NFL on Thanksgiving Day

This article is about the series of National Football League games. For the Canadian Football League games, see Thanksgiving Day Classic. For the black college football rivalry, see Turkey Day Classic.

The NFL Thanksgiving logo used for 2010; the year is updated annually, with the new NFL shield being used for the first time in 2008.

The National Football League on Thanksgiving Day is a traditional series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Currently, three NFL games are played every Thanksgiving. The first two are hosted by the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys, with one team from each conference playing either team on a rotating basis; a third game, with no fixed opponents, has been played annually since 2006.

History

The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented. In that year, the college football teams at Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day. The University of Michigan also made it a tradition to play annual Thanksgiving games, holding 19 such games from 1885 to 1905. The Thanksgiving Day games between Michigan and the Chicago Maroons in the 1890s have been cited as "The Beginning of Thanksgiving Day Football." In some areas, high-school teams play on Thanksgiving, usually to wrap-up the regular-season.

By the time football had become a professional event, playing on Thanksgiving had already become an institution. Records of pro football being played on Thanksgiving date back to as early as the 1890s, with the first pro–am team, the Allegheny Athletic Association of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1902, the "National" Football League, a Major League Baseball-backed organization based entirely in Pennsylvania and unrelated to the current NFL, attempted to settle its championship over Thanksgiving weekend; after the game ended in a tie, eventually all three teams in the league claimed to have won the title. Members of the Ohio League, during its early years, usually placed their marquee matchups on Thanksgiving Day. For instance, in 1905 and 1906 the Latrobe Athletic Association and Canton Bulldogs, considered at the time to be two of the best teams in professional football (along with the Massillon Tigers), played on Thanksgiving. A rigging scandal with the Tigers leading up to the 1906 game led to severe drops in attendance for the Bulldogs and ultimately led to their suspension of operations. During the 1910s, the Ohio League stopped holding Thanksgiving games because many of its players coached high school teams and were unavailable. This was not the case in other regional circuits: in 1919, the New York Pro Football League featured a Thanksgiving matchup between the Buffalo Prospects and the Rochester Jeffersons. The game ended in a scoreless tie, leading to a rematch the next Sunday for the league championship.

The first owner of the Lions, G.A. Richards, started the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day game as a gimmick to get people to go to Lions football games, and to continue a tradition begun by the city's previous NFL teams.

Several other NFL teams played regularly on Thanksgiving in first eighteen years of the league, including the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals (1922–33; the Bears played the Lions from 1934 to 1938 while the Cardinals switched to the Green Bay Packers for 1934 and 1935), Frankford Yellow Jackets, Pottsville Maroons, Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs (even after the team moved to Cleveland they played the 1924 Thanksgiving game in Canton), and the New York Giants (1929–38, who always played a crosstown rival). During the Franksgiving controversy in 1939 and 1940, the only two teams to play the game were the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, as both teams were in the same state (Pennsylvania). (At the time, then-president Franklin Roosevelt wanted to move the holiday for economic reasons and many states were resistant to the move; half the states recognized the move and the other half did not. This complicated scheduling for Thanksgiving games. Incidentally, the two teams were also exploring the possibility of a merger at the time.) Because of the looming World War II and the resulting shorter seasons, the NFL did not schedule any Thanksgiving games in 1941, nor did it schedule any in the subsequent years until the war ended in 1945. When the Thanksgiving games resumed in 1945, only one game would be played each year (except 1950 and 1952), and only the Lions would have a permanent Thanksgiving game. In 1951, the Packers began a thirteen-season run as the perpetual opponent to the Lions each year through 1963.

In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys, who had been founded six years earlier, adopted the practice of hosting Thanksgiving games. It is widely rumored that the Cowboys sought a guarantee that they would regularly host Thanksgiving games as a condition of their very first one (since games on days other than Sunday were uncommon at the time and thus high attendance was not a certainty). Incidentally, Texas was the last state to recognize the "fourth Thursday" rule for Thanksgiving that had been imposed as a result of the Franksgiving compromise two decades prior, and had just adopted the rule (as opposed to the previous last-Thursday rule) in 1961, five years before Dallas started hosting Thanksgiving games. (The fourth and final Thursdays were the same between 1957 and 1960; the last time Texas had celebrated Thanksgiving on the week after the rest of the country was 1956.) The two "traditional" Thanksgiving Day pro football games have then been in Detroit and Dallas. Because of TV network commitments, to make sure that both the AFC-carrying network and the NFC-carrying network got at least one game each, one of these games was between NFC opponents, and one featured AFC-NFC opponents. Thus, the AFC could showcase only one team on Thanksgiving, and the AFC team was always the visiting team.

The All-America Football Conference and American Football League, both of which would later be absorbed into the NFL, also held Thanksgiving contests, although neither of those leagues had permanent hosts. Likewise, the AFL of 1926 also played two Thanksgiving games in its lone season of existence. (The 1936–41 incarnations of the American Football League ended their seasons the weekend before Thanksgiving.)

Since 2006, a third NFL game on Thanksgiving has been played at night. It originally aired on the NFL Network as part of its Thursday Night Football package until 2011; NBC began carrying the night game in 2012. The Thanksgiving night game has no fixed opponents or conferences, enabling the league to freely choose whatever marquee match-up to feature on that night. The 2012 changes will allow both Dallas and Detroit in the future to offer NFC games (one would be played at night), and CBS can offer a game with two AFC teams. The changes also allow, as happened in 2014 when none of the six teams selected to play on Thanksgiving were from the AFC, the networks to choose opponents from either conference, regardless of whether they own the rights to that conference.

Throwback uniforms

Since 2001 teams playing on Thanksgiving have worn throwback uniforms on numerous occasions. In some years (namely 2002), it extended to nearly all games of the weekend, and in some cases also involved classic field logos at the respective stadiums.

In 2001–2004, and again in 2008 and 2010, the Detroit Lions have worn throwback uniforms based on their very early years.

From 2001 to 2003, Dallas chose to represent the 1990s Cowboys dynasty by wearing the navy "Double-Star" jersey not seen since 1995. In 2004, the team wore uniforms not seen since 1960. In 2009, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AFL, both Dallas and Oakland played in a "AFL Legacy Game." In 2013, the Cowboys intended to wear their 1960s throwbacks, but chose not to do so after the NFL adopted a rule banning alternate helmets during the season; rather than sport an incomplete throwback look, the Cowboys instead wore their standard blue jerseys at home for the first time since 1963.

