If it seems like the Dallas Cowboys always play on 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.
Here's a brief history lesson, plus a full list of past Cowboys Thanksgiving games while stuffing your face with turkey and pie.
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Why do the Cowboys always play on 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 broadcast 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 at 12:30 p.m. 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 prime time, because why stop at just two holiday games?
MORE: Why the Lions and Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving
Who do the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving in 2023?
The Cowboys play the Commanders this year. It's the 11th time that these NFC East rivals have played on Thanksgiving. Washington won the last holiday meeting, 41-16, in 2020. The Commanders have an all-time Thanksgiving record of 4-8.
Cowboys' all-time record on Thanksgiving
The Cowboys are 32-23-1 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, 44-38 (OT) |
| 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, 24-21 (OT) |
| 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 |
| 2018 | Washington Redskins | W, 31-23 |
| 2019 | Buffalo Bills | L, 26-15 |
| 2020 | Washington Football Team | L, 41-16 |
| 2021 | Las Vegas Raiders | L, 36-33 |
| 2022 | New York Giants | W, 28-20 |
| 2023 | Washington Commanders | — |
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 play, 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 (who was the Cowboys' head coach from 2011 to 2019) had to start for Dallas against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys won in a 42–31 shootout against Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
