"Thanksgiving Classic" redirects here. For the Canadian Football League games, see Thanksgiving Day Classic. For the black college football rivalry, see Turkey Day Classic.
Since its inception in 1920, the National Football League (NFL) has played games on Thanksgiving Day, patterned upon the historic playing of college football games on or around the November holiday. The NFL's Thanksgiving Day games have traditionally included one game hosted by the Detroit Lions since 1934 and one game hosted by the Dallas Cowboys since 1966 (with two exceptions in 1975 and 1977). Since 2006, a third game has also been played in prime time on Thanksgiving night. Unlike the two afternoon games, this game has no fixed teams.
In 2001, the NFL began branding the games as the Thanksgiving Classic. In 2022, the league named the series the John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration in honor of former head coach and broadcaster John Madden, who died in December 2021.
The NFL's Thanksgiving games are regularly the league's most-watched regular-season games. All three of the games played in 2025 set NFL regular-season viewership records; the Kansas City Chiefs–Dallas Cowboys game broadcast on CBS and streamer Paramount+ stands as the most-watched NFL regular season game of all time (57.2 million viewers).
History
Before the NFL
The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented, as it was a day that most people were off work. 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, most commonly in New England, high school teams play on Thanksgiving, typically 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, all three teams in the league eventually 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 resulted in severe drops in attendance for the Bulldogs and ultimately caused their suspension of operations.
In 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, George 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. What differentiated the Lions' efforts from other teams which played on the holiday was that Richards owned radio station WJR, a major affiliate of the NBC Blue Network (the forerunner to today's American Broadcasting Company); he was able to negotiate an agreement with NBC to carry his Thanksgiving games live across the network.
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-U.S. PresidentFranklin 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.) Due to 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 the Lions' annual home game would remain on the Thanksgiving holiday.
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, while the AFL of 1936 hosted one in its first season, which featured the Cleveland Rams, a future NFL team, and the 1940–41 incarnation of the American Football League played two games in 1940 on the earlier "Franksgiving" date.
The late 20th century
The Detroit Lions (in blue) during the 2007 Thanksgiving game against their division rival Green Bay Packers; the Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving since 1934.
In 1951, the Packers began a 13-season run as the perpetual opponent to the Lions each year through 1963. This pairing became popularly known as the "Yooper Bowl", since the boundary between the two teams' regional territories and fanbases runs through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, whose denizens are known as "yoopers".
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).
This is only partly true: Dallas had in fact decided on their own to host games on Thanksgiving; team president Tex Schramm was enticed by the publicity that would come with a permanent nationally televised contest and volunteered to be host when the NFL proposed the second Thanksgiving game. Schramm also anticipated a home field advantage in that the shorter week would favor the home team because the opponent would not only lose three days of practice but additional time traveling to Dallas that the Cowboys could use to prepare.
In 1975 and 1977, at the behest of then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle, the St. Louis Cardinals replaced Dallas as a host team (Dallas then hosted St. Louis in 1976). Although the Cardinals, at the time known as the "Cardiac Cards" due to their propensity for winning very close games, were a modest success at the time, they were nowhere near as popular nationwide as the Cowboys, who were regular Super Bowl contenders during this era. This, combined with St. Louis's consistently weak attendance, a series of ugly Cardinals losses in the three-game stretch, and opposition from the Kirkwood–Webster Groves Turkey Day Game (a local high school football contest) led to Dallas resuming regular hosting duties in 1978.
With their resumption as a regular NFL Thanksgiving Day venue, the Cowboys requested and received an agreement guaranteeing the Cowboys a spot on Thanksgiving Day indefinitely.
Since 1978, Thanksgiving games have been hosted in Detroit and Dallas every year, with Detroit in the early time slot and Dallas in the late afternoon slot. Due to television network commitments in place through the 2013 season, to make sure that both the AFC-carrying network (NBC from 1965 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the NFC-carrying network (CBS from 1956 to 1993, and Fox since 1994) 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 21st century
The previous NFL on Thanksgiving Day logo, used from 2008 to 2021
Since 2006, a third NFL game on Thanksgiving has been played in prime time. It originally aired on NFL Network, serving as the launch of its Thursday Night Football package. In 2012, the game moved to NBC as part of the league's new television deals. The night game has never had a dedicated host team or any conference tie-in, meaning the league can place any game into the time slot. Since NBC took over the prime time game in 2012, divisional matchups have been normally scheduled, with the exceptions being in 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024. In 2014, a series of changes to the broadcast contracts freed CBS from its obligation to carry an AFC team, and by 2018, the last vestiges of conference ties to the Thanksgiving games were eliminated (although in practice games on Fox have remained all-NFC contests).
The originally scheduled 2020 primetime game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed to the following Wednesday, December 2, after multiple Ravens players and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in the days before the game. This thus marked the first time no primetime contest was held since 2005.
On November 11, 2022, the league announced that the Thanksgiving games would be branded as the "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration", honoring the memory of head coach and broadcaster John Madden. Madden called 20 Thanksgiving games as the lead analyst for CBS Sports from 1981 to 1993 and Fox Sports from 1994 to 2001.
From 2014 to 2025, the Thursday Night Football game after Thanksgiving always featured two teams who were scheduled to play on Thanksgiving. Most of the TNF after Thanksgiving games have featured the Cowboys, although the Lions have also been scheduled thrice as well (in 2015 and 2023 against the Packers, and in 2025 against the Cowboys). During this period, the only TNF after Thanksgiving game not to feature either the Cowboys or the Lions took place in 2022, when the NFL scheduled the Buffalo Bills at the New England Patriots instead. In 2026, the NFL changed course as it scheduled the Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Rams as the TNF game after Thanksgiving. While the Chiefs were scheduled to play on the primetime Thanksgiving game, the Rams were assigned to play in the NFL's first Thanksgiving Eve game. Since the institution of permanent Christmas games into the NFL schedule in 2024, many of the teams scheduled for Thanksgiving have also been required to play the Christmas game as well; Detroit, Dallas and Kansas City played both holidays in 2025, while Buffalo and Chicago were scheduled for both in 2026. The NFL dismissed criticism of the scheduling practices: "Fans vote with their remotes."
All three of the 2025 Thanksgiving games broke NFL viewership records. The 1:00pm matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions reached 47.7 million viewers on Fox. The 4:30pm matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys became the most-watched NFL regular season game on record, drawing 57.2 million viewers. The game was broadcast on CBS and streaming service Paramount+, and peaked with 61.4 million viewers by the game's conclusion. The 8:20pm matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens became the most-watched Thanksgiving night game in NFL history with an average of 28.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. The overall average viewership across all three games was 44.7 million viewers, the highest Thanksgiving Day average on record dating back to 1988. Digital streaming across platforms for all three games delivered an average minute audience of 2.2 million viewers, the highest on record for Thanksgiving Day.
In 2023, the NFL began to surround Thanksgiving Day with other tentpole games involving its streaming rightsholders; in 2023, a "Black Friday" afternoon game was added to Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football package, while the 2026 season introduces a new Wednesday night game for Netflix on the night prior to Thanksgiving.
Landmarks
1920: An urban legend states that the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys challenged each other to a Thanksgiving duel in the league's inaugural season, with the loser to be relegated out of the league. Although the story is apocryphal, the Tigers did fold after the 1920 campaign and the Staleys moved to Chicago early in the 1921 season, later renaming themselves the Bears.
1925: A Thanksgiving NFL game was played in Detroit for the first time when the league's second Motor City team, the Detroit Panthers, hosted the Rock Island Independents. The visitors won, 6–3. Meanwhile in Chicago, collegiate superstar Red Grange debuted for the Bears in a game against their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cardinals, in front of nearly 40,000 fans.
1934: The fourth Detroit NFL franchise, the Lions, began their Thanksgiving tradition with a game hosting the Chicago Bears. George S. Halas & Co. won 19–16 in front of 26,000 people.
1952: The expansion Dallas Texans were forced to move their lone remaining home game to the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio due to a scheduling conflict. Their opponent, the Chicago Bears, underestimated the winless Texans and sent their second string team to the game. The resulting 27–23 upset proved to be Dallas' only victory of their existence.
1962: The Detroit Lions handed the 10–0 Green Bay Packers their lone defeat of the season, 26–14. The game was dubbed the "Thanksgiving Day Massacre" due to the dominant performance by the Lions defense, who sacked Bart Starr 11 times.
1966: The Dallas Cowboys joined the Lions as annual Thanksgiving Day hosts with a defeat of the visiting Cleveland Browns, 26–14.
1974: The Dallas Cowboys lost their Hall of Fame QB Roger Staubach to an injury and fell behind Washington. Then the team's backup, an unknown and untested youngster named Clint Longley, led a furious 4th-quarter comeback that saw Dallas pull off a stunning 24-23 victory.
1976: The Buffalo Bills managed both best and worst offensive performances in the history of NFL Thanksgiving football when O. J. Simpson ran for 273 yards, an NFL record. Bills reserve quarterback Gary Marangi made history of another sort, completing only 4 of 21 pass attempts for 29 yards and a rating of just 19.7. The Lions won, 27–14.
1980: With the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears tied 17–17 in the new Pontiac Silverdome at the end of regulation, the first Thanksgiving overtime game was born. Speedy Bear Dave Williams returned the opening kickoff 95 yards in 13 seconds for a game-winning touchdown, setting a record for the shortest overtime period in NFL history.
1989: In what was known as the "Bounty Bowl", the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Dallas 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: Cowboy defensive lineman Leon Lett gained fifteen minutes of national infamy when in the final seconds he accidentally turned an apparently game-winning field goal block into a fumble by touching the spinning football and moving it forward. Given a second chance from point blank range, Miami Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich knocked it through for a 16–14 win.
1998: Remembered in football lore as "The Coin Toss game". As the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions went to overtime tied 16–16, Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis called the coin flip by saying both heads and tails. However, head referee Phil Luckett declared Detroit the winner of the toss on live television. The Lions elected to receive and quickly drove down the field to kick a game-winning field goal on their first possession. Later that day in Dallas, Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss would show a national audience why he was headed for 1st-team All Pro status as a rookie by catching 3 passes for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns (all of them being 50 or more yards) while also catching a two-point conversion in Minnesota's win. The game was personal for Moss as the Cowboys had passed on him in the 1998 NFL draft.
2008: In one of the greatest mismatches of the Thanksgiving series, the 10–1 Tennessee Titans annihilated the 0–11 Lions, 47–10. Detroit would go on to become the 33rd winless team in NFL history and the first ever to lose 16 games.
2011: The trio of games was lauded as one of the better Thanksgiving Day slates in the series with Green Bay defeating Detroit 27-15, Dallas edging Miami 20-19 and Baltimore beating San Francisco 16-6. In the nightcap head coaching brothers John Harbaugh of the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh of the 49ers matched wits in a preview of 2012's Super Bowl XLVII.
2013: In a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin became the subject of controversy when video replay showed him apparently interfering with a kick return from Jacoby Jones and stopping a probable touchdown as he stood on the sideline. No penalty was called on Tomlin, but the Steelers would still go on to lose, 22–20. Tomlin was later fined $100,000 for his actions by the NFL.
2022: In the "23 Seconds Game", an homage to the 13 Seconds playoff game the year before, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Detroit Lions when with 23 seconds on the clock they ran a 21-second field goal drive. Tyler Bass hit a walk-off 28–25 game winner for the favored Bills.
2023: During a blowout 45–10 win over the Washington Commanders, Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland recorded his fifth interception returned for a touchdown on the season, breaking the NFL record.
2024: After trailing 23–7, the Bears came within three points of the Lions and were driving to tie the game or even pull off the upset. However, Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Matt Eberflusmismanaged the clock in the last 34 seconds: with one time-out remaining, the clock running, and just outside field goal range on third down, the Bears opted to attempt one additional play with the hopes of improving field position, calling a time-out, and making the game-tying field goal attempt, but setting into formation and executing the third-down play ended up taking too much time and ran out the clock, preserving Detroit's first Thanksgiving win since 2016. Meanwhile, it was the Bears' sixth consecutive loss, prompting management to make the franchise's first-ever release of a head coach midseason as it parted ways with Matt Eberflus the following day.
Throwback uniforms
Since 2001, teams playing on Thanksgiving have worn throwback uniforms on numerous occasions. In 2002, it extended to nearly all games of the weekend, and in some cases also involved classic field logos at the stadiums.
In 2001–2004, and again in 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025, the Detroit Lions have worn throwback uniforms based on their very early years. For 2019 and 2022, Detroit wore its silver Color Rush uniforms.
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 1963. 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 new policy requiring players and teams to utilize only one helmet a season to address the league's new concussion protocol. Rather than have an incomplete throwback look, the Cowboys instead wore their standard blue jerseys at home for the first time since 1963. In 2015, the Cowboys resurrected their 1994 white "Double-Star" jerseys only this time wore them with white pants as part of the league's Color Rush, a trial run of specially designed, monochromatic jerseys to be worn during Thursday games. In 2022, after the NFL lifted the one-helmet rule, the Cowboys resumed wearing the throwback navy "Double-Star" jerseys on Thanksgiving.
In 1997, the Salvation Army began the tradition of kicking off its Christmas Kettle campaign during halftime of the Dallas game. The campaign kickoff event includes a halftime show by a major recording artist, with halftime concerts also eventually being added to the Detroit game (which traditionally supports the United Way's Live United campaign). The evening contest also features a halftime concert, which the NFL promotes co-equally with the others, but this concert is usually not televised; its current broadcaster, NBC, uses that time slot to air its own pre-recorded human-interest profiles and typically only airs a few short highlights, whereas CBS and Fox air the Detroit and Dallas halftime shows in full. The NFL has treated the Thanksgiving halftime slots as a prime exposure opportunity second only to the Super Bowl halftime show.
Home team controversy
It has remained a tradition for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys to host the afternoon games dating several decades. Other teams eventually expressed interest in hosting Thanksgiving Day games. Lamar Hunt, the former owner of the Chiefs (who had hosted Thanksgiving Day games from 1967 to 1969 as an AFL team prior to the merger), lobbied heavily in favor of his team hosting a game on the holiday. 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, the Lions had lost their last four Thanksgiving Day games, and opinions amongst the media had suggested removing the Lions 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 the Tennessee Titans 47–10, en route to the team's 0–16 season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the Lions would stay on Thanksgiving Day for the 2009 season, but kept the issue open to revisit in the future. However, with the resurgence of the Lions in the 2020s, these calls have all but disappeared.
Conversely, the Dallas Cowboys, who typically represent a larger television draw, have had far fewer public calls to be replaced on Thanksgiving Day. One issue that has been debated is a perceived unfair advantage of playing at home on Thanksgiving Day. The advantage is given in the form of an extra day of practice for the home team while the road team has to travel to the game site. This is true for most Thursday games, but with the night games, the visitor can travel to the game site after practice on Wednesday and hold the final walkthrough the following morning.
With the introduction of the prime time game, which effectively allows all teams in the league an opportunity to play on Thanksgiving Day, along with the introduction of year-long Thursday Night Football ensuring all teams have one Thursday game during the regular season (thus negating any on-field advantages or disadvantages to being selected for Thanksgiving Day), the calls for the Lions and the Cowboys to be removed have diminished. Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in 2025 that he did not anticipate making any changes to the permanent hosting for the foreseeable future.
Starting in 1970, the Detroit "early" game and the Dallas "late" game initially rotated annually as intra-conference (NFC at NFC) and inter-conference (AFC at NFC) games. This was to satisfy the then-television contract balance between the network holding the rights to the "AFC package" and televised inter-conference games in which the visiting team is from the AFC (NBC from 1970 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the network with the "NFC package" (CBS from 1970 to 1993, and Fox since 1994).
In 1981, John Madden began a 20-year tradition of broadcasting Thanksgiving games on CBS through 1993, and later on Fox beginning in 1994. Part of his annual Thanksgiving tradition involved awarding a turkey drumstick to the game's MVP beginning with Reggie White in 1989. Following a 1990 comment regarding needing more drumsticks for the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line, a Texas barbecue owner created a six-legged turkey for his broadcast. His tradition expanded again in 1997 with the introduction of the turducken. Madden's tenure of broadcasting Thanksgiving games ended in 2002.
In 2006, the third game in primetime originally aired on the NFL Network. In 2012, NBC took over broadcasting the primetime game, and ever since all three broadcast networks with Sunday NFL rights carry one Thanksgiving Day game apiece. The first two games continue to be split between CBS and Fox, with CBS getting the Detroit "early" game, and Fox getting Dallas "late" game in even-numbered years, and with Fox getting the Detroit "early" game and CBS getting the Dallas "late" game in odd-numbered years.
In 2014, a system known as "cross-flex" was introduced, in which the two networks bound by conference restrictions, CBS and Fox, could carry games from the other conference as part of their Sunday afternoon package, including the potential for CBS to broadcast an NFC vs. NFC game on Thanksgiving Day. From that year until 2016, CBS carried all-NFC contests every year on Thanksgiving Day, and in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2023, no AFC teams played in any of the Thanksgiving Day games. To date, the NFL has never assigned an AFC road game to Fox on Thanksgiving Day.
During his first season as an NFL broadcaster in 2024, Tom Brady was introduced to turducken during the FOX broadcast between the Giants and Cowboys. Brady wondered how the chicken and duck got roped into the turkey, and sampled the dish. Brady was impressed with the flavor, and said "That's amazing!" While he enjoyed the dish on-air, skeptics debated whether he ate the full combo or just a turkey leg, with some viewers joking he was "boomed" by how good it tasted, noting he appeared to only eat the turkey leg rather than the full, stuffed chicken/duck/turkey combination.
Westwood One most recently held national radio broadcast rights to all three games, with Compass Media Networks sharing rights to the Cowboys contest. (Under league rules, only radio stations that carry at least 12 Cowboys games in a season are allowed to carry the Compass broadcast.) The participating teams also air the games on their local flagship stations and regional radio networks.
While the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game is usually in the top five, the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game has regularly been the most watched NFL regular season telecast each year.
Game results
1920–1940
All three of the generally recognized iterations of the American Football League that played during this era (AFL I in 1926, AFL II in 1936 and AFL III in 1940) played Thanksgiving Day games, which are also listed as indicated.
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 Day fell on the final Thursday in November until 1938 and was held on two conflicting days from 1939 to 1941.
The Detroit Lions started playing their traditional series in 1934.
From 1970 to 2005, two afternoon games were played every Thanksgiving Day. They were held at Detroit and Dallas (except for 1975 and 1977 when St. Louis hosted instead of Dallas--see below), with the Lions hosting the "early" game (12:30p.m. EST) and the Cowboys holding the "late" game (initially at 4:00p.m. EST, then moved to 4:15p.m. EST in 1998). Detroit always hosted the "early" game because a 12:30p.m. EST kick-off at Dallas would be 11:30a.m. local time (CST), and the NFL avoided starting games before noon locally. Detroit's 12:30p.m. "early" game kickoff was also thirty minutes earlier than the typical afternoon start time (1:00p.m.). This helped reduce the chance of the two games overlapping.
The two games initially rotated annually as intra-conference (NFC at NFC) and inter-conference (AFC at NFC) games. This was to satisfy the then-television contract balance between the network holding the rights to the "AFC package" and televised inter-conference games in which the visiting team is from the AFC (NBC from 1970 to 1997, and CBS since 1998) and the network with the "NFC package" (CBS from 1970 to 1993, and Fox since 1994).
CBS and NBC initially started their Thanksgiving Day pregame coverage thirty minutes before kickoff of their respective games, similar to their thirty-minute pregame coverage on Sunday afternoons. After Fox acquired NFL rights in 1994, and debuted the hour-long Fox NFL Sunday pregame show, they also started their hour-long (later two hours) pregame coverage at 11:30a.m. when televising the Detroit "early" game, but kept a thirty-minute pregame show when televising the Dallas "late" game. When CBS reacquired NFL rights in 1998, they still started their The NFL Today pregame coverage at 12:00p.m. when televising the Detroit "early" game due to the fact that their morning parade coverage ran until noon, beginning in 2026 this will likely extend to one hour (due to the games being moved from 12:30 to 1 p.m. ET starts for the Detroit game).
After the NFL division realignment in 2002, no team from the AFC North could play a Thanksgiving Day game against the traditional hosts. This was because under the current rotation, the Lions and the Cowboys each play AFC North teams in years that Fox is scheduled to broadcast its Thanksgiving Day game, requiring an NFC opponent. The last game to feature a team currently in the AFC North was the Lions' matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. AFC North teams could play in the prime time game, as the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2010. The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens would follow suit in 2013, and the Steelers would do so again in 2016. The Bengals and Ravens followed suit in 2025. The Ravens and Steelers were also scheduled to do so in 2020, but the game was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Arrowhead Stadium during the Chiefs-Broncos Thanksgiving night game in 2006
Since 2006, three contests have been scheduled for Thanksgiving Day. 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). The third game's start times have generally been the same as other primetime games, with pregame coverage beginning at 8:00p.m. EST and kickoff at 8:20p.m. EST. The primetime game is hosted by a different team (other than the Lions and Cowboys) each season.
The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Denver Broncos in the first "Thanksgiving Tripleheader" primetime game in 2006. This game also marked the first time that more than two games were played on Thanksgiving (as well as the first all-AFC holiday matchup) since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. It was held at the request of Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who had asked the NFL to schedule a third Thanksgiving game for years. At the time of the game, Hunt was hospitalized in Dallas, Texas, and died weeks later at the age of 74.
Since 2012, the Dallas game's kickoff time was moved from 4:15p.m. EST to 4:30p.m. EST, with the networks also moving their pregame coverage for that game to 4:00p.m. EST. This shift provided further protection from possible game overlap with the Detroit game's 12:30p.m. EST kickoff, and allows additional time if the league elects to have a special halftime performance.
The 2014 season was the first in which CBS no longer had to air an inter-conference (AFC at NFC) Thanksgiving game. Instead, all three games featured NFC vs. NFC opponents for the first time. There were also all-NFC matchups in 2015, 2018 and 2023. 2017, 2019 and 2024 each featured five NFC teams and only one participating AFC team.
From 2012 to 2015, and 2017 to 2019, the primetime game was held between division rivals. The originally scheduled 2020 primetime divisional rivalry game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed to Sunday, November 29 and eventually again to Wednesday, December 2 after multiple Ravens players and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in the days before the game. This marked the first time no Thanksgiving Day prime time contest was held since 2005.
Since 2025, the Detroit game's kickoff time was moved from 12:30p.m. EST to 1:00p.m. EST so all three Thanksgiving games resemble the typical Sunday 1:00, 4:25, and 8:20p.m. EST kickoff times.
Since 1989, informal and sometimes lighthearted Most outstanding player/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, 2002), followed by Tony Romo with four (2006, 2007, 2009, 2013). Among players not from Detroit or Dallas, Josh Allen, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Jordan Love each hold three. Voting on the respective awards is typically done informally by the announcing crew and/or producers, and criteria are loose. Noteworthy statistical accomplishments weigh heavily, and "group" awards are not uncommon. The announcement of the winner(s), and the presentation of the award is normally done immediately following the game, during post-game network coverage.
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 an amusing gimmick tied to the holiday and relating to Madden's famous multi-legged turkeys and turduckens. Since then, however, the award has gained notoriety. Madden brought the award to Fox in 1994, and it continued through 2001.
Due to the loose and informal nature of the award, at times it has been awarded to multiple players. On one occasion (1994), it was given to players from both teams.
Later Fox awards
When John Madden left Fox after 2001, Fox introduced a new award starting in 2002, named the Galloping Gobbler. It was represented by a small silver figurine of a cartoonish turkey wearing a football helmet striking a Heisman-like pose. Much like Cleatus and Digger, the original Galloping Gobbler trophy reflected Fox's irreverent mascots, and went through several iterations. Unimpressed by its tackiness, Emmitt Smith famously threw the 2002 award into a trash can.
In 2007, the kitschy statuette was replaced with a bronze-colored statue of an undistinguished turkey holding a football. In 2011, the trophies were discarded altogether and replaced by a commemorative plaque. Unlike the aforementioned "Turkey Leg Award", the Galloping Gobbler was normally awarded to only one player annually, however in 2016, co-winners were honored.
For 2017, the Galloping Gobbler was permanently retired, and replaced with the "Game Ball", a stylish, ornate football-shaped trophy, reminiscent of the tradition where game-used balls are generally awarded to players of the game. For 2019 and 2020 (coinciding with Fox's new partnership with WWE SmackDown), the "Game Ball" was replaced by a WWE Championship Belt. The "Game Ball" returned in 2021.
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 received a skillet of blackberry cobbler made by Simms' mother.
Through 2006, the trophy was only awarded to one player annually. Occasionally, it was issued as a "group award". In 2008, Simms stated it was "too close to call" and named four players to the trophy; he then gave the award to several people every year until 2013, after which he reverted to a single MVP in 2014.
Simms was removed from the broadcast booth for the 2017 season in favor of Tony Romo, who did not carry on the tradition. Instead, the "Chevrolet Player of the Game" award was extended to CBS' Thanksgiving Day game. As in CBS' regular Sunday afternoon NFL coverage as well as Fox's regular NFL coverage, Chevrolet will donate money in the player's name to the United Way if the game is played in Detroit, or the Salvation Army if the Thanksgiving Day game is played in Dallas.
For the 2019 season, CBS revived the Turkey Leg Award, awarding it to Josh Allen.
Prime time games (NFLN & NBC)
During the years when NFL Network held the broadcast rights of the prime time 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, which carried Thanksgiving afternoon games through 1997, did not issue an MVP award during that time. NBC began broadcasting the Thanksgiving prime time game in 2012, at which point the MVP award was added. From 2012 to 2015, the NBC award was referred to as the "Madden Thanksgiving Player-of-the-Game", honoring John Madden (who announced NBC games from 2006 to 2008). The award then became the "Sunday Night Football on Thanksgiving Night Player of the Game" in 2016. It is typically awarded to multiple players on the winning team. In the first few years, the award specifically went to players on both offense and defense, but in recent years, there have been no quotas for each phase. The winning players are presented with ceremonial game balls and, as a gesture to Madden, a cooked turkey leg. The 2021 award also featured a turkey leg statuette in addition to legs prepared and seasoned by local chef (and former NBC star) Emeril Lagasse.
Madden Player of the Game/Thanksgiving MVP (2022–present)
As part of the new "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration" branding in 2022, the league announced that each network will now select a "Madden Player of the Game", with the NFL Foundation donating $10,000 in each winner's name to a youth or high school football program of their choice. Turkey legs continue to be awarded to the players of the game in homage to Madden, except for 2023 when Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was informed that there was none available.
In 2024, the NFL rebranded the award to the "Madden Thanksgiving MVP" and unveiled a new trophy to be awarded to the MVPs from each of the three games, consisting of a granite pylon with gold-colored engraving. The trophy includes an undated quote from John Madden: "There's no place I'd rather be today on Thanksgiving than right here, right now, at a football game." (The quote is a paraphrase of a famous quote originated by Marv Levy: "Where else would you rather be, than right here, right now?")
↑"Lions Thanksgiving Day Tradition"(PDF). 2019 Detroit Lions Media Guide. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived(PDF) from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
↑Hough, Lucy (3 November 2020). "Peninsula Divided: Packers vs. Lions". www.awesomemitten.com. Retrieved 2022-01-13. Archived September 26, 2020 and January 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
↑Tod Maher and Bob Gill (eds.), The Pro Football Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Professional Football. New York: Macmillan, 1997; p. 102.
↑Slevin, Peter (November 27, 2008). "In Detroit, Tradition Takes a Hike; Annual Thanksgiving Football Game Offers Little Joy for Troubled City". Washington Post. p.A1.
↑Charles Taudin (November 23, 2022). "Qu'est-ce que le Turkey Leg Award?" (in French). The Free Agent. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022..
↑"Easton-P'burg TV coverage won't crash gate". The Morning Call. November 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012. As an added bonus, John Madden will return to NBC to open the broadcast and will give his first "Madden Thanksgiving Player of the-Game" award
