Why do the Cowboys always play on U.S. Thanksgiving?

Shanna McCarriston

Why do the Cowboys always play on U.S. Thanksgiving? image

If it seems like the Dallas Cowboys always play on U.S. Thanksgiving, well, that's because they do.

The Cowboys' annual tradition of playing on the American holiday, which began in 1966, originated as something of a publicity stunt for America's Team. Following the Lions' lead from decades earlier, the concept became an immediate success and the Cowboys have been a Turkey Day fixture ever since, with a few exceptions.

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Here's a brief history lesson, plus a full list of past games and how to watch the 2018 version while stuffing your face with turkey and pie.

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Why do the Cowboys always play on U.S. Thanksgiving?

The Cowboys' tradition of playing on Thanksgiving started when then-general manager Tex Schramm signed up for the holiday game in 1966.

Schramm sought more national publicity and saw Thanksgiving as a way to boost national attention from football fans in and out of Dallas. The NFL was worried about attendance for the game because the Cowboys had been struggling under head coach Tom Landry. Just in case no one showed up, the NFL guaranteed the Cowboys a certain gate revenue. 

It turned out the NFL had nothing to worry about. The Cowboys broke their franchise attendance record as 80,259 fans watched the team beat the Browns at the Cotton Bowl. 

The Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving every year since except two. In 1975 and 1977, the NFL awarded Thanksgiving games to the St. Louis Cardinals instead in an attempt to boost that franchise's national exposure. The Cowboys had been constant Super Bowl contenders, so the NFL wanted to give another team the chance to be broadcasted on a national level. The Cardinals lost both games and the Cowboys reclaimed the tradition in 1978, sharing the day with the Lions.

Detroit has first dibs with the early kickoff every year ar 12:30 ET, so it's custom for the Cowboys to play in the late afternoon game that follows.

In 2006, the NFL decided to add a third game in primetime, because why stop at just two holiday games?

Who plays the Cowboys on U.S. Thanksgiving in 2018?

The Cowboys draw the Redskins this year. This is the third straight year Washington will play on Thanksgiving; it beat the Giants 20-10 in 2017 and lost to the Cowboys 31-26 in 2016.

The Redskins are 3-7 all time in Thanksgiving games, including 1-7 in eight meetings against Dallas.

How to watch the Cowboys-Redskins game in Canada

The Cowboys vs. Redskins game can be seen live on DAZN. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET — the second game of the day, as per tradition.

Cowboys all-time record on Thanksgiving

The Cowboys are 30-19-1 playing on Thanksgiving in franchise history. 

Year Opponent Result
1966 Cleveland Browns W, 26-14
1967 St. Louis Cardinals W, 46-21
1968 Washington Redskins W, 29-20
1969 San Francisco 49ers T, 24-24
1970 Green Bay Packers W, 16-3
1971 Los Angeles Rams W, 28-21
1972 San Francisco 49ers L, 31-10
1973 Miami Dolphins, L, 14-7
1974 Washington Redskins W, 24-23
1976 St. Louis Cardinals W, 19-14
1978 Washington Redskins W, 37-10
1979 Houston Oilers L, 30-24
1980 Seattle Seahawks, W, 51-7
1981 Chicago Bears W, 10-9
1982 Cleveland Browns W, 31-14
1983 St. Louis Cardinals W, 35-17
1984 New England Patriots W, 20-17
1985 St. Louis Cardinals W, 35-17
1986 Seattle Seahawks W, 31-14
1987 Minnesota Vikings L (OT), 31-14
1988 Houston Oilers L, 25-17
1989 Philadelphia Eagles L, 27-0
1990 Washington Redskins W, 27-17
1991 Pittsburgh Steelers W, 20-10
1992 New York Giants W, 30-3
1993 Miami Dolphins L, 16-14
1994 Green Bay Packers W, 42-31
1995 Kansas City Chiefs W, 24-12
1996 Washington Redskins W, 21-10
1997 Tennessee Titans L, 27-14
1998 Minnesota Vikings L, 46-36
1999 Miami Dolphins W, 20-0
2000 Minnesota Vikings L, 27-15
2001 Denver Broncos L, 26-24
2002 Washington Redskins W, 27-20
2003 Miami Dolphins L, 40-21
2004 Chicago Bears W, 21-7
2005 Denver Broncos L (OT), 24-21
2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W, 38-10
2007 New York Jets W, 34-3
2008 Seattle Seahawks W, 34-9
2009 Oakland Raiders W, 24-7
2010 New Orleans Saints L, 30-27
2011 Miami Dolphins W, 20-19
2012 Washington Redskins L, 38-31
2013 Oakland Raiders W, 31-24
2014 Philadelphia Eagles L, 33-10
2015 Carolina Panthers L, 33-14
2016 Washington Redskins W, 31-26
2017 Los Angeles Chargers L, 28-6

Notable games:

1989 — The Eagles beat the Cowboys 27-0, but the story of the game was that allegations had come out that the Eagles had placed a bounty on the Cowboys kicker.

1993 — In a rare snowy game in Texas, the Cowboys had a 14-13 lead over the Dolphins with just seconds remaining. Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich attempted a game-winning 40-yard field goal that was blocked by the Cowboys' Jimmie Jones. Once the ball stopped moving, the play would be ruled dead and the Cowboys would get the ball back, ready to line up in victory formation. But Cowboys lineman Leon Lett botched the snap, and he fell as he tried to grab the ball, knocking it forward and giving the Dolphins the opportunity to recover it on the 2-yard line. The Dolphins kicked a chip shot field goal and won the game 16-14.

1994 — Troy Aikman was injured, and third-string quarterback Jason Garrett (now the Cowboys' head coach) had to start for Dallas against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys won in a 42–31 shootout against Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

Shanna McCarriston