What 3 NFL Games Will Be On To Watch This Thanksgiving

Where did the Thanksgiving Day NFL gimmick come from? What 3 NFL games will we see this year for Thanksgiving? Where to watch online!

There is so much to look forward during the upcoming Thanksgiving Holidays. Family get-togethers, great food, holiday shopping, and of course it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the traditional NFL games. Even if you are not a huge fan of the NFL or football for that matter, chances are that somebody gathered where you are is going to looking for a Thanksgiving Day NFL game to watch.

The history of the NFL Thanksgiving Day game gimmick tradition officially dates all the way back to 1934, according to the Pro Football HOF. Apparently, the Ohio Spartans had just been bought by George Richards and moved to Detroit becoming the Detroit Lions. The owner of the Detroit Lions was trying to compete with the headlines of the Detroit Tigers, who were the more established NFL franchise in Detroit at that time. He decided on a rather risky bet of scheduling a Thanksgiving Day game as a gimmick.

Richards’ Detroit Lions, who were 10-1, were set to meet with the previous World Champion Chicago Bears, whose record at that time was 11-0. Unfortunately, the Detroit Lions lost the game, but the Thanksgiving Day NFL matchup far exceeded Richards expectations. The stadium sold out 2 weeks early at over 25,000 seats and it was expected that more tickets would have sold had there been more space. The Detroit Lions went on to be scheduled every year on Thanksgiving Day, with the exception of a 6 year drought due to WWII, from 1939-1944. The Dallas Cowboys followed suit with the Thanksgiving Day Tradition about 30 years later and have only missed the holiday game twice since 1966.

Ok, now that you’ve filled your Thanksgiving Day history quota, let’s get to what you have really been waiting for. I believe the saying is “Play Ball” or is that just baseball? Anyways, in this case it’s watch and not play, but here are the games you can look foreword to this Thanksgiving!

Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings

The Detroit Lions (6-4) will be featured in the Thanksgiving kickoff game against the Minnesota Vikings (6-4)! They will be playing at Ford Stadium in Minnesota. The game is set to start at 12:30pm Eastern Time on CBS.
Live Stream

The Lions Thanksgiving Day record is 36-38-2. The Minnesota Vikings have only played 5 total games on the holiday with a 5-1 record. This will be their 4th time playing against the Detroit Lions on the holiday. The Lions won their last holiday matchup 44-38 in 1995.

So this could turn out to be a fun game to watch!

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys (9-1) will be featured against the Redskins (6-3-1) in the second Thanksgiving NFL time slot! This game will be played in Arlington, Texas at the AT&T Stadium. Kick-off is set at 4:30pm Eastern Time on Fox.
Live stream

The Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day record is 29-18-1. The Washington Redskins’ holiday record is only 2-8. The Cowboys played against the Redskins in 7 of those games. The last matchup was won by the Redskins 38-31, in 2012.

This is also a huge rivalry, so a definite watch for your NFL Thanksgiving Day list!

Pittsburg Steelers vs Indianapolis Colts

Dec 6, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts (5-5) are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) in the primetime slot on Thanksgiving Day! The game will be played at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:30pm Eastern Time on NBC.
Live stream

There is also a little Thanksgiving tradition history for both of these teams! This will only be Indianapolis 2nd Thanksgiving game, yet they do have a 2-0 record on the holiday. It will also mark their first time hosting on Thanksgiving Day.

The Steelers current Thanksgiving record stands at 2-5, although this is heavily disputed. One of their games was apparently played in 1940, which was the second year after the holiday was changed by President Roosevelt, from the 4th Thursday in November to the 3rd. Only half of the country abided by the new law in 1939 and 1940. Pennsylvania went with the 3rd Thursday in 1939 and switched back to the 4th Thursday in 1940.

So, while some say it’s 1-6, it’s technically 2-5 and this also makes them the only team to beat the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day!

They have also beat the Colts in their last 3 matchups…

Pull up your chair, sit down to a feast, and let’s get ready to rumble! Or is that wrestling? Anyways, you know what I mean…