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The NFL’s Thanksgiving tradition goes all the way back to 1920. (Yahoo Sports/Grant Thomas)
NFL games on Thanksgiving is a tradition that dates back all the way to the first season of the league’s existence, in 1920.
The NFL had six games on Thanksgiving that first season. Over the years the tradition as we know it took shape: The Detroit Lions hosted their first Thanksgiving game in 1934 as a way for the team to drum up attendance, the Dallas Cowboys happily volunteered to be the host of a second game starting in 1966 and the league added a third rotating game for Thanksgiving night in 2006.
NFL football has become a staple for the holiday. For the three games this season, let’s compare the quality of each of the three games to a dish on the Thanksgiving table:
Turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes: Bears at Lions
For years, there was a steady drumbeat for the Lions to get kicked out of their annual Thanksgiving spot. Detroit was terrible. Why have one of the three (or, for many years, two) games on Thanksgiving ruined by a terrible team.
That has changed in a big way.
This is the main course of the day because you get a chance to see the best team in football. Yes, that’s the Lions. Seriously, the Lions are the best team in the NFL. Once again: The Detroit Lions are the top team in the National Football League. That’s the first time we can say that in our lifetimes, unless you were born before 1957. That’s the last time the Lions won a championship. They are capable of winning a Super Bowl this season. They’ve never been to a Super Bowl in their history.
Will this be a great game? Probably not, but we did see the Packers upset the Lions on Thanksgiving last season. The Bears aren’t a great team but they’re interesting to watch because they have No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. Williams has had an up-and-down rookie season but he’s still compelling. The Bears can at least give us a good show to start off the day. Hopefully, because if we don’t get a good game to start…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/thanksgiving-preview-what-is-the-main-course-among-the-3-thanksgiving-games-140257186.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-27 14:02:00
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