The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving Day in the NFL
. The tradition began in 1934 when the Lions' owner scheduled a holiday matchup between the Lions and the Bears to attract more fans to attend their games
. The Cowboys joined the tradition in 1966 when their general manager wanted more national publicity for the team
. Since 1978, Thanksgiving games have been hosted in Detroit and Dallas every year, with Detroit in the early time slot and Dallas in the late afternoon slot
. Since 2006, a third NFL game on Thanksgiving has been played in primetime
. The third game can be played by any team, and it is different every year
