Thanksgiving Day Serves Up Classic Games

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

Thanksgiving is always a great day. The family is together. The food is great. And, invariably, so is the football. The NFL will present fans with a Thanksgiving tripleheader today as traditional competitors Detroit and Dallas host games during the day and the NFL Network kicks off the first of its eight primetime games this season with a nightcap featuring the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons.

Some of the most memorable NFL games in history have been played on Thanksgiving Day – the “Clint Longley” game; the Cowboys-Dolphins “snow” game; Barry Sanders running for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and many others.

There may be memories waiting to happen today. At 12:30 p.m. EST on FOX, the Green Bay Packers will visit the Detroit Lions. It will be the Lions’ 68th Thanksgiving game in their history. At 4:15 PM EST on CBS, the Dallas Cowboys will play their 40th Thanksgiving game when they host the New York Jets. It will be a matchup of running-back brothers –- 28-year-old Thomas Jones against 25-year-old Julius of the Cowboys. This will be the second meeting of their professional careers –- Julius (150 yards, two touchdowns) got the better of Thomas’ Bears on Thanksgiving Day in 2004 in a 21-7 Cowboys’ victory. The Thanksgiving tripleheader continues at 8:15 PM EST on NFL Network when the Colts visit the Falcons.

The first professional football game played on Thanksgiving Day was in 1920. Fritz Pollard, the first African-American quarterback in the NFL, led Akron to a 7-0 victory over Jim Thorpe and the Canton Bulldogs. The game marked the start of the Thanksgiving tradition of pro football in America. The aforementioned Detroit Lions started their Thanksgiving tradition but lost 19-16. It was also the first NFL game to be broadcast nationally (on NBC Radio).

Enjoy the day, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!