Memorable games

• 1920: An urban legend states that the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys challenged each other to a Thanksgiving duel, in Chicago, in the league's inaugural season, with the loser being relegated out of the league at the end of the season, purportedly explaining why the Tigers were the only NFL team to fold after the 1920 season (no other team would fold until 1921). The claims of it being a duel are unsubstantiated and no evidence exists that the Tigers were ever officially league members; nevertheless, the Tigers, after a 27–0 win over the non-league Thorn Tornadoes the next week, never played football again. The Staleys would move to Chicago during the next season, later renaming themselves the Bears.

• 1921: In a matchup of two of the league's best teams, the Staleys lose to the Buffalo All-Americans at home. The Staleys demand a rematch, with Buffalo agreeing to a December match only on the terms of it being considered an off-the-record exhibition game. That later match, which Chicago won, ended up counting despite the All-Americans' insistence, controversially handing Chicago the championship.

• 1952: The Dallas Texans are forced to move their lone remaining home game to the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio as the undercard to a high school football contest. Their opponent for that game, the Chicago Bears, grossly underestimate the then-winless Texans and sent their second string team to the game; the Texans scored a 27–23 upset over the Bears scrubs for their only win of their existence.

• 1962: The Lions handed the 10–0 Green Bay Packers their lone defeat of the season.

• 1974: Unknown Cowboys backup quarterback Clint Longley took over for an injured Roger Staubach with the team down 16–3 and rallied them to an improbable victory over Washington on two deep passes.

• 1976: The Bills offense put forth one of the best and the worst performances in Thanksgiving history. O. J. Simpson set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game, with 273. However, Bills backup quarterback Gary Marangi completed only 4 of 29 pass attempts, for 29 yards passing, and a rating of 19.7.

• 1980: Detroit and Chicago went to overtime tied 17–17, the first Thanksgiving game to do so, and the first overtime game at the Silverdome. Bears running back Dave Williams returned the opening kickoff in overtime 95 yards for a game-winning touchdown, ending the shortest overtime period in NFL history at the time.

• 1986: The Lions and the Packers had the highest scoring game in Thanksgiving history. It was the best day of receiver Walter Stanley's career; Stanley netted 207 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including an 83-yard punt return to win the game for Green Bay, 44–40. Stanley had an otherwise undistinguished career in the NFL.

• 1989: Known as the "Bounty Bowl," the Eagles crushed the Cowboys by a score of 27–0. Allegations surfaced that the Eagles had placed a bounty on the Cowboys kicker, thus becoming the first of a string of three bitterly contested games between the two teams, the other two being Bounty Bowl II and the Porkchop Bowl a year later.

• 1993: In one of the more infamous Thanksgiving Day games in recent history, the Cowboys led the Dolphins 14–13 with just seconds remaining in a rare, snow-filled Texas Stadium. Miami's Pete Stoyanovich attempted a game winning 40-yard field goal that was blocked by the Cowboys' Jimmie Jones. Dick Enberg of NBC proclaimed "The Cowboys will win." However, Cowboys defensive lineman Leon Lett chased the ball and touched it, making a live ball. Miami recovered and regained possession. They were able to make another field goal attempt, this time from a much shorter distance, and won the game 16–14.

• 1994: Troy Aikman was injured and third-string quarterback Jason Garrett was forced to start for Dallas against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys won a 42–31 shoot-out against Brett Favre.

• 1998: In another controversial Thanksgiving Day game, the Steelers and Lions went to overtime tied 16–16. Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis called the coin toss in the air, but confusion surrounded the call. Head referee Phil Luckett misheard Pittsburgh's call and awarded Detroit the ball. The Lions went on to kick a field goal on the first possession, winning 19–16. As a result of the fiasco, team captains are now required to call the coin toss before the coin is tossed. It was also the first of a series of controversial games with which Luckett has been involved.

• 2008: The 10–1 Titans routed the 0–11 Lions by a score of 47–10, one of the most lopsided results in history on Thanksgiving. The Lions would go on to finish the season 0–16.

• 2011: The trio of games was lauded as one of the better Thanksgiving Day slates of games in NFL history. The night game between Baltimore and San Francisco pitted head coaches and brothers John and Jim Harbaugh against each other – a preview of Super Bowl XLVII.

• 2012: The prime time contest became infamous for the "Butt fumble," an incident in which Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran headfirst into the buttocks of his own offensive lineman. He subsequently fumbled the ball; it was recovered by New England, who returned it for a touchdown.

Home team controversy

It has remained a tradition for Dallas and Detroit to host the afternoon games dating back several decades. However, in recent years, other teams have expressed interest in hosting Thanksgiving games. Lamar Hunt, the former owner of the Chiefs, lobbied heavily in favor of his team hosting a game on Thanksgiving. When the NFL adopted a third prime time game, the Chiefs were selected as the first team to host such a contest.

The host issue came to a head in 2008, focusing particularly on the winless Lions. Going into the game, Detroit had lost their last four Thanksgiving games, and opinions amongst the media had suggested removing Detroit and replacing them with a more attractive matchup. The team also required an extension to prevent a local television blackout. The Lions were routed by Tennessee 47–10, en route to the team's 0–16 season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the Lions would stay on Thanksgiving for 2009 season, but kept the issue open to revisit in the future.

Conversely, the Dallas Cowboys, which typically has a larger television draw, have had much fewer public calls to be replaced on Thanksgiving. One issue that has been debated is a perceived unfair advantage of playing at home on Thanksgiving.

With the introduction of the prime time game, which effectively allows all teams in the league an opportunity to play on Thanksgiving, the calls for Detroit and Dallas to be removed have curtailed.

Game results

(Winning teams are denoted by boldface type; tie games are italicized.)

Pre–1920

• This is a partial listing of professional football games played on Thanksgiving Day between 1892 (the year the first known professional player debuted) and 1919 (the last season before the NFL's formation), featuring various teams from the Ohio League (1903–19), New York Pro Football League (early 1900s–1919), National Football League (1902), the western Pennsylvania professional circuit (1892–1903), the eastern Pennsylvania pro-am circuit (1897–1919), the New Jersey circuit, and various other independent teams active at the time. Please note that during this era it was not unusual for professional football teams to play against college football teams or amateur local teams, touchdowns were worth only four points until 1896 and five points from 1897 to 1912, and that Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday in November at the time.

Season	Visiting Team	Score	Home Team	Score
Nov. 24, 1892	Lehigh Mountain Hawks	21	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	0
	Allegheny Athletic Association	4	Cleveland Athletic Club	0
Nov. 30, 1893	Penn State Nittany Lions	12	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	0
Nov. 29, 1894	Penn State Nittany Lions	-	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	-
	Altoona Athletic Club	4	Greensburg Athletic Association	6
Nov. 28, 1895	Beaver Falls Y.M.C.A	-	Greensburg Athletic Association	-
	Duquesne Country and Athletic Club	10	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	6
	Crescent Athletic Club	0	Orange Tornadoes	10
Nov. 26, 1896	West Virginia Mountaineers	0	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	0
	Greensburg Athletic Association	10	Latrobe Athletic Association	0
	Washington & Jefferson Presidents	4	Duquesne Country and Athletic Club	0
	Paterson Independents	-	Orange Tornadoes	-
Nov. 25, 1897	Greensburg Athletic Association	16	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	0
	West Virginia Mountaineers	6	Latrobe Athletic Association	16
	Washington & Jefferson Presidents	14	Duquesne Country and Athletic Club	0
	Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA	0	Columbia Football Club	6
	Elizabeth Athletic Club	4	Orange Tornadoes	6
Nov. 24, 1898	Grove City, Pennsylvania	0	Greensburg Athletic Association	35
	Latrobe Athletic Association	0	Pittsburgh Athletic Club	6
	Washington & Jefferson Presidents	0	Duquesne Country and Athletic Club	11
	Ormiston Athletic Association	?	Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA Reserves	?
	Orange Tornadoes	5	Riverside Athletic Association Played in New York City	0
Nov. 30, 1899	Indiana Normal School	0	Latrobe Athletic Association	35
	Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA	12	Phoenix Athletic Association	5
	Philadelphia & Reading YMCA	0	Frankford Yellow Jackets	28
	Newark Athletic Club	6	Orange Tornadoes	6
Nov. 29, 1900	Homestead Library & Athletic Club	17	Latrobe Athletic Association	0
	Newark Athletic Association	6	Orange Tornadoes	0
Nov. 28, 1901	Washington & Jefferson Presidents	0	Homestead Library & Athletic Club	42
	Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA	18	Frankford Yellow Jackets	0
	Yale Consolidated	0	Orange Tornadoes	29
Nov. 27, 1902	Philadelphia Athletics	0	Pittsburgh Stars	0
	Orange Tornadoes	0	Philadelphia Phillies	11
	Oil City Athletic Club	10	Franklin Athletic Club	0
Nov. 26, 1903	Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA	0	Latrobe Athletic Association	6
	Wooster College	0	Massillon Tigers	34
	East End Athletic Association	0	Franklin Athletic Club	23
	Forest Hill	6	Orange Tornadoes	6
Nov. 27, 1904	Kittaning, Pennsylvania	0	Latrobe Athletic Association	53
	Akron East Ends	5	Massillon Tigers	6
Nov. 30, 1905	Canton Athletic Club	4	Massillon Tigers	14
Nov. 29, 1906	Latrobe Athletic Association	0	Canton Bulldogs	16
Nov. 28, 1907	Columbus Panhandles	2	All-Massillons	4
	Parkdale Athletic Association	5	Union Club of Phoenixville	0
Nov. 26, 1908	Parkdale Athletic Association	0	Union Club of Phoenixville	0
Nov. 25, 1909	Reliance Club of Conshohocken	0	Union Club of Phoenixville	6
Nov. 24, 1910	Wabash South Side Athletic Club	0	Fort Wayne Friars	25
	Elyria Athletics	0	Tiffin Cornells	0
	Columbus Panhandles	0	Dayton Oakwoods	0
	Akron Indians	5	Shelby Blues	8
	Minneapolis Beavers	0	Minneapolis Marines	8
	Transfiguration Catholic Club	0	Corley Catholic Club	21
	Reliance Club of Norristown	3	Union Club of Phoenixville	6
Nov. 30, 1911	Shelby Blues	6	Akron Tigers	0
	Ann Arbor Independents	0	Detroit Heralds	10
	Notre Dame Corby Hall	18	Fort Wayne Friars	0
	USS Massachusetts	0	Union Club of Phoenixville	17
Nov. 28, 1912	Elyria Athletics	10	Akron Indians	0
	All-Syracuse	0	Rochester Jeffersons	18
	Cincinnati Christ Church	0	Cincinnati Celts	7
	Notre Dame Corby Hall	18	Fort Wayne Friars	0
	Frankford Yellow Jackets	0	Union Club of Phoenixville	47
Nov. 27, 1913	Shelby Blues	7	Akron Indians	7
	Canton Professionals	7	Akron Indians	7
	Detroit Heralds	0	Toledo Maroons	7
	Notre Dame Corby Hall	33	Fort Wayne Friars	0
	Dayton St. Mary's Cadets	26	Dayton Oakwoods	21
	Cincinnati Christ Church	7	Cincinnati Celts	7
	All-New Britain	13	Rockville, CT	0
	Tonawanda	0	Lancaster Malleables	7
Nov. 26, 1914	Akron Indians	21	Canton Professionals	0
	Brookdale Athletic Club	7	Union Club of Phoenixville	35
	Conshohocken Athletic Club	33	Junior Athletic Club of Norristown	0
	Syracuse Westcotts	6	Lancaster Malleables Played at International Fair Association Grounds	14
Nov. 25, 1915	Columbus Panhandles	0	Fort Wayne Friars	3
	Cincinnati Christ Church Reds	0	Cincinnati Celts	13
	Pine Village, Indiana	29	Purdue All-Stars	0
	Frankford Yellow Jackets	0	Union Club of Phoenixville	21
	Conshohocken Athletic Club	3	Norristown Billikens	2
	Lancaster Malleables	0	Tonawanda Lumberjacks	8
	Bayonne Vikings	-	Union AA of Washburn Park	-
Nov. 30, 1916	Youngstown Patricians	0	Massillon Tigers	27
	Detroit Heralds	6	Cleveland Indians	20
	Pitcairn Quakers	9	Dayton Triangles	20
	Bethlehem Blue Stars	6	Union Club of Phoenixville	13
	Norristown Billikens	3	Conshohocken Athletic Club	35
	Bayonne Vikings	-	Plainfield, NJ	-
Nov. 29, 1917	Canton Bulldogs	7	Detroit Heralds	0
	Camp Dix 309th Infantry	2	Buffalo All-Stars	0
	Rochester Jeffersons	7	Tonawanda Lumberjacks Played at Buffalo Baseball Park	9
	Union Club of Phoenixville	13	Norristown Billikens	0
	Van Sicklens	0	Staten Island Stapletons	27
Nov. 28, 1918	Dayton Triangles	62	Miamis	0
	Buffalo Pierce-Arrows	0	Buffalo Niagaras	20
	U.S. Army Ambulance Corps	12	Lehigh Mountain Hawks	0
Nov. 27, 1919	Massillon Tigers	7	Cleveland Indians	0
	Rochester Jeffersons	0	Buffalo Prospects	0
	Thomas Athletic Club of Bethlehem	3	Holmesburg Athletic Club	19
	Ewing Athletic Association	-	Frankford Yellow Jackets
	Montanas	6	Staten Island Stapletons	14
	Iroquois AA	0	Bayonne Vikings	6

1920–1940

• The first American Football League (AFL I) also played Thanksgiving Day games in 1926.
• Non-NFL team games between league teams and non league teams counted in the 1920 standings. The All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks later joined the league as the Tonawanda Kardex, albeit only for one game.
• Thanksgiving fell on the final Thursday in November until 1938.

Season Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Nov. 25, 1920 Canton Bulldogs 0 Akron Pros 7 Decatur Staleys 6 Chicago Tigers 0 Detroit Heralds 0 Dayton Triangles 28 Columbus Panhandles 0 Elyria Athletics* 0 Hammond Pros 0 Chicago Boosters* 27 All-Tonawanda * 14 Rochester Jeffersons 3 Nov. 24, 1921 Canton Bulldogs 14 Akron Pros 0 Buffalo All-Americans 7 Chicago Staleys 6 Nov. 30, 1922 Buffalo All-Americans 21 Rochester Jeffersons 0 Chicago Bears 0 Chicago Cardinals 6 Milwaukee Badgers 0 Racine Legion 3 Oorang Indians 18 Columbus Panhandles 6 Akron Pros 0 Canton Bulldogs 14 Nov. 29, 1923 Toledo Maroons 0 Canton Bulldogs 28 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 3 Hammond Pros 0 Green Bay Packers 19 Milwaukee Badgers 16 Racine Legion 0 Nov. 27, 1924 Buffalo Bisons 0 Akron Pros 22 Chicago Bears 21 Chicago Cardinals 0 Dayton Triangles 7 Frankford Yellowjackets 32 Milwaukee Badgers 10 Cleveland Bulldogs (at Canton) 53 Green Bay Packers 17 Kansas City Blues 6 Nov. 26, 1925 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 0 Kansas City Cowboys 17 Cleveland Bulldogs (at Hartford) 0 Rock Island Independents 6 Detroit Panthers 3 Green Bay Packers 0 Pottsville Maroons 31 Nov. 25, 1926 New York Giants 17 Brooklyn Lions 0 Los Angeles Buccaneers 9 Detroit Panthers 6 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 0 Green Bay Packers 14 Frankford Yellowjackets 20 Providence Steam Roller 0 Pottsville Maroons 8 Akron Pros 0 Canton Bulldogs 0 (AFL I) Los Angeles Wildcats 0 Chicago Bulls 0 (AFL I) Philadelphia Quakers 13 New York Yankees 10 Nov. 24, 1927 Chicago Cardinals 3 Chicago Bears 0 Providence Steam Roller 0 Pottsville Maroons 6 Green Bay Packers 17 Frankford Yellowjackets 9 Cleveland Bulldogs 30 New York Yankees 19

Season Visiting Team Score Home Team Score Nov. 29, 1928 Providence Steam Roller 7 Pottsville Maroons 0 Dayton Triangles 0 Detroit Wolverines 33 Green Bay Packers 0 Frankford Yellowjackets 2 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 34 Nov. 28, 1929 New York Giants 21 Staten Island Stapletons 7 Green Bay Packers 0 Frankford Yellowjackets 0 Chicago Cardinals 40 Chicago Bears 6 Nov. 27, 1930 New York Giants 6 Staten Island Stapletons 7 Providence Steam Roller 12 Brooklyn Dodgers 33 Green Bay Packers 25 Frankford Yellowjackets 7 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 6 Nov. 26, 1931 Green Bay Packers 38 Providence Steam Roller 7 New York Giants 6 Staten Island Stapletons 9 Chicago Cardinals 7 Chicago Bears 18 Nov. 24, 1932 Green Bay Packers 7 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 New York Giants 13 Staten Island Stapletons 13 Chicago Cardinals 0 Chicago Bears 24 Nov. 30, 1933 New York Giants 10 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 22 Chicago Cardinals 6 Nov. 29, 1934 Green Bay Packers 0 Chicago Cardinals 6 New York Giants 27 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 19 Detroit Lions 16 Nov. 28, 1935 Green Bay Packers 7 Chicago Cardinals 9 New York Giants 21 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Chicago Bears 2 Detroit Lions 14 Nov. 26, 1936 Chicago Bears 7 Detroit Lions 13 New York Giants 14 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Nov. 25, 1937 Chicago Bears 13 Detroit Lions 0 New York Giants 13 Brooklyn Dodgers 13 Nov. 24, 1938 Chicago Bears 7 Detroit Lions 14 New York Giants 7 Brooklyn Dodgers 7 Nov. 23, 1939 Pittsburgh Steelers 14 Philadelphia Eagles 17 Nov. 28, 1940 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 Philadelphia Eagles 0

1945–1959

• No Thanksgiving games were held from 1941 to 1944 due to WWII
• Thanksgiving games were played on the fourth Thursday in November from 1945 onward.
• The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) also played Thanksgiving games from 1946 to 1949.

Season	League	Visiting Team	Score	Home Team	Score
Nov. 22, 1945	NFL	Cleveland Rams	28	Detroit Lions	21
Nov. 28, 1946	NFL	Boston Yanks	34	Detroit Lions	10
	AAFC	New York Yankees	21	Brooklyn Dodgers	7
Nov. 27, 1947	NFL	Chicago Bears	34	Detroit Lions	14
	AAFC	Cleveland Browns	27	Los Angeles Dons	17
	AAFC	San Francisco 49ers	21	Brooklyn Dodgers	7
Nov. 25, 1948	NFL	Chicago Cardinals	28	Detroit Lions	14
	AAFC	Cleveland Browns	31	Los Angeles Dons	14
	AAFC	Buffalo Bills	39	Chicago Rockets	35
Nov. 24, 1949	NFL	Chicago Bears	28	Detroit Lions	7
	AAFC	New York Yankees	17	Los Angeles Dons	16
	AAFC	Cleveland Browns	14	Chicago Hornets	6
Nov. 23, 1950	NFL	New York Yanks	14	Detroit Lions	49
		Pittsburgh Steelers	28	Chicago Cardinals	17
Nov. 22, 1951	NFL	Green Bay Packers	35	Detroit Lions	52
Nov. 27, 1952	NFL	Green Bay Packers	24	Detroit Lions	48
		Chicago Bears	23	Dallas Texans (at Akron, Ohio)	27
Nov. 26, 1953	NFL	Green Bay Packers	15	Detroit Lions	34
Nov. 25, 1954	NFL	Green Bay Packers	24	Detroit Lions	28
Nov. 24, 1955	NFL	Green Bay Packers	10	Detroit Lions	24
Nov. 22, 1956	NFL	Green Bay Packers	24	Detroit Lions	20
Nov. 28, 1957	NFL	Green Bay Packers	6	Detroit Lions	18
Nov. 27, 1958	NFL	Green Bay Packers	14	Detroit Lions	24
Nov. 26, 1959	NFL	Green Bay Packers	24	Detroit Lions	17

1960–1969

• The American Football League (AFL) also played Thanksgiving Day games during this decade.
• The Dallas Cowboys started playing their traditional series in 1966.

Season	League	Visiting Team	Score	Home Team	Score
Nov. 24, 1960	NFL	Green Bay Packers	10	Detroit Lions	23
	AFL	New York Titans	41	Dallas Texans	35
Nov. 23, 1961	NFL	Green Bay Packers	17	Detroit Lions	9
	AFL	Buffalo Bills	14	New York Titans	21
Nov. 22, 1962	NFL	Green Bay Packers	14	Detroit Lions	26
	AFL	New York Titans	46	Denver Broncos	45
Nov. 28, 1963	NFL	Green Bay Packers	13	Detroit Lions	13
	AFL	Oakland Raiders	26	Denver Broncos	10
Nov. 26, 1964	NFL	Chicago Bears	27	Detroit Lions	24
	AFL	Buffalo Bills	27	San Diego Chargers	24
Nov. 25, 1965	NFL	Baltimore Colts	24	Detroit Lions	24
	AFL	Buffalo Bills	20	San Diego Chargers	20
Nov. 24, 1966	NFL	San Francisco 49ers	41	Detroit Lions	14
		Cleveland Browns	14	Dallas Cowboys	26
	AFL	Buffalo Bills	31	Oakland Raiders	10
Nov. 23, 1967	NFL	Los Angeles Rams	31	Detroit Lions	7
		St. Louis Cardinals	21	Dallas Cowboys	46
	AFL	Oakland Raiders	44	Kansas City Chiefs	22
		Denver Broncos	20	San Diego Chargers	24
Nov. 28, 1968	NFL	Philadelphia Eagles	12	Detroit Lions	0
		Washington Redskins	20	Dallas Cowboys	29
	AFL	Buffalo Bills	10	Oakland Raiders	13
		Houston Oilers	10	Kansas City Chiefs	24
Nov. 27, 1969	NFL	Minnesota Vikings	27	Detroit Lions	0
		San Francisco 49ers	24	Dallas Cowboys	24
	AFL	Denver Broncos	17	Kansas City Chiefs	31
		San Diego Chargers	21	Houston Oilers	17

1970–2005

• From 1970 to 2005, three NFC teams and one AFC team played each Thanksgiving.

• The two afternoon games were held at Detroit (12:30 p.m. EST) and Dallas (4:15 p.m. EST), respectively. Detroit always hosts the "early" game because a 12:30 p.m. EST kick-off at Dallas would be 11:30 a.m. local time (CST), and the NFL avoids starting games before noon locally. The two games rotate annually as intra-conference (NFC vs. NFC) and inter-conference (AFC vs. NFC) games. This is to satisfy the television contract balance between CBS (which broadcasts games in which the visiting team is from the AFC) and Fox (which broadcasts games in which the visiting team is from the NFC).

• The "early" game kicks off at a special time of 12:30 p.m. EST as opposed to the typical afternoon start time of 1 p.m. This provides an additional 30 minutes to prevent overlapping of the "late" game, and also gives the network time for a pregame show and some additional time for a halftime concert. When Fox carries the "early" game, they typically start their pregame coverage (Fox NFL Sunday) at 11:30 a.m. When CBS carries the "early" game, they start their pregame coverage (The NFL Today) at 12:00 p.m., due to the fact that their morning parade coverage runs until noon. The network with the 4:15 "late" game begins pregame coverage at 3:30 p.m. EST.

• Dallas was replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals as a host team in 1975 and 1977; Dallas and St. Louis faced each other at Texas Stadium in 1976. Because of the Missouri Turkey Day Game, the long-established Kirkwood–Webster Groves high school football game that takes place on Thanksgiving in St. Louis, the Cardinals' hosting of the Thanksgiving game was not popular. Dallas returned to hosting the game in 1978 and has hosted since. Likewise, the Rams have not played on Thanksgiving since moving to St. Louis, in part because of the Turkey Day Game and also because the Missouri State High School Activities Association has held its state football championship games on Thanksgiving weekend at the Edward Jones Dome since 1996.

• Since the NFL began its current alignment in 2002, no team from the AFC North can play a Thanksgiving Day game against the traditional hosts. This is because under the current rotation, the Cowboys and the Lions each play AFC North teams in years that FOX is scheduled to broadcast its Thanksgiving Day game, requiring an NFC opponent. To date, the last game to feature an AFC North team was the Lions matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. AFC North teams can play in the prime time game, as the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2010.

Season	Visiting Team	Score	Home Team	Score	OT
Nov. 26, 1970	Oakland Raiders	14	Detroit Lions	28
	Green Bay Packers	3	Dallas Cowboys	16
Nov. 25, 1971	Kansas City Chiefs	21	Detroit Lions	32
	Los Angeles Rams	21	Dallas Cowboys	28
Nov. 23, 1972	New York Jets	20	Detroit Lions	37
	San Francisco 49ers	31	Dallas Cowboys	10
Nov. 22, 1973	Washington Redskins	20	Detroit Lions	0
	Miami Dolphins	14	Dallas Cowboys	7
Nov. 28, 1974	Denver Broncos	31	Detroit Lions	27
	Washington Redskins	23	Dallas Cowboys	24
Nov. 27, 1975	Los Angeles Rams	20	Detroit Lions	0
	Buffalo Bills	32	St. Louis Cardinals	14
Nov. 25, 1976	Buffalo Bills	14	Detroit Lions	27
	St. Louis Cardinals	14	Dallas Cowboys	19
Nov. 24, 1977	Chicago Bears	31	Detroit Lions	14
	Miami Dolphins	55	St. Louis Cardinals	14
Nov. 23, 1978	Denver Broncos	14	Detroit Lions	17
	Washington Redskins	10	Dallas Cowboys	37
Nov. 22, 1979	Chicago Bears	0	Detroit Lions	20
	Houston Oilers	30	Dallas Cowboys	24
Nov. 27, 1980	Chicago Bears	23	Detroit Lions	17	(OT)
	Seattle Seahawks	7	Dallas Cowboys	51
Nov. 26, 1981	Kansas City Chiefs	10	Detroit Lions	27
	Chicago Bears	9	Dallas Cowboys	10
Nov. 25, 1982	New York Giants	13	Detroit Lions	6
	Cleveland Browns	14	Dallas Cowboys	31
Nov. 24, 1983	Pittsburgh Steelers	3	Detroit Lions	45
	St. Louis Cardinals	17	Dallas Cowboys	35
Nov. 22, 1984	Green Bay Packers	28	Detroit Lions	31
	New England Patriots	17	Dallas Cowboys	20
Nov. 28, 1985	New York Jets	20	Detroit Lions	31
	St. Louis Cardinals	17	Dallas Cowboys	35
Nov. 27, 1986	Green Bay Packers	44	Detroit Lions	40
	Seattle Seahawks	31	Dallas Cowboys	14
Nov. 26, 1987	Kansas City Chiefs	27	Detroit Lions	20
	Minnesota Vikings	44	Dallas Cowboys	38	(OT)
Nov. 24, 1988	Minnesota Vikings	23	Detroit Lions	0
	Houston Oilers	25	Dallas Cowboys	17
Nov. 23, 1989	Cleveland Browns	10	Detroit Lions	13
	Philadelphia Eagles	27	Dallas Cowboys	0
Nov. 22, 1990	Denver Broncos	27	Detroit Lions	40
	Washington Redskins	17	Dallas Cowboys	27
Nov. 28, 1991	Chicago Bears	6	Detroit Lions	16
	Pittsburgh Steelers	10	Dallas Cowboys	20
Nov. 26, 1992	Houston Oilers	24	Detroit Lions	21
	New York Giants	3	Dallas Cowboys	30
Nov. 25, 1993	Chicago Bears	10	Detroit Lions	6
	Miami Dolphins	16	Dallas Cowboys	14
Nov. 24, 1994	Buffalo Bills	21	Detroit Lions	35
	Green Bay Packers	31	Dallas Cowboys	42
Nov. 23, 1995	Minnesota Vikings	38	Detroit Lions	44
	Kansas City Chiefs	12	Dallas Cowboys	24
Nov. 28, 1996	Kansas City Chiefs	28	Detroit Lions	24
	Washington Redskins	10	Dallas Cowboys	21
Nov. 27, 1997	Chicago Bears	20	Detroit Lions	55
	Tennessee Oilers	27	Dallas Cowboys	14
Nov. 26, 1998	Pittsburgh Steelers	16	Detroit Lions	19	(OT)
	Minnesota Vikings	46	Dallas Cowboys	36
Nov. 25, 1999	Chicago Bears	17	Detroit Lions	21
	Miami Dolphins	0	Dallas Cowboys	20
Nov. 23, 2000	New England Patriots	9	Detroit Lions	34
	Minnesota Vikings	27	Dallas Cowboys	15
Nov. 22, 2001	Green Bay Packers	29	Detroit Lions	27
	Denver Broncos	26	Dallas Cowboys	24
Nov. 28, 2002	New England Patriots	20	Detroit Lions	12
	Washington Redskins	20	Dallas Cowboys	27
Nov. 27, 2003	Green Bay Packers	14	Detroit Lions	22
	Miami Dolphins	40	Dallas Cowboys	21
Nov. 25, 2004	Indianapolis Colts	41	Detroit Lions	9
	Chicago Bears	7	Dallas Cowboys	21
Nov. 24, 2005	Atlanta Falcons	27	Detroit Lions	7
	Denver Broncos	24	Dallas Cowboys	21	(OT)

2006–present

• Since 2006, three contests have been played on Thanksgiving. In addition to the traditional Detroit and Dallas home afternoon games, a third game is now played in primetime and televised by NFL Network (2006–2011) or NBC (since 2012). Current plans call for the various NFL teams (other than the Lions and Cowboys) to take turns hosting the night game on a rotation basis.

• In 2006, Kansas City hosted the first prime time Thanksgiving game. The game marked a new "Thanksgiving Tripleheader" tradition. The Denver/Kansas City game marked the first time more than two games were played on Thanksgiving (as well as the first all-AFC holiday matchup) since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

• Rule changes in the 2012–2022 television contracts will permit "flex scheduling" of the Detroit/Dallas afternoon rotation. It would allow the Lions or the Cowboys to host the prime time game rather than their traditional afternoon slots. In such a case, CBS would be permitted to schedule an AFC vs. AFC game in their afternoon time slot.

Season	Visiting Team	Score	Home Team	Score	OT
Nov. 23, 2006	Miami Dolphins	27	Detroit Lions	10
	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	Dallas Cowboys	38
	Denver Broncos	10	Kansas City Chiefs	19
Nov. 22, 2007	Green Bay Packers	37	Detroit Lions	26
	New York Jets	3	Dallas Cowboys	34
	Indianapolis Colts	31	Atlanta Falcons	13
Nov. 27, 2008	Tennessee Titans	47	Detroit Lions	10
	Seattle Seahawks	9	Dallas Cowboys	34
	Arizona Cardinals	20	Philadelphia Eagles	48
Nov. 26, 2009	Green Bay Packers	34	Detroit Lions	12
	Oakland Raiders	7	Dallas Cowboys	24
	New York Giants	6	Denver Broncos	26
Nov. 25, 2010	New England Patriots	45	Detroit Lions	24
	New Orleans Saints	30	Dallas Cowboys	27
	Cincinnati Bengals	10	New York Jets	26
Nov. 24, 2011	Green Bay Packers	27	Detroit Lions	15
	Miami Dolphins	19	Dallas Cowboys	20
	San Francisco 49ers	6	Baltimore Ravens	16
Nov. 22, 2012	Houston Texans	34	Detroit Lions	31	(OT)
	Washington Redskins	38	Dallas Cowboys	31
	New England Patriots	49	New York Jets	19
Nov. 28, 2013	Green Bay Packers	10	Detroit Lions	40
	Oakland Raiders	24	Dallas Cowboys	31
	Pittsburgh Steelers	20	Baltimore Ravens	22
Nov. 27, 2014	Chicago Bears	N/A	Detroit Lions	N/A
	Philadelphia Eagles	N/A	Dallas Cowboys	N/A
	Seattle Seahawks	N/A	San Francisco 49ers	N/A

Thanksgiving Day standings

Of current NFL franchises. This includes American Football League and All-America Football Conference games.

Team	Last Game	Wins	Losses	Ties	Win Pct.	Other names appeared under
Baltimore Ravens	2013	2	0		1.000
Houston Texans	2012	1	0		1.000
New Orleans Saints	2010	1	0		1.000
Indianapolis Colts	2007	2	0	1	.833	Baltimore Colts (1953–83)
Minnesota Vikings	2000	5	1		.833
Philadelphia Eagles	2008	4	1		.800
St. Louis Rams	1975	3	1		.750	Cleveland Rams (1937–45), Los Angeles Rams (1946–94)
Miami Dolphins	2011	5	2		.714
Tennessee Titans	2008	5	2		.714	Houston Oilers (1960–96), Tennessee Oilers (1997–98)
San Francisco 49ers	2011	3	1	1	.700
Dallas Cowboys	2013	29	16	1	.641
San Diego Chargers	1969	2	1	1	.625
New York Giants	2009	7	4	3	.607
New England Patriots	2012	3	2		.600
New York Jets	2012	4	4		.571	New York Titans (1960–62)
Chicago Bears	2004	16	13	2	.548	Decatur Staleys (1920), Chicago Staleys (1921)
Kansas City Chiefs	2006	5	5		.500	Dallas Texans (1960–62), does not include 1–0 record of unrelated NFL Dallas Texans.
Cleveland Browns	1989	3	3		.500
Atlanta Falcons	2007	1	1		.500
Detroit Lions	2013	34	37	2	.479
Green Bay Packers	2013	14	19	2	.429
Oakland Raiders	2013	3	4		.429
Buffalo Bills	1994	3	5	1	.389	Does not include 1–0 record of unrelated AAFC team of same name.
Denver Broncos	2009	4	7		.364
Washington Redskins	2012	2	6		.333
Seattle Seahawks	2008	1	2		.333
Arizona Cardinals	2008	6	15	2	.304	Chicago Cardinals (1920–59), St. Louis Cardinals (1960–87), Phoenix Cardinals (1988–93)
Pittsburgh Steelers	2013	2	5		.286
Cincinnati Bengals	2010	0	1		.000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2006	0	1		.000

Notable appearance droughts

The last two current active franchises to have never played on Thanksgiving through 2013 are Carolina and Jacksonville, both of which joined the league in 1995. The Browns have not appeared since the rejoining the league as an expansion team in 1999, and the Rams have not played since 1975.

An idiosyncrasy in the NFL's current scheduling formula, which has been in effect since 2002 and revised in 2010, effectively precludes teams from the AFC North from playing the Lions or Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Conversely, the AFC East actually appears in successive years. Without further revisions or exceptions to the formula, AFC North teams can only appear in the prime time game.

San Diego has the longest active appearance drought as of 2013. They have not played on Thanksgiving since 1969, one year before the AFL–NFL merger.

Since 2010, the league has made efforts to end the longest droughts. Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Cincinnati, and Baltimore all played their first Thanksgiving game during this time frame, as did Houston, who joined the league in 2002. San Francisco likewise played their first Thanksgiving game since 1972 in the 2011 season.

Thanksgiving Day records of defunct teams

League teams only, since 1920.

Team	Wins	Losses	Ties	Win Pct.	Other names appeared under
Frankford Yellow Jackets	2	0		1.000	Defunct (1931)
New York Yankees*	2	0		1.000	Defunct (1949)
Pottsville Maroons	2	0		1.000	Defunct (1928)
Boston Yanks	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1948)
Buffalo Bills*	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1949), unrelated to current NFL team with this name
Dallas Texans	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1952), does not count AFL's Dallas Texans, which are now the Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Buccaneers	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1926)
Oorang Indians	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1923)
Rock Island Independents	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1925)
All-Tonawanda Lumberjacks	1	0		1.000	Defunct (1921)
Akron Pros	3	1	1	.700	Defunct (1926)
Buffalo Bisons	1	1	1	.500	Buffalo All-Americans (1920–23), Defunct (1929)
Canton Bulldogs	1	1	1	.500	Defunct (1926)
Cleveland Bulldogs	1	1		.500	Defunct (1927)
Dayton Triangles	1	1		.500	Defunct (1929)
Kansas City Cowboys	1	1		.500	Kansas City Blues (1924), Defunct (1926)
Milwaukee Badgers	1	1		.500	Defunct (1926)
Brooklyn Lions	0	1		.000	Defunct (1926)
Chicago Tigers	0	1		.000	Defunct (1920)
Detroit Heralds	0	1		.000	Defunct (1920)
New York Yanks	0	1		.000	Defunct (1950)
Providence Steam Roller	0	1		.000	Defunct (1931)
Racine Legion	0	1		.000	Defunct (1926)
Toledo Maroons	0	1		.000	Defunct (1923)
Brooklyn Dodgers*	0	2		.000	Defunct (1949)
Chicago Hornets*	0	2		.000	Chicago Rockets (1946–1948), Defunct (1949)
Columbus Panhandles	0	2		.000	Defunct (1926)
Detroit Panthers	0	2		.000	Defunct (1926)
Hammond Pros	0	2		.000	Defunct (1926)
Rochester Jeffersons	0	2		.000	Defunct (1925)
Los Angeles Dons*	0	3		.000	Defunct (1949)

*All-America Football Conference team.

Game MVPs

Since 1989, informal and sometimes lighthearted MVP awards have been issued by the networks broadcasting the respective games. Running back Emmitt Smith holds the record for most Thanksgiving MVPs with five (1990, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 2002). Voting on the respective awards is typically done informally by the announcing crew themselves, and criteria is loose. Noteworthy statistical accomplishments weigh heavily, and "group" awards are common.

Turkey Leg Award (CBS & FOX)

In 1989, John Madden of CBS awarded the first "Turkey Leg Award," for the game's most valuable player. Pursuant to its name, it was an actual cooked turkey leg, and players typically took a celebratory bite out of the leg for the cameras during post-game interviews. Reggie White of the Eagles was the first recipient. The gesture was seen mostly as a humorous gimmick relating to Madden's famous multi-legged turkey, cooked and delivered by local restaurant owner Joe Pat Fieseler of Harvey's Barbecue (located less than a mile from Texas Stadium). Since then, however, the award has gained subtle notoriety. Madden brought the award to FOX in 1994, and it continued through 2001.

Because of the loose and informal nature of the award, at times it has been awarded to multiple players. On one occasion in 1994, it was given to players of both teams.

Galloping Gobbler (FOX)

When John Madden left FOX after 2001, the network introduced a new award, named the "Galloping Gobbler." It is represented by a small statue of a silver turkey wearing a football helmet.

Unlike the aforementioned "Turkey Leg Award," the "Galloping Gobbler" is only awarded to one player annually.

All-Iron Award (CBS)

When the NFL returned to CBS in 1998, they introduced their own award, the "All-Iron Award", which is, suitably enough, a small silver iron, a reference to Phil Simms' All-Iron team for toughness. The All-Iron winner also receives a skillet of blackberry cobbler made by Simms' mother.

Typically the trophy is only awarded to one player annually. Occasionally, it has been issued as a "group award" in addition to a single player award. In 2008, Simms stated it was "too close to call" and named four players to the trophy.

Prime time games (NFLN & NBC)

When the NFL Network held the right to broadcast the night game from 2007 to 2011, they gave out the "Pudding Pie Award" for MVPs. The award was an actual pie. In 2009, NFL Network gave Brandon Marshall a pumpkin pie rather than the chocolate pudding pie of the previous two years.

NBC began broadcasting the night game from 2012 onward. Their MVP award is called the "Madden Thanksgiving Player-of-the-Game", honoring John Madden (who announced NBC games from 2006 to 2008).

CBS Turkey Leg Award Year MVP (Team) 1989 Reggie White (Phi) 1990 Troy Aikman & Emmitt Smith (Dal) 1991 Barry Sanders (Det) 1992 Emmitt Smith & Cowboys Offensive line 1993 Richard Dent (Chi) CBS All-Iron Award Year MVP (Team) 1998 Stephen Boyd (Det) 1999 Dexter Coakley (Dal) 2000 Charlie Batch (Det) 2001 Mike Anderson (Den) 2002 Troy Brown (NE) 2003 Jay Fiedler & Chris Chambers (Mia) 2004 Peyton Manning & Colts Offensive line 2005 Ron Dayne (Den) 2006 Joey Harrington (Mia) 2007 Tony Romo & Cowboys defense* 2008 Albert Haynesworth (Ten) Chris Johnson (Ten) Kevin Mawae (Ten) LenDale White (Ten) 2009 Miles Austin (Dal) Tony Romo (Dal) Jason Witten (Dal) 2010 Tom Brady (NE) 2011 DeMarcus Ware (Dal) 2012 Andre Johnson (Hou) Matt Schaub (Hou) J.J. Watt (Hou) 2013 Tony Romo (Dal) DeMarco Murray (Dal) Lance Dunbar (Dal) HM: Matthew McGloin (Oak)

FOX Turkey Leg Award Year MVP (Team) 1994 Emmitt Smith & Jason Garrett (Dal) Brett Favre & Sterling Sharpe (GB) 1995 Herman Moore (Det) Brett Perriman (Det) Johnnie Morton (Det) 1996 Emmitt Smith (Dal) 1997 Luther Ellis (Det) 1998 Randy Moss (Min) 1999 Gus Frerotte (Det) Greg Hill (Det) Johnnie Morton (Det) Robert Porcher (Det) 2000 Robert Smith (Min) Randy Moss (Min) Daunte Culpepper (Min) Cris Carter (Min) 2001 Brett Favre & Ahman Green (GB) FOX Galloping Gobbler Award Year MVP (Team) 2002 Emmitt Smith (Dal) 2003 Dré Bly (Det) 2004 Julius Jones (Dal) 2005 Michael Vick (Atl) 2006 Tony Romo (Dal) 2007 Brett Favre (GB) 2008 DeMarcus Ware (Dal) 2009 Donald Driver (GB) 2010 Drew Brees (NO) 2011 Aaron Rodgers (GB) 2012 Robert Griffin III (Was) 2013 Reggie Bush (Det)

NFLN Pudding Pie Award Year MVP (Team) 2006 Not given 2007 Reggie Wayne (Ind) 2008 Donovan McNabb & Brian Westbrook (Phi) 2009 Brandon Marshall (Den) 2010 Brad Smith & Darrelle Revis (NYJ) 2011 Terrell Suggs (Bal) NBC Madden Player of the Game Year MVP (Team) 2012 Tom Brady (NE) Vince Wilfork (NE) Steve Gregory (NE) 2013 Jacoby Jones (Bal) Justin Tucker (Bal)

*Of the members of the 2007 Cowboys defense, Chris Canty, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman and Greg Ellis were particularly noted.

Broadcasting

Main article: List of NFL on Thanksgiving Day broadcasters

DuMont was the first network to televise Thanksgiving games in 1953; CBS took over in 1956, and in 1965, the first ever color television broadcast of an NFL game was the Thanksgiving match between the Lions and the Baltimore Colts.

Starting in 2012, all three broadcast networks with NFL rights will carry one game apiece. The first two games are split between CBS and Fox. These games are rotated annually, with CBS getting the 12:30 p.m. (EST) "early" game, and Fox getting the 4:25 p.m. "late" game in even-numbered years, while Fox likewise gets the "early" game and CBS the "late" game in odd-numbered years. The third game, with a prime time 8:30 p.m. start, is carried by NBC.

The NFL on Westwood One Sports holds national radio broadcast rights to all three games.

See also

• American football on Thanksgiving
• List of NFL on Thanksgiving Day broadcasters

References

Works cited

• 2003 NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 0-7611-3148-5) (for game results through 2002)
• Detroit Lions 2003, 2004 and 2005 game schedules (for game results 2003 to 2005)
• Dallas Cowboys 2003, 2004 and 2005 game schedules (for game results 2003 to 2005)
• Thanksgiving Day 2007 Games

External links

• NFL.com Thanksgiving Page
• All-Time NFL Thanksgiving Day game results
• American Football League Thanksgiving game boxscores