Pass the mashed potatoes. Grab the remote.
Since 1966, that’s basically been the American holiday script. For a lot of people, the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving games are as much a part of the DNA of late November as the turkey itself or your uncle’s weird political rants. It’s a bizarre, enduring tradition that started as a marketing stunt and turned into a massive cultural monolith.
The Cowboys aren't just playing a game; they’re hosting a national event.
Honestly, the whole thing almost didn't happen. Back in the mid-sixties, Tex Schramm—the legendary, somewhat eccentric Cowboys GM—was looking for a way to get "America's Team" some actual national attention. The team was young, struggling for a footprint, and the NFL was skeptical about whether anyone would actually watch football on a Thursday afternoon while they were supposed to be eating. Schramm, ever the showman, basically guaranteed the league that he’d fill the seats. He was right. Over 80,000 people showed up at the Cotton Bowl in 1966 to watch Dallas beat the Browns, and a monster was born.
The Origin Story of Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Games
You’ve gotta understand how different the league looked back then. The Detroit Lions had already been playing on the holiday since the 30s, but they were the only ones. When Schramm pitched the idea, he was taking a huge financial risk. If fans stayed home, the Cowboys would have eaten the cost. Instead, they broke attendance records.
The NFL hasn't looked back, even if other teams occasionally get salty about the competitive advantage of a guaranteed home game every year.
There was a brief moment in the 70s where the league tried to shake things up. In 1975 and 1977, the NFL moved the game to St. Louis to try and give the Cardinals (who were in the NFC East back then) some shine. It was a disaster. The TV ratings dipped, the "vibes" were off, and by 1978, the league begged Dallas to take the slot back permanently. They’ve held it ever since.
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It's the "nap slot."
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By the time the Cowboys kick off, most of the country is in a heavy carb-induced coma. It is the highest-rated regular-season window in professional sports, period. We are talking about 30 to 40 million people tuning in simultaneously. For perspective, that dwarfs almost every playoff game in other sports. It’s the perfect intersection of tradition and boredom.
The Most Iconic Moments You Actually Remember
If you’ve been watching the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving games for decades, certain images are burned into your brain. It’s not just about the wins or losses; it’s about the sheer weirdness that seems to happen when the sun starts setting over AT&T Stadium.
The Leon Lett Blunder (1993)
We have to talk about the snow. A rare Dallas blizzard turned Texas Stadium into a giant powdered donut. The Cowboys were leading the Miami Dolphins 14-13. The Dolphins attempted a field goal to win, it was blocked, and all the Cowboys had to do was leave the ball alone. It was dead. Game over. Dallas wins.
Then came Leon Lett.
Big Leon decided to try and recover the ball for some reason, slipped on the ice, and kicked it toward the end zone. Miami recovered, kicked a shorter field goal, and won. It remains the quintessential "Why did he do that?" moment in NFL history. It’s the kind of play that would have broken the internet if Twitter existed in 1993.
The Clint Longley Miracle (1974)
Roger Staubach went down with a concussion. Enter Clint Longley, a rookie backup who most fans didn't even recognize. The Cowboys were trailing the hated Washington Redskins (now Commanders) 16-3. Longley proceeded to play like a Hall of Famer for exactly thirty minutes, throwing a 50-yard bomb to Drew Pearson to win the game in the final seconds.
The crazy part? Longley's career basically ended shortly after because he got into a locker room fight with Staubach and was traded. One-hit wonder, but what a hit.
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Tony Romo’s Five-Touchdown Masterclass (2006)
This was the "he’s the guy" game. Against Tampa Bay, Romo looked like Joe Montana, carving up the defense and proving that the post-Troy Aikman era might actually have some hope. For a generation of younger fans, this was the moment the holiday games became "The Romo Show."
Why the "Home Field Advantage" is a Myth (Mostly)
People complain that Dallas gets an unfair shake because they never have to travel for the short week. While that sounds true on paper, the stats tell a slightly more nuanced story.
The Cowboys are roughly .600 on Thanksgiving. That’s good, but it’s not unbeatable.
- The Short Week Problem: Both teams are playing on three days' rest. It leads to sloppy football, missed tackles, and weird turnovers.
