Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day Results All Time

The Detroit Lions and Thanksgiving: An American Tradition (igourmet.com/scrapetv.com)

A Detroit Lions home game has been a Thanksgiving fixture since about 1934.  I say “about” because between the years 1939 and 1944, the Lions did not play on Thanksgiving.  In 1939 and 1940, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles faced off.  Between 1941 and 1944, there was no Thanksgiving football due to World War II.

But for 71 of the last 77 football seasons, the Lions have been the featured turkey day team – and the host, too.  Their Thanksgiving record is 33-36-2, every single game played at home.

In the beginning (1934-1938), the traditional game pitted the Lions against the Chicago Bears.  Then, between 1945 and 1950, five different teams faced Detroit (the Bears twice).

Another tradition began in 1951: the Green Bay Packers became the de facto opponent through 1963.  After that, there was no official opponent or rivalry – any team would play.

Recently, though, the Packers-Lions Thanksgiving rivalry has been renewed.  The teams have met every other year since 2007.

By the way, the Lions have lost their last seven Thanksgiving games.  I’ll update today’s results later.

Have a great Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the games.

Updated Nov. 22, 2012 to include 2011, 2012 results. The Lions have now lost the last nine Thanksgivings in a row. They have hosted a Thanksgiving game 73 of the past 79 years.  Their all-time Thanksgiving record is 33-38-2.

And hey – what about the Dallas Cowboys? They’ve played on Thanksgiving Day since 1966. Check out their results – here!