JUMP TO:
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.
MORE:Highest-scoring Thanksgiving games in NFL history
Who has the most wins on Thanksgiving?
The Lions own the record for the most wins on Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving Day in 2024, Detroit has emerged victorious 38 times on the holiday.
Detroit snapped a seven-game losing streak on Turkey Day with its win over Chicago in 2024. Before that, the franchise's last win came in 2016.
The Cowboys, unsurprisingly, are No. 2, with 34 wins.
Here's a look at the teams with the most Thanksgiving wins.
Team Thanksgiving wins
Detroit Lions 38
Dallas Cowboys 34
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 16
Arizona Cardinals 15
Washington Commanders 9
Denver Broncos 7
New York Giants 7
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
MORE: Revisiting Creed's epic 2001 Thanksgiving halftime show
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 .605
Buffalo Bills .591
San Francisco 49ers .583
Chicago Bears .553
New York Giants .500
Kansas City Chiefs .500
Las Vegas Raiders .500
New York Jets .500
New England Patriots .500
Detroit Lions .459
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
MORE: What to know about John Madden's coaching record
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.
MORE: Why did John Madden retire from coaching?