Turkeys, Lions, and Cowboys, OH MY! | Thankgiving Day Football

Turkeys, Lions, and Cowboys, OH MY! | Thanksgiving Football Preview

Nov. 25, 2008

There are a few things that are certain on Thanksgiving day. 

The Lions, Cowboys, and I will pull an eating muscle that can only be treated by several hours of laying on a couch. It’s a tough day but part of the game. I have had this sort of injury so many times that I have become quite good at nursing it. Tradition. This is Thanksgiving Day Football.

This Thursday, we will be blessed with four football games (if you have NFL Network).  First, we will give thanks with a little history on Thanksgiving Day Football, and then we will dive into the feast of games.

A Bit of History

Thanksgiving football goes back to the late 1800s. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Thanksgiving Day games in the NFL started in 1920. Teams like Akron Pros, Decatur Staleys, Dayton Triangles, and the Chicago Boosters recorded shutouts that day. Fourteen years later, a tradition would start that is still active today. The Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.

The Lions played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1934 against the defending Champion Chicago Bears for the Western Division Championship. Ninety-four NBC Radio stations across the country broadcast the Bears 19-16 victory. The tradition that is older than 24 current NFL teams was born. Like it or not, winning or losing, the Lions are on your TV come Thanksgiving.

In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys joined in on the Turkey Day fun. Nov. 24 of 1966, the Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns 26 to 14, avenging a loss from earlier in the season.

You may have guessed that the games that the Cowboys host each year tend to boast a little more relevance to what is happening in the NFL, as they are more likely to be competing. Classic moment...you know...snow in Dallas...

In 2006, the NFL Network jumped into the Turkey Day Game by broadcasting its first.  There was quite an uproar from fans that did not have access to the NFL Network. Kinda like having the turkey passed right in front of you at the table and you not getting any. But you can smell it, can’t you?

The Preview

Tennessee at Detroit (12:30 PM ET on CBS)

The Lions are 33-33-2 on Thanksgiving day. These two teams have faced off once on the day in 1992 when the Titans were known as the Oilers of Houston (Oilers won). This game would have been more exciting had the Titans not lost to the Jets last week. 

Sure, there is still the edge of your seat excitement of the Lions getting their first win of the season...but it would have been better if it was against an undefeated team. I always find myself pulling for the Lions on Thanksgiving day.

Seattle at Dallas (4:15 PM ET on FOX)

The Cowboys are 25-14-1 on Thanksgiving, 1-1 against the Seahawks. As mentioned above, the Cowboys games tend to have more at stake than the Lions games on this day.

The Cowboys are in a position of fighting for a wild-card spot in the NFL playoffs, where as the Seahawks are fighting for just their third win of the season. This game always has fantasy football relevance for me, as I have Marion Barber and Terrell Owens on the same Dynasty League team.

Texas A&M at #2 Texas (8 PM ET on ESPN)

Before the NFL had it’s stake on the Thanksgiving Day tradition, College Football had it.  There is nothing like a good college football rivalry even if you have no stake in the game. 

Texas and Texas A&M have just plain hate for each other. So, for those of you that do not have the NFL Network (that would include me), don’t fret, you have a fine game right here. 

A&M is having a poor season but this is the game they live for every year. Texas is in at No. 2 in the BCS standings and looking to keep a shot at a National Championship alive.

Arizona at Philadelphia (8:15 PM ET on NFLN)

This is the game that the NFL has chosen to show only to a select audience of NFL Network viewers. How many “Bird” jokes have you already heard regarding this game and Thanksgiving?

I will spare you...except I want to throw in the question of whether or not Donovan McNabb’s goose is cooked after being benched last week.

Cheesy, I know. 

McNabb is supposed to start but the Eagles need a lot to happen to even think about making the playoffs this season. It starts with a win here. The Cardinals are on their way to possibly posting their first double-digit win season since 1976 and only their third playoff appearance since then.