Thanksgiving is about spending time with family, eating yourself into a food coma, and football.
The NFL reigns supreme on the November holiday. The league has dominated televisions all over the country for years, providing entertainment for fans while they gorge themselves with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and more.
The Lions and Cowboys are two teams that always can be expected to be featured on the holiday, as the two NFC members have extensive histories on Thanksgiving. However, do either of those teams own the most wins on Thanksgiving?
Here is the full list of records for every NFL team to play on Thanksgiving.
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Who has the most wins on Thanksgiving?
The Lions own the record for the most wins on Thanksgiving. Entering Thanksgiving Day in 2024, Detroit has emerged victorious 37 times on the holiday.
Despite holding the record for most wins on Thanksgiving, it's been a bit since Lions fans have viewed a victory on the holiday. Detroit is currently riding a seven-game losing streak on Turkey Day, with the franchise's last win coming in 2016.
The Cowboys, unsurprisingly, are No. 2, with 33 wins.
Here's a look at the teams with the most Thanksgiving wins.
| Team | Thanksgiving wins |
| Detroit Lions | 37 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 33 |
| Chicago Bears | 20 |
| Green Bay Packers | 15 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 |
| New York Giants | 7 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 |
MORE: How John Madden started NFL's Turkey Leg tradition
Who has the most losses on Thanksgiving?
Not only do the Lions have the most Thanksgiving wins, but they also own the unfortunate record of the most losses as well. That's what happens when you frequent the holiday slate as often as Detroit has.
The Lions enter the 2024 season with 45 losses on Thanksgiving. As mentioned, the franchise is currently on a seven-game losing streak on the holiday.
The Cowboys have the second-most with 22, followed by the Packers with 20.
Here's a look at the teams with the most Thanksgiving losses.
| Team | Thanksgiving losses |
| Detroit Lions | 45 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 22 |
| Green Bay Packers | 20 |
| Chicago Bears | 15 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 15 |
| Washington Commanders | 9 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 |
| New York Giants | 6 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 |
| Kansas City Chefs | 5 |
MORE: What teams always play on Thanksgiving?
Who has played in the most Thanksgiving games?
If the Lions have the most wins on Thanksgiving, as well as the most losses on Thanksgiving, that means they surely have to have the most appearances on the holiday?
You would be correct. No other franchise has played in more Thanksgiving matchups than Detroit, with a total of 84 games played. When the team plays in 2024, it will be the 85th time.
The next-closest is Dallas, with soon-to-be 57 appearances when it takes the field in 2024. Only five organizations have played in at least 20 Thanksgiving games, and only 10 have been featured on the holiday at least 10 times.
Here are the number of appearances for all NFL teams on Thanksgiving, including the games in 2024.
| Team | Thanksgiving games |
| Detroit Lions | 85 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 57 |
| Chicago Bears | 38 |
| Green Bay Packers | 38 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 23 |
| New York Giants | 16 |
| Washington Commanders | 13 |
| Denver Broncos | 11 |
| Buffalo Bills | 11 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 8 |
| New York Jets | 8 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 |
| New England Patriots | 6 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 5 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 |
| Houston Texans | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 |
Who has the best record on Thanksgiving?
While the Lions have the most wins on Thanksgiving, they hardly have the best record.
There are three teams who are undefeated on Thanksgiving — the Ravens, the Texans and the Panthers. Baltimore won its pair of games in 2011 and 2013, Houston took care of business in its two matchups in 2012 and 2020, and Carolina emerged victorious in its lone Thanksgiving game in 2015.
In terms of teams who have played frequently on Thanksgiving, the Eagles and Vikings own impressive marks. Philadelphia is 6-1 in holiday contests in November, while Minnesota is 7-2.
There are three franchises who have yet to win on Thanksgiving, excluding the Jaguars who have never played on the holiday. The Bengals and Buccaneers were unsuccessful in their one attempt, while the Browns own a fitting 0-3 record on Thanksgiving.
MORE: How John Madden popularized the turducken on NFL broadcasts
| Team | Thanksgiving win% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1.000 |
| Houston Texans | 1.000 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1.000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | .857 |
| Los Angeles Rams | .800 |
| Minnesota Vikings | .778 |
| New Orleans Saints | .750 |
| Miami Dolphins | .714 |
| Tennessee Titans | .714 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | .700 |
| Indianapolis Colts | .625 |
| Dallas Cowboys | .598 |
| Buffalo Bills | .591 |
| San Francisco 49ers | .583 |
| Chicago Bears | .568 |
| New York Giants | .531 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | .500 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | .500 |
| New York Jets | .500 |
| New England Patriots | .500 |
| Detroit Lions | .452 |
| Green Bay Packers | .432 |
| Seattle Seahawks | .400 |
| Denver Broncos | .364 |
| Washington Commanders | .308 |
| Arizona Cardinals | .304 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | .250 |
| Atlanta Falcons | .250 |
| Cleveland Browns | .000 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | .000 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | .000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | N/A |
What teams have never played on Thanksgiving?
There remains just one team that the NFL hasn't yet played on Thanksgiving: the Jaguars.
Jacksonville has had an NFL team since 1995 but hasn't yet enjoyed much success. The Jaguars finished with the No. 1 pick in back-to-back drafts in 2021 and 2022, and given that they are in a smaller market, it makes sense that the NFL would look to schedule other teams for these marquee spots.
Despite the Jaguars' surprise run to an AFC South title and the divisional round last season, the league didn't put Jacksonville in a Thanksgiving slot this year. With Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson restoring credibility to the franchise, however, it's certainly possible the opportunity comes along at some point in the near future.
