By: Anthony Martinez, Sports Editor
Nothing says an American Thanksgiving like eating a feast with family while watching some NFL football. A tradition that has been taking place in the NFL since its inception back in 1920.
There is a plethora of history involved with the NFL on Thanksgiving, including the fact that it started a hundred years ago. The two NFL teams most notably with Thanksgiving football is the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions have played every single year since 1934, while the Cowboys, outside of two exceptions, played every year since 1966.
Because of their long history with Thanksgiving, the most played game on Thanksgiving is the Lions versus the Green Bay Packers, second is the Lions versus the Chicago Bears. The most common matchup for the Cowboys is with the Washington Football Team. While the Lions and Cowboys play yearly, in 2006 the NFL decided to add one more game yearly outside of those two teams.
Unsurprisingly the most wins and losses on Thanksgiving goes to the Lions, with 37 wins and 41 losses. Despite playing in 28 fewer games than the Lions, the Cowboys only have six fewer losses, a much higher win percentage.
Another tradition of the NFL on Thanksgiving is the awards. Since 1989 some type of award has been given out to the player who had the best performance on the field. The most notable award is the turkey leg that has been given out. Some of the players who have earned the turkey leg are Emmitt Smith, Brett Favre, Jay Cutler, Randy Moss, and countless others. Some of the other awards that have been given is a game ball, an all-iron award, a pie, and even a WWE championship belt.
Some of the notable games that have been played on Thanksgiving are the Dallas Cowboys versus the Green Bay Packers in 1994, the game where Cowboys quarterback was injured, and third-string quarterback won a high scoring affair against Green Bay. In 2012, it was the famous “butt fumble,” when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez accidentally ran into the behind of his center and fumbled the ball. In 2008, the year the Lions would go 0-16, they were demolished by the Tennessee Titans in the biggest blowout in Thanksgiving history, 47-10.
While there is all the history and countless records there is also the future three-game slate, scheduled to take place this season on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
The first game scheduled to take place will be the Detroit Lions versus the Houston Texans. At the time of this article, the Lions have a record of 3-3, and the Texans a record of 1-6. If this was last season, it would’ve made sense to think while it would be competitive, the Texans would run away with the game.
This year is extremely different. The Lions might be better than what their record says, even in the games they’ve lost, at some point they held a lead, they just have to finish better. Meanwhile, Houston is a complete mess since trading receiver Deandre Hopkins. Both have extremely talented quarterbacks with Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson, so anything can happen, but it makes sense for the Lions to be favored in this game.
The second game for the day is the Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Football Team. Both teams are currently 2-5 and both teams look like pretty bad teams. Washington has no identity, but they have already beat Dallas once this season in a game that wasn’t very close. The Cowboys are without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, backup Andy Dalton is currently injured but should be back in time for the Thanksgiving game.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, this game will be between two bad teams in a truly awful division. So, while it might be difficult to watch, it could have playoff implications or at least draft positioning and the outcome should be a toss-up
The final game of the day is between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both are Super Bowl contenders; the Ravens only have one loss in the season, currently, and the Steelers are undefeated. By the time they meet on Thanksgiving, it will be the second time they’ve played this season, and from their first meeting, it could be indicative of how this game will play out.
Huge implications on their division and playoff seeding. The winner of that game could very well end up being the number one seed in the AFC or at least battling with a team like the Chiefs for it. The complete Steelers team, the exciting Lamar Jackson, Ravens offense, and a defense that now includes Yannick Ngakoue, makes for the most anticipated matchup on Thanksgiving and one of the most anticipated for the entire season.
