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The NFL schedule for the 2023 season will be out in a couple of hours. However, before the unveiling of the 272 regular season games for the upcoming season, there are plenty of leaks trickling out from different sources. This includes the highly anticipated Thanksgiving schedule.
The tradition of playing football games on Thanksgiving dates back to 1876. It has since then become a beloved holiday tradition across the country. The league typically schedules three games on Thanksgiving Day, with each of them broadcast live nationwide.
As the NFL schedule for the upcoming season continues to leak out at a frantic pace, one area many NFL fans are concentrated on is Thanksgiving. In what has been rebranded the John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration, which teams get to play on the fourth Thursday in the month of November in the upcoming NFL season?
Thanksgiving schedule according to leaks
Early rumors have suggested the San Francisco 49ers will be hosting the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in the third primetime game on Thanksgiving. The game, if confirmed, will be the 49ers' Week 12 schedule before they face the Philadelphia Eagles on Week 13.
Matt Schneiderman of The Athletic has also revealed in a leak that the Detroit Lions will be hosting Jordan Love's Green Bay Packers. This will be the first time the two teams will lock horns on Thanksgiving since 2013.
On the other hand, NBC's J.P. Finlay had revealed the Dallas Cowboys will be hosting the Washington Commanders at the AT&T Stadium. This is expected to be the Commanders' first Thanksgiving giving schedule under new ownership.
Who are the regulars of NFL Thanksgiving?
Many teams were involved in playing regularly on Thanksgiving in the first eighteen years of the NFL. This includes the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Frankford Yellow Jackets, Canton Bulldogs, and a host of others.
However, only the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have played regularly on Thanksgiving Day over the last five decades. George A. Richards, the first owner of the Lions, initiated the custom of holding a Thanksgiving Day game as a tactic to entice individuals to attend Lions matches. The Detroit Lions have been involved in the Thanksgiving schedule since 1934.
In the same vein, the Cowboys' general manager in 1966, Tex Schramm, introduced the team's tradition of playing on Thanksgiving Day by signing up for the holiday game. Schramm aimed to increase the team's national exposure and recognized the opportunity Thanksgiving offered. The Cowboys have played on every Thanksgiving since 1966.
