NFL Thanksgiving Day Games 2022: TV Channel, Schedule and History

The 2022 NFL season continues on, and that means holiday football is right around the corner. The calendar turning to November means the return of a classic American tradition: NFL games on Thanksgiving Day.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2022 slate of NFL on Thanksgiving matchups.

NFL Thanksgiving Games 2022 Schedule and TV Channel

Keeping with tradition, there will be three NFL games on Thanksgiving Day in 2022.

The first matchup sends the Buffalo Bills on the road to face the Detroit Lions. They are followed up by the New York Giants taking on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Then the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings will close things out in primetime.

Check out the full schedule and broadcast info below:

• 12:30 p.m. ET: Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions (CBS)
• 4:30 p.m. ET: New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys (FOX)
• 8:20 p.m. ET: New England Patriots vs Minnesota Vikings (NBC)

NFL Thanksgiving Games History

The NFL has played on Thanksgiving since its inception in 1920. The league hosted five games on Nov. 25, 1920 in its very first year. The Akron Pros, Decatur Staleys, Dayton Triangles, Chicago Boosters and Tonawanda Kardex all notched wins that day, while the Columbus Panhandles and Elyria Athletics tied.

From 1970 to 2005, the NFL played two games every Thanksgiving featuring three NFC teams and one AFC team. The league then added an additional third contest starting in 2006 to serve as a primetime nightcap. NBC has broadcast the final leg of the triple-header since 2012.

The Baltimore Ravens (2-0), Houston Texans (2-0) and Carolina Panthers (1-0) are the only teams with perfect records on Thanksgiving.

What NFL Teams Always Play on Thanksgiving?

The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have been mainstays of the NFL on Thanksgiving schedule. Detroit became a regular in 1934 and traditionally hosts the first game of the slate. Dallas, meanwhile, became officially attached in 1966 and gets to play the afternoon contest at home.

As a result, no teams have played more games on Thanksgiving than the Lions (82) and Cowboys (54). Detroit owns a 37-43-2 all-time record on this holiday, while Dallas has fared much better at 31-22-1.

The Chicago Bears (37 games played) and Green Bay Packers (36 games) are the next-closest squads in terms of Thanksgiving appearances.

NFL Thanksgiving Games 2023

For 2023, the NFL is adding an extra wrinkle to its holiday lineup. In addition to the three Thanksgiving games, there will also be a special "Black Friday" matchup played the next day on Nov. 24, 2023.

This contest is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET and air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Participating teams will be announced when the 2023 schedule is released.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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