Do The Lions Always Play The Packers On Thanksgiving?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Do the Lions always play the Packers on Thanksgiving?

The Lions have played 39 games against the Packers and Bears on Thanksgiving

. Detroit is present in three of the six most common Thanksgiving matchups in NFL history. The most common of those are the Lions' 21 matchups against the Green Bay Packers, followed by 18 against the Bears.

Do the Packers play the Lions on Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving History

The Packers played their first professional game on Thanksgiving in 1923, when Green Bay beat the Hammond Pros, 19-0.

In 1951, the Packers began a 13-year stretch of playing the Lions every season on the

. Since 2007, Green Bay and Detroit have played on Thanksgiving every other season.

How many times have the Lions played the Packers on Thanksgiving?

In the 71 games that the Detroit Lions have hosted on Thanksgiving Day, they currently have a record of 33 wins, 36 losses and two ties. This year's Thanksgiving opponent, the Green Bay Packers, has played on Thanksgiving Day

33 times

, with 13 wins, 18 losses and two ties.

What NFL teams always play on Thanksgiving Day?

Do the same NFL teams play every Thanksgiving?

What NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving 2021? In 2006, the NFL decided to add a third game slot on Thanksgiving. The teams who play in the third and final slot of the day rotate every year, giving

almost all the NFL teams a chance of playing on Thanksgiving.

Why do the Lions play every Thanksgiving?

The Lions' owner George A. Richards, along with the NFL, decided to have the Lions play on Thanksgiving in

an attempt to boost struggling attendance numbers for the newly relocated franchise

. The Lions' first opponent was their now longtime rivals, the Chicago Bears.

Why do Cowboys and Lions play every Thanksgiving?

Aside from a World War 2 stoppage of play from 1939 to 1944, the Lions have played every year on Thanksgiving. They are 37-42-2 on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys joined them as a regular Thanksgiving host in 1966. Naturally, they did so because

they wanted to build national publicity for the franchise

.

How long has the Lions been playing on Thanksgiving?

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).

What team has the Lions played the most on Thanksgiving?

Random Stats

The Lions are 37-42-2 all time on Thanksgiving Day. They've played

the Bears

13 times on the holiday since 1947, earning a 5-8 record in those games.

Who do the Lions play on Thanksgiving every year?

The Lions play

the Bears

on Thanksgiving in 2021. It is the 17th time these franchises have met head-to-head on the holiday, 34-30, with their most recent a 24-20 Bears win in 2019.

When did the Lions last win on Thanksgiving?

Detroit is 37-42-2 all-time on Thanksgiving, and last won in

2016

. Before watching the Lions and Bears square off, take a trip down memory lane for some of the Lions' best moments on Thanksgiving. With Green Bay's starting out with a broken collarbone, the Lions seized the opportunity.

Has Detroit Lions ever won on Thanksgiving?

Chicago Bears got a 24-20 win against the Detroit Lions in the First NFL Game on Thanksgiving 2019. Bears All Time Thanksgiving Record now is 19-15-2. Lions Thanksgiving Record is

37-41-2

.

What NFL teams always play on Christmas?

Season Visiting Team Home Team 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Texans Oakland Raiders Philadelphia Eagles 2020 Minnesota Vikings New Orleans Saints 2021 Cleveland Browns Green Bay Packers

Who has played the most Thanksgiving football games?

Given how long the series has lasted, it's not a surprise that

the Lions

have the most wins and losses on Thanksgiving Day. But two other teams that frequent the holiday tradition are the Bears and the Packers.

What NFL teams will play on Thanksgiving Day 2022?

The Lions will host the Bills to kickstart the holiday while the Cowboys will take on one of their divisional rivals, the Giants, in the afternoon. Thanksgiving 2022 will then culminate with a battle between Mac Jones' Patriots and Kirk Cousins' Vikings.

When was the last time the Packers played on Thanksgiving?

The Packers played in Dallas in 1970, but not again in Detroit on Thanksgiving until

1984

. When the Packers played for the first time on Thanksgiving in 1951, it also was the first time they ever appeared in a nationally televised game. Obviously, that was a big deal in Green Bay.

How many times have the Lions been winless on Thanksgiving?

The Lions have lost

four straight Thanksgiving games

and 13 of 17, not exactly the homefield advantage G.A. Richards had in mind when he conjured up the first Thanksgiving game 87 years ago.

What two teams played the first NFL Thanksgiving Day game?

This game was played two weeks after

Rutgers University defeated Princeton University

on November 6 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in what is considered to be the first-ever football game.

What NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving 2021?

What year did the Detroit Lions start playing on Thanksgiving Day?

The Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day heritage gained national attention in another way, starting with the very first game in

1934

.

Who did the Lions beat in 2016 on Thanksgiving?

Wins have become even rarer over the last two decades, with the Lions winning only five Thanksgiving games while losing 15. The last time they won on the holiday was in 2016 when they beat the

Minnesota Vikings

16-13.

Does Green Bay always play on Christmas?


Green Bay played on Christmas Day last year

, too, but that game was played at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Browns 24-22 behind a solid defensive performance, picking off quarterback Baker Mayfield four times. The Cardinals also played a Christmas Day game in 2021, falling to the Colts 22-16 at home.

When did football stop on Christmas Day?

Has an NFL game ever been played on a Friday?

Since high school and college teams typically play games on Friday and Saturday, respectively,

the NFL cannot hold games on those days until those seasons generally end in mid-December

. From 1961 through 1977, the NFL schedule consisted of fourteen regular season games played over fourteen weeks, except in 1966.

What President Cancelled Thanksgiving?

In 1939, the country was still recovering from the Great Depression when Thanksgiving threatened to fall on the last day of November once again. This time, however,

President Roosevelt

did move the date up a week to November 23, but the change proved to be controversial.

When did the Packers stop playing on Thanksgiving Day?

It was 1963, the same year the Thanksgiving Day tradition ended. The Packers finished with back-to-back games on the West Coast from 1950 to

'63

.

When did the Packers last play on Thanksgiving?

In

1994

, the Packers went into Dallas and although they led 17-6 at the half, the Cowboys rallied for a 42-31 victory behind Jason Garrett. To date this is the last time the Packers have played in Dallas on Thanksgiving. The Packers' most recent Thanksgiving series began in 2001 in Detroit.

When did NFL start playing on Thanksgiving?

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 and around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Maria Kunar
Author
Maria Kunar
Maria is a cultural enthusiast and expert on holiday traditions. With a focus on the cultural significance of celebrations, Maria has written several blogs on the history of holidays and has been featured in various cultural publications. Maria's knowledge of traditions will help you appreciate the meaning behind celebrations.