The NFL has played games on Thanksgiving Day since the league’s inception in 1920, meaning this tradition dates back more than 100 years. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play on the holiday every year, so their players own many of the all-time Thanksgiving records.
Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is calling the Lions-Bears game for CBS on Thanksgiving, but let’s look back at his playing days and how he fared on the holiday.
Tony Romo’s Thanksgiving Stats and Record
Romo put up excellent numbers during his time with the Cowboys. No quarterback in team history has thrown for more passing yards or touchdowns than Romo.
Despite his solid performances, the Cowboys always seemed to come up short with him at the helm. They never made it past the Divisional Round with Romo at QB, and they still have not gotten past that hump since he retired.
As a starting QB, Romo was 78-49 for the Cowboys in the regular season. He went 6-3 on Thanksgiving as a starter, and his final Thanksgiving game came in 2015 in his second contest off of injured reserve.
He started his career going 5-0 on Thanksgiving before dropping three of the last four games played on the holiday.
In addition to his impressive Thanksgiving Day record, Romo is up there on the statistical leaderboard for the holiday.
Romo is tied for the most career touchdown passes on Thanksgiving in NFL history with 18, alongside Matthew Stafford. He’s also second in passing yards at 2,338, behind only Stafford (3,000).
He ranks third in most passing yards in a single Thanksgiving game with 441 behind only Troy Aikman (445) and Kirk Cousins (449). For single-game passing touchdowns, he is once again tied with Stafford in second place with five. Peyton Manning and Bob Griese each had a six-touchdown pass performance on the holiday.
In just his fifth start for the Cowboys, Romo threw five TD passes as the Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10 on Thanksgiving in 2006. Romo completed 22 of his 29 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns without an interception in the victory. He threw TDs to Terry Glenn twice, Marion Barber twice, and Terrell Owens once to tie the Cowboys’ all-time record for most TD passes in a game.
Romo had three Thanksgiving games with three or more touchdowns. Over the course of his career, he also had 11 interceptions on Thanksgiving as well.
Although Romo had several great performances on Thanksgiving, he also had some struggles, such as a 33-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014.
During that game, Romo was sacked four times and picked off twice. In his seven previous Thanksgiving games, Romo was 6-1 with 18 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a QB rating of 107.3. In that game against the Eagles, he threw for 199 yards and two interceptions, snapping his streak of 38 straight games with a touchdown pass.
This year, the Cowboys will face the New York Giants on Thanksgiving with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback in place of the injured Dak Prescott.
2024 NFL Thanksgiving Games Schedule
This year, fans will be able to enjoy three divisional matchups on Thanksgiving. Here’s the complete schedule for the NFL Thanksgiving Games:
Game 1: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
- Time: 12:30 PM ET
- Channel: CBS/Paramount+
Game 2: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Time: 4:30 PM ET
- Channel: FOX
Game 3: Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers
- Time: 8:20 PM ET
- Channel: NBC/Peacock
The day kicks off with the Lions, a Thanksgiving tradition since 1934. Jared Goff and Co. will take on No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Bears.
Then, CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys will take center stage, a custom dating back to 1966. The Cowboys will face the Giants in the afternoon slot.
Finally, the evening game features a thrilling primetime showdown between the Dolphins and Packers, rounding out a football-filled holiday.
How to Watch the NFL Thanksgiving Games 2024
There are several ways to tune in to this year’s NFL Thanksgiving Games:
- Cable/Satellite: CBS, FOX, and NBC will air the three games (in that order), ensuring wide accessibility for traditional TV viewers.
- Streaming: Paramount+ will air the Bears-Lions game, while Peacock will broadcast the Dolphins-Packers contest.
- Other Options: For cord-cutters, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV offer live access to the games. Some streaming services offer free trials for new users, which allow you to watch the games without a subscription.