# Thanksgiving NFL Games **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125 "2002-11-27T16:03:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/1 "2002-11-27T16:03:15Z")
How does the NFL decide who plays these games? ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/2 "2002-11-27T16:10:32Z")
[Tradition.](http://www.playfootball.com/thanksgiving2002.html) The Lions and Cowboys always host Thanksgiving day games. If you’re asking how their opponents are chosen, or why additional teams don’t host Thanksgiving day games, then I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/3 "2002-11-27T16:16:32Z")
Yeah, I was looking for how the opponents are chosen, I knew Dallas and Detroit were the host teams (I should have put that in the OP). How did the tradition start? ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/4 "2002-11-27T16:24:58Z")
I should have read the link first, since says how the Detroit tradition was started. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/5 "2002-11-27T17:27:06Z")
Thanksgiving NFL games were started to force everyone in America to see the Detroit Lions at least once a year whether we want to or not. Other teams have asked to be hosts, but the Lions and Cowboys won’t give up the game. Many teams like the game because it gives their teams a long rest period toward the end of the season (10 days). Of course, there is the short week before it, but it seems like players like long rest more than short preparation. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/6 "2002-11-27T18:07:07Z")
Plus, **BobT** , the inconvenient short week before Thanksgiving applies to both teams playing, so neither has an advantage. The longer rest period will apply to the teams playing on Thanksgiving, but not, in general, their next opponents. Thus, playing on Thanksgiving would seem to be an advantage in preparing for the _next_ game. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-nfl-games/139125/7 "2002-12-03T06:22:15Z")
Didn’t the Cowboys actually play the Lions one Thanksgiving? I’m pretty sure it was the early 90s, when CBS still had the NFC games. Is that true? If so, who was the second game that day? Or wsa there only one?