Utah, Know the One NFL Team That Hasn’t Played on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving and NFL football, a combination as good as soggy bread shoved up a turkey.
Thanksgiving is so much more than family, food, naps, and weird political arguments, it’s also the day where you can get professional football on a Thursday.
Sure, that happens most every week of the NFL season, but on Thanksgiving it has a different “feel” despite being the same boring match ups that one is accustomed to seeing on TNF.
Instead of only one game that night, you get three games, in multiple time frames because the NFL knows there’s no chance of you going outside.
This year features three contests starting at 10:30 Utah time with winners of 9 straight, the Detroit Lions (10-1), hosting the slumping losers of 5 straight, the Chicago Bears (4-7) in an NFC North showdown.
Then at 2:30, be sure not to miss the battle of the backups as Drew Locke’s lowly New York Giants (2-9) head to the lone star state to take on Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys (4-7) for an NFC East slugfest.
Fix up your 5th plate of the day and hunker down to watch the Miami Dolphins (5-6) look out of place on the Frozen Tundra known as Lambeau field as they battle the Green Bay Packers (8-3) at 6:20.
That last one might be worth watching actually…. Maybe.
Mediocre football aside, playing on Thanksgiving is something that has gone on since 1934, when the Lions began the tradition of playing at home on Turkey day, a pattern that stands to this day.
Next to Detroit, the Dallas Cowboys joined the fray in 1966, making it two teams to host a game on the November holiday.
Recognizing that Thanksgiving results in big time viewership due to food induced coma’s and a general lack of effort to do anything outside of eating and sleeping, the NFL added a third game, not specific to any particular team in 2006, creating the Thanksgiving trio we know today.
That’s years and years of history for not only the Lions and Cowboys but for their opponent’s to get a prime time holiday spotlight.
For example, both the Packers and Bears will making their 38th Thanksgiving appearance tomorrow.
The Giants are showing up for the 17th time when they play Dallas.
Squads like the Washington Commanders (13 games) and the Arizona Cardinals (23 games) have had their time in the Pecan Pie shaped sun as well.
Now, you may be thinking, this seems like a holiday very much in favor of NFC teams, and you wouldn't be wrong.
The AFC teams get on now and then (see the Miami Dolphins playing tomorrow), but it isn't necessarily in their favor.
The AFC’s only team’s with double digit appearances are the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos at 11 games apiece.
28 of the 32 NFL teams have played at lest 2 games on Thanksgiving.
31 of 32 NFL teams have at least one Thanksgiving moment in franchise history.
The one hit wonders so far are the Carolina Panthers (1-0), Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1).
Thus the math leaves one team and one team only that has never had to worry about playing on a holiday.
That team is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One could say that the Jaguars, the third newest franchise in the NFL, haven't been around long enough to be a part of such a historic milestone.
That is until you realize they have existed since 1995 and are nearly 30 years old.
Other “new” teams have had at least one chance by now, except Jacksonville.
The Carolina Panthers, also established in 1995, have played once in 2015.
The Baltimore Ravens (1996) have got two cracks at it, once in 2011 and again in 2013.
The youngest team in the NFL, the Houston Texans (2002) who share a division with Jacksonville, have even got a go, not once but twice, in 2012 and 2019.
So what gives? Why is Jacksonville ignored and abandoned? (except for when it comes to finding a team to go play in London)
The simple and likely yet unofficial answer is……
The Jaguars are typically not very good at football.
Sitting at 2 wins and 9 losses this season, losers of 4 straight, Jacksonville isn’t necessarily a hot team in terms of bolstering viewership.
In fact, from 2011 to 2023 Jacksonville wasn't awarded a single Monday Night Football game in practically 12 years time, demonstrating how rare prime time match ups are for the Jaguars.
In 30 seasons, the Jaguars have finished with a winning record 10 times.
2 of those seasons, they still missed the playoffs, making for 8 total playoff appearances, and two AFC championship showings (both losses).
Jacksonville has had moments, some of them have even been really special, but as the history demonstrates they aren’t the sexiest option the NFL can roll out, especially on a day where they know everyone is watching.
So, lacking the history, brand and image of other squads, Jacksonville continues to wait on the sideline when it comes to the Turkey day festivities.
One would have to expect their day to arrive at some point, but as the organization currently stands, I wouldn't hold my breath.
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