The Cowboys have played in 56 Thanksgiving games since their first in 1966, including every year since 1978. In that span, they have a 33-22-1 record, making them the only of the two teams to play annually on Thanksgiving with a winning record.

Football has joined family and food as a key part of Thanksgiving tradition in the United States, as proven by the NFL’s viewership figures.

Since the beginning of time, okay maybe not that long ago, but since very early on in National Football League history, fans have been able to watch the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

After setting the all-time viewership record for the early Thanksgiving game last year, the Lions crushed that mark in their win over the Bears last week.

Few combinations go together better than Thanksgiving and football and this year's ratings bear that out. Per Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, the NFL had its most-watched Thanksgiving ever this year,