Thanksgiving football is one of the league’s longest-standing traditions — a national stage where routine, pressure, and identity converge. Some teams consistently rise in the holiday spotlight. Others fade.
To see which franchises truly perform on Thanksgiving, Action Network analyzed every Thanksgiving Day game from 1934–2024. The review includes win-loss records, point margins, blowout wins, streaks, and long-term consistency across nine decades.
This ranking reflects what teams have actually done on Thanksgiving – not perception, not memory, and not mythology. If you are planning to bet the Thanksgiving slate this year, you can compare operators and offers in our best sportsbooks guide before placing a wager.
Key findings
- Detroit ranks No. 1 all time, with 84 appearances, nine blowout wins, and the strongest long-run identity on the holiday.
- Dallas ranks No. 2 and leads the NFL in Thanksgiving blowouts, with 11 wins by 17+ points and a +228 point margin.
- Philadelphia (6–1), Minnesota (7–2), and Buffalo (6–4–1) significantly outperform expectations despite relatively small sample sizes.
- Philadelphia owns the best Thanksgiving win percentage (86%) among teams with at least five games played.
- The bottom tier is driven by limited appearances and lopsided results rather than long-term franchise quality.
Top 10 Thanksgiving teams of all time
Each entry includes a quick data snapshot followed by a short explanation.
1. Detroit Lions
Key stats: 84 games | 38–44–2 | –20 point margin | 9 blowouts | longest win streak: 9
Detroit doesn’t just appear every year – they define the holiday. With 84 games played since 1935, the Lions have more Thanksgiving wins than any team. Their total point margin across nine decades sits at just minus 20, and their long-run consistency makes them the most influential Thanksgiving franchise.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Key stats: 57 games | 34–22–1 | +228 point margin | 11 blowouts | longest win streak: 6
Dallas turns Thanksgiving into a showcase. Their 11 blowout victories and +228 point margin are the highest in NFL Thanksgiving history. Across eras and quarterbacks, the Cowboys have consistently delivered decisive performances on one of the league’s biggest stages.
3. Green Bay Packers
Key stats: 30 games | 13–16–1 | –50 point margin | 3 blowouts | last 10 games: 6–4
Green Bay is the most efficient non-host franchise. They appear inconsistently, but perform reliably when they do, with six wins in their last ten Thanksgiving games and stable scoring across eras.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Key stats: 7 games | 6–1 | +69 point margin | 3 blowouts | longest win streak: 6
Philadelphia owns the best Thanksgiving win rate in the league among teams with at least five games played. Their 86 percent winning percentage and +69 point margin in only seven appearances show that, when they play on the holiday, they tend to control the game.
5. Chicago Bears
Key stats: 26 games | 14–12 | +19 point margin | 3 blowouts
Chicago has been part of Thanksgiving history since 1930. Their long-term profile is defined by competitive balance, a positive scoring margin, and solid results across multiple eras.
6. Buffalo Bills
Key stats: 11 games | 6–4–1 | +44 point margin | 3 blowouts | last 10 games: 6–3
Buffalo is one of the holiday’s biggest overperformers. A +44 point margin on eleven games and strong recent form reflect a franchise that plays high-quality, high-energy football in nationally visible settings.
7. Miami Dolphins
Key stats: 8 games | 5–3 | +52 point margin | largest win: +41
Miami delivers structured, low-volatility performances on Thanksgiving. Their +52 point margin is excellent relative to their sample size, and their wins tend to be controlled and decisive.
8. Indianapolis Colts
Key stats: 4 games | 2–1–1 | +29 point margin | 2 blowouts | largest win: +32
The Colts show one of the most forceful profiles on a small scale. Both of their Thanksgiving wins were blowouts, including a +32 victory in 1965 – one of the holiday’s most lopsided games.
9. Minnesota Vikings
Key stats: 9 games | 7–2 | +83 point margin | 2 blowouts
Minnesota combines efficiency with dominance. A 78 percent win rate, +83 point margin, and seven wins in nine appearances make them one of the strongest pound-for-pound performers in holiday history.
10. San Francisco 49ers
Key stats: 7 games | 4–2–1 | +54 point margin | 3 blowouts | largest win: +27
San Francisco brings balanced, high-quality football to Thanksgiving. Their +54 point margin and strong blowout rate show a team that executes well when placed on a national holiday stage.
Bottom five teams
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key stats: Rank 31 | Thanksgiving Success Score: 4.70
Tampa Bay sits at the bottom of the index. Their lone Thanksgiving appearance — a 28-point defeat — produced the lowest score of any franchise and the weakest point-differential profile in the dataset.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Key stats: Rank 30 | Thanksgiving Success Score: 7.34
Cincinnati has appeared only once on Thanksgiving, a double-digit loss that places them near the bottom. With no wins and minimal historical data, their holiday performance remains limited and underwhelming.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Key stats: Rank 29 | Thanksgiving Success Score: 13.87
Seattle’s limited Thanksgiving schedule features consistently negative scoring margins and no blowout wