There is no NFL rule that states the Lions and Cowboys must always play games on Thanksgiving, but in 2019, Detroit and Dallas both will host a Thanksgiving game for the 42nd consecutive year.
When the NFL creates its schedule each year, per tradition, the only constants are the Lions hosting their early afternoon Thanksgiving game and the Cowboys hosting their late afternoon Thanksgiving game.
MORE: Full NFL Thanksgiving 2019 schedule, TV info
The Lions this year will play their 80th Thanksgiving game dating back to 1934. The Cowboys will play in their 52nd Thanksgiving game since 1966.
In short, these respective traditions began as publicity stunts, but they've become mainstays on the NFL schedule. Below is more information on why the Lions and Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving.
What football teams always play on Thanksgiving?
Detroit Lions
When Detroit hosts Chicago on Thanksgiving in 2019, it will mark the the 18th Thanksgiving day meeting between the Bears and the Lions. Chicago has appeared on Thanksgiving 33 times, but only because it's a division rival of Detroit, which has played more Thanksgiving games than any other NFL franchise.
The Lions, who have a 37-40-2 record in Thanksgiving games, started the tradition in 1934, their first year in Detroit. Team owner George A. Richards figured a game on Thanksgiving would help his team steal attention from the more popular Detroit Tigers. Sure enough, tickets for the Lions game against the Bears that year sold out well ahead of time, and another 25,000 tickets could have been sold had University of Detroit Stadium seated more than 26,000.
The successful turnout meant a Thanksgiving tradition was born, and the Lions have hosted a game on Thanksgiving every year since.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys, who have a 37-40-2 record in Thanksgiving games, started their tradition in 1966. Then-general manager Tex Schramm signed up for the holiday game in an effort to boost the franchise's popularity, and it worked; the Cowboys that Thanksgiving broke what was then their attendance record. A total of 80,259 fans watched the team beat the Browns at the Cotton Bowl.
Dallas has played on Thanksgiving every year since except two. In 1975 and 1977, the NFL awarded Thanksgiving games to the St. Louis Cardinals in an attempt to boost that franchise's national exposure. The Cardinals lost both games, and the Cowboys reclaimed the tradition in 1978.
Below are the numbers of Thanksgiving appearances for all 32 current NFL franchises. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars have never played on Thanksgiving.
| Team | Thanksgiving games |
| Detroit Lions | 79 (79 consecutive) |
| Dallas Cowboys | 51 (41 consecutive) |
| Green Bay Packers | 36 |
| Chicago Bears | 33 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 23 |
| New York Giants | 15 |
| Washington Redskins | 11 |
| Denver Broncos | 11 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7 |
| Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers | 6 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 |
| New England Patriots | 5 |
| New York Jets | 5 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 |
| Houston Texans | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 |
What NFL teams are playing on Thanksgiving 2019?
For the 14th consecutive season, the NFL has three games scheduled for Thanksgiving. The tripleheader begins with the traditional Detroit game, with the Lions this year hosting the division-rival Bears. Also a tradition, Dallas will host the late afternoon game on Thanksgiving, with the Cowboys this year playing the Bills.
The Thanksgiving night game this year is Saints at Falcons.
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel |
| Bears at Lions | 12:30 p.m. ET | Fox |
| Bills at Cowboys | 4:30 p.m. ET | CBS |
| Saints at Falcons | 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC |
The Lions will play their 80th Thanksgiving Day game dating back to 1934, while the Cowboys will play in their 52nd since 1966. The Bears and Bills will play in their 36th and ninth games, respectively, on the holiday. The Falcons will play in their fourth and the Saints will play in their third Thanksgiving game.
Below are the all-time Thanksgiving records of the teams playing on the holiday this year.
- Detroit Lions: 37-40-2
- Dallas Cowboys: 31-19-1
- Chicago Bears: 18-15-2
- Buffalo Bills: 3-4-1
- Atlanta Falcons: 1-2
- New Orleans Saints: 2-0
The Saints, who are undefeaded in their two Thankgiving appearances, have a chance to become the first NFL team to clinch a playoff spot this season. With a win over the Falcons on Thanksgiving Night, they would clinch the NFC South title.
New Orleans also could tie Atlanta on Thursday night and still clinch the division with a Carolina loss or tie on Sunday.