DENVER (KDVR) — There are many traditions celebrated on Thanksgiving; spending time with family, eating too much food, being grateful for things often not recognized and Turkey Day NFL football.
Playing on Thanksgiving is a big deal in the world of football and fans are often eager to know if their team will be selected for one of the three games played on the day.
Although there are three games played, only four teams will be selected to play each year. This means that two spots are already occupied and those two spots happen to be filled by the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys every year.
According to the NFL, the Lions started the tradition in 1934 when they took on the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day to boost a slowly depleting attendance rate.
The Cowboys found themselves in a similar situation 32 years later and in 1966 began their streak of playing on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys’ general manager at the time, Tex Schramm, recognized the formula that worked for Detroit and much to his delight, found that it worked just as well for the Cowboys.
On Thanksgiving, the Lions always play the first game of the day, the Cowboys play the second and the third game is played between two selected teams.
With only four spots available for the hot ticket day, teams are chomping at the bit to get their players on the field. One team that has played on Thanksgiving rather frequently is the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos have played on Thanksgiving 11 times. The team is 4-7 all-time when appearing in the game but since the turn of the 21st century, have gone 3-1.
The first time the Broncos played on Thanksgiving was Nov. 22, 1962, when they narrowly lost to the New York Titans, 46-45. The most recent appearance was against the New York Giants on Nov. 26, 2009, with the Broncos securing victory in a 26-6 win.
Every team in the NFL has played on Thanksgiving at least once, aside from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are still waiting for their gobbling debut.
