2. Thanksgiving Day records<\/p>\n
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- Career passing leader: Matthew Stafford, with 3,000 yards.<\/li>\n
- Most passing touchdowns in a game: Peyton Manning (2004) and Bob Griese (1977) tied with six.<\/li>\n
- Rushing yards in a game: O.J. Simpson (1976) with 273.<\/li>\n
- Career receiving touchdowns: Calvin Johnson with 11. (The Lions went 3-4 in the seven Thanksgiving games Stafford and Johnson played together.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Calvin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-492299998-1024x723.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford played in seven Thanksgiving games together in Detroit. (Gregory Shamus \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
3. Why the Lions and Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving<\/p>\n
In 1934, G.A. Richards, then the owner of the Lions, scheduled a Thanksgiving game with the Bears. Richards wanted to create excitement around the Lions, who he bought earlier that year when they were the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans. Richards moved the team north into Michigan and renamed them the Detroit Lions. The Bears beat the Lions 19-16 in front of 26,000 at the University of Detroit Stadium that year, but that didn\u2019t stop Richards.<\/p>\n
The Lions have hosted Thanksgiving ever since.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys joined the festivities in 1966, beating the Cleveland Browns 26-14 at the Cotton Bowl. Again, the intention was to generate national attention. General manager Tex Schramm believed Thanksgiving would do so for the Cowboys. The listed attendance was 80,259, and Dallas has played on Thanksgiving ever since. The only exceptions were in 1975 and 1977 \u00a0when the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the holiday game, a move orchestrated by commissioner Pete Rozelle. The Cardinals didn\u2019t latch on popularity-wise, and the Cowboys returned to hosting.<\/p>\n
4. All-time records<\/p>\n
Perhaps not surprisingly, while the Lions have the most wins all-time on the holiday with an overall record of 38-45-2, the Cowboys have a better winning percentage with a record of 34-22-1 (.605).<\/p>\n
5. Starry debuts<\/p>\n
Both Jackson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are two-time MVPs and both are making their Thanksgiving debuts this year. They\u2019re tied for the most MVPs won by a player before his first Thanksgiving game, in the Super Bowl era. Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas won MVPs in 1959 and 1964 before making his Thanksgiving debut in 1965. The Colts tied the Lions 24-24 in that pre-Super Bowl era matchup.<\/p>\n
![\"Quarterback](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1079875756-1024x742.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n Jackson and Mahomes have combined to win four of the last seven NFL MVP\u2019s. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
6. Reba McEntire brought the show<\/p>\n
This year, the three halftime performers<\/a> on Thanksgiving are Post Malone (Dallas), Lil Jon (Baltimore), and Jack White (Detroit). The tradition of having a concert performance at halftime on Thanksgiving began with country superstar Reba McEntire in 1997. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, ever the man with an eye for grandeur, orchestrated McEntire doing a performance to launch the now-annual Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign that the Cowboys run. Dallas lost that game 27-14 to the Houston Oilers.<\/p>\n
7. Jacksonville stays home on Thanksgiving<\/p>\n
The Jaguars are the only NFL franchise to never play on Thanksgiving. This is because of several factors, including the comparatively small size of their home market and their not being in the same conference as the Lions and Cowboys, or a natural rival to either team. So, Jaguars players get to enjoy the day with their families.<\/p>\n
They are one of three franchises to have not played on Thanksgiving since 1990. The Rams haven\u2019t played since 1975 and the other is Cleveland, which last graced Thanksgiving TV screens in 1989. The Detroit Lions beat the Browns 13-10<\/a> that day. Bernie Kosar was the Browns quarterback then (he was 28 for 38 for 296 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the game). Kosar, 61, has recently been in the news<\/a> for his battle with liver failure. He announced Monday on social media that he had been discharged from the hospital after a successful liver transplant the week prior.<\/p>\n
8. Super Bowl pedigrees<\/p>\n
![\"unning](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-459771778-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n