The NFL has played games on Thanksgiving since the league’s inception in 1920, meaning this tradition dates back more than 100 years. However, the Detroit Lions were the first team to make playing on Thanksgiving an annual tradition.
Let’s examine why the Lions play on Thanksgiving, their all-time record on the holiday, and who Detroit is facing this year.
Lions Thanksgiving Tradition
The Lions organization gets the credit for starting this tradition.
This year’s Thanksgiving matchup will mark the Lions’ 85th time hosting a game on the holiday. The club refers to the annual game as the Thanksgiving Day Classic, and it was created by owner George A. Richards in 1934.
Richards had just bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to Detroit to become the Lions, so he was searching for ways to build the team’s fanbase. One idea to draw some attention was scheduling a football game on Thanksgiving.
The inaugural Thanksgiving Day Classic was a matchup between the Lions and Bears. Since Richards owned the Detroit radio station WJR, he had a lot of contacts in the radio industry, which he used to get Lions-Bears broadcast live coast-to-coast across 94 stations. Richards believed that these broadcasts would not only increase the Lions’ popularity but also provide some excellent exposure for the NFL, and he was correct.
While the Lions ultimately lost to the Bears 19-16, the game was considered a huge success, as it was the club’s first-ever soldout game. There were 26,000 fans in attendance and many people listened to the game over the radio.
Thus, a tradition was born. The Lions have hosted a game every year on the holiday, with the exception of 1939-1944 due to World War II.
What Is the Lions’ Thanksgiving Record?
Given the Lions’ annual Thanksgiving Day Classic, it’s no surprise that Detroit has played on the holiday more than any other NFL team.
Over that time, the Lions have a record on Thanksgiving of 38-45-2.
At the start of the annual tradition in 1945, Detroit lost its first five games. However, that was followed by six straight wins between 1950 and 1955.
Until the early 2000s, Detroit’s form was sporadic, with its strongest run coming between 1970 and 2000 when it went 19-12. But since the turn of the century, a gloomy change in fortunes has occurred in Detroit on Thanksgiving.
Since the year 2000, the Lions have gone 7-17 on Turkey Day. That run includes a nine-game losing streak between 2004 and 2012, with losses to the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Houston Texans.
Prior to the Lions’ 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears in 2024, Detroit had lost seven straight Thanksgiving games.