- The Pressure: Playing in front of 40 million people creates a "Super Bowl lite" atmosphere. Some players thrive; others, like we saw with the 2023 blowout of the Commanders, just get steamrolled by the spectacle.
- The Halftime Show: Yes, it’s cheesy. Yes, we all watch the Salvation Army kettle celebrations. But that 15-minute extra-long halftime for the musical act actually messes with the players' rhythm. They’re sitting in the locker room way longer than a normal Sunday.
The Business of the Red Kettle
You can't discuss Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving games without the Salvation Army. This is the unofficial kickoff for the Red Kettle campaign. When Ezekiel Elliott jumped into the giant kettle in 2016, it wasn't just a penalty—it was a marketing masterstroke that saw donations spike by millions.
It’s one of the few times where the NFL's obsession with branding actually does some tangible good for the world. The Cowboys don't take a fee for this; it’s a massive charity drive baked into a football game.
The Modern Era: From Dak to the Future
Recently, the games have felt a bit different. With the addition of the third night game (the "primetime" slot), the Cowboys are no longer the finale of the day. They are the centerpiece.
Dak Prescott has actually been incredible on the holiday. He generally plays his best ball when the lights are brightest. In 2023, he dismantled Washington in a way that felt like a statement of intent. But then you have years like 2021 against the Raiders, where the game was marred by roughly a thousand penalty flags and felt like it lasted six hours.
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That’s the beauty of it. It’s rarely a "normal" game. It’s always a spectacle.
Common Misconceptions About the Holiday Slot
- "Dallas is the only team that plays every year." Actually, Detroit has been doing it longer. People just notice Dallas more because they're "America's Team" and usually in the playoff hunt.
- "The NFL can take it away whenever they want." Technically, yes. Practically, no. The contract between the Jones family and the league is ironclad, and the networks would riot if they lost that guaranteed ratings gold mine.
- "Players hate it." Most actually love it. Why? Because if you play Thursday, you get the entire weekend off. It’s like a mini-bye week in the middle of a brutal season.
How to Prepare for the Next Kickoff
If you’re planning on watching—or attending—the next iteration of this tradition, there are a few "pro tips" from someone who has covered this beat for a long time.
First, if you're going to Arlington, get there early. The traffic around the stadium on Thanksgiving is a special kind of hell. People are trying to balance tailgating with family dinners, and the parking lots become a sea of blue jerseys and smoked turkeys.
Second, don't bet the house on the Cowboys just because they're at home. Division rivals (especially the Giants and Eagles) love nothing more than ruining a Cowboys fan's holiday. The "turkey day upset" is a real phenomenon because the preparation time is so thin that the better-coached team usually wins, not necessarily the more talented one.
Actionable Insights for the Savvy Fan
- Check the Injury Report on Monday: Because it's a short week, players with "minor" tweaks on Sunday often won't suit up Thursday. This is where games are won or lost.
- Watch the Offensive Line: Historically, Dallas wins on Thanksgiving when they can run the ball and keep the clock moving. If they’re forced into a shootout, things get messy (see: the 2010 loss to the Saints).
- Monitor the Betting Lines: The "Under" is often a smart play for early Thanksgiving games, but the Cowboys game usually trends "Over" because of the indoor conditions and the high-powered offense Jerry Jones loves to build.
- Look for the "Kettle" Celebration: It's become a team tradition. Every year, a different player tries to top the last celebration. It’s the one day a year where the league usually looks the other way on "excessive" celebrations.
The Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving games aren't just about football anymore. They’re a marker of time. You remember where you were when Romo got hurt, or when Daunte Culpepper tore them apart, or when CeeDee Lamb made a ridiculous catch. It’s a shared cultural experience in an era where we don't have many of those left.
Whether you love them or hate them, the star on the helmet is the centerpiece of the American table every November.
Next Steps for the Die-Hard Fan:
Review the official NFL schedule release in May to see which AFC/NFC opponent is slated for the next holiday window. If you're looking for tickets, book them at least three months in advance, as the Thanksgiving slot is typically the first to sell out at AT&T Stadium. For those watching at home, ensure your streaming service or cable package includes the local CBS or FOX affiliate, as the broadcast rights rotate annually between the two networks for the afternoon window.