Bay Packers (4-6)

#9 - Los Angeles Rams (4-6)

#10 - Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

#11 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

#12 - Washington Commanders (4-7)

#13 - New York Giants (3-8)

#14 - Chicago Bears (3-8)

#15 - Arizona Cardinals (2-9)

#16 - Carolina Panthers (1-9)