Thanksgiving Football – Fun Facts About the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys
One of the most famous holidays in the United States is Thanksgiving, and it’s no surprise that it has a rich tradition for thanksgiving football games. Family members gather to eat, watch football, and give thanks for all that they have. Since 1966, only two NFL teams have missed a Thanksgiving game. The Dallas Cowboys have missed two in their history, and the Detroit Lions have missed four in their last six seasons. But what makes these games so special?
Detroit Lions
If you’re a die-hard Detroit Lions fan, you’ll look forward to Thanksgiving football every year. Thanksgiving football is synonymous with Detroit. The Lions are 37-42-2 all-time when playing on Thanksgiving. Many of those games have been against the Chicago Bears. Here are some fun facts about Thanksgiving games with the Detroit Lions. And don’t worry, you’re not alone – millions of fans across the country watch Thanksgiving games.
The Lions have played the Chicago Bears 18 times on Thanksgiving. They’re 8-10 against Chicago on Thanksgiving, and last won that game in 2014. That was the last time the Lions won a Thanksgiving game against the Bears. Calvin Johnson caught 11 passes for 146 yards, and Matthew Stafford completed 34-of-45 passes for 390 yards. And Megatron caught two touchdown passes from Stafford. Jay Cutler threw two interceptions. The Lions are a perennial playoff team.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have played on Thanksgiving fourteen times, which makes them the third most-repeated team in NFL history. The Bears are 7-2-2 in home games on Thanksgiving and 13-13 on the road. In the past three years, the Bears have won on Thanksgiving three times. In 2015, the Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 17-13. In 2018 and 2019, the Bears beat the Detroit Lions 24-20. From 1920 to 1934, the Bears played on Thanksgiving every year. In total, the team has played in 11 Thanksgiving games at Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions will play for the Thanksgiving Game on Thursday, Nov. 25, in Detroit. The Lions are winless after their loss to the Cleveland Browns last week, while the Bears are 3-7. The Bears have won six of the last 10 games against the Lions. You can watch Thanksgiving football on NFL Network at 12:30pm ET. Make sure you have your NFL Network subscription ready. You can also sign up for free bonus money from legal sportsbooks for the Bears-Lions Thanksgiving game.
Dallas Cowboys
If you’re a fan of football, you’ve probably watched the Thanksgiving football games with the Dallas Cowboys at one point or another. While the NFL and the AFL typically play one Thanksgiving game each, the Dallas Cowboys were more than willing to play the game on Thanksgiving. After all, they could get free TV broadcast. But the Cowboys haven’t always been happy with Thanksgiving’s schedule.
For the past two decades, the Cowboys have played Thanksgiving games. Owner Jerry Jones has even hosted a Thanksgiving dinner after a game, which is based on family recipes passed down through generations. The team also honors those in need by launching the Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff Campaign at halftime. The organization has raised more than $3 billion for the American Red Cross since 1997, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a long history of giving back.
New Orleans Saints
During the first week of November, the New Orleans Saints won their second straight game and are 3-0 for the season. After a disappointing Super Bowl run, Sean Payton’s team was on a roll and looked to be on its way to a perfect season. However, they faced some challenges after the Super Bowl. While Drew Brees only passed for 171 yards and was picked once, he was able to throw four touchdowns. All four touchdowns were caught by undrafted rookie free agents.
The New Orleans Saints have been struggling since losing their last game to the Philadelphia Eagles, and now they need to bounce back fast before they face another division leader. They are now 2-6 and have a game against the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving night. In Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, the Philadelphia Eagles rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints came into that game ranked as the top run defense in the league.
