On Thanksgiving, there are two things that you can expect – good food and NFL football. Watching football on Thanksgiving has become a part of the Thanksgiving tradition in many households around the United States.

Football was first played on Thanksgiving by college and high school teams early in the 1900s. But the NFL, starting in the 1930s, has taken over that role. When tracing the roots of the NFL playing on Thanksgiving, you have to look at the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions.

Dallas has played on Thanksgiving every year since 1966 except for two years (1975 and 1977). However, Detroit is the original home of NFL games on Thanksgiving. Detroit played host to their first Thanksgiving game in 1934. Although the result that day wasn’t great for Detroit (a 19-16 loss against the Chicago Bears), a tradition was born.

Since that game in 1934, the Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving game every year except for a six year hiatus from 1939 to 1944. Over the last ten years, the Lions hold a 5-5 record on Thanksgiving, while the Cowboys are 4-6 over that time span.

Last season, the Lions lost to the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 27-10. The Cowboys, on the other hand, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10. Another game played last year, the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Denver Broncos, finished with the Chiefs pulling out a 19-10 victory.

This year, there are again three Thanksgiving NFL Games. In the morning game, the Green Bay Packers travel to Detroit to face the Lions at 12:30 PM EST. In the afternoon game, the Dallas Cowboys face the visiting New York Jets at 4:15 PM EST. In the evening game, the Indianapolis Colts travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons at 8:15 PM EST.

To spice up the games this Thanksgiving, both the Cowboys and Lions are playing very well this year. Currently, the Cowboys are 7-1 and in first place in the NFC East. The Lions are 6-2 and in second place in the NFC North. In the third game, the Colts are currently 7-1 and in first place in the AFC South.

While you are celebrating Thanksgiving with your family, turn on the television to watch another tradition take place on the football field. With stars such as Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in action, there’s really no reason not to tune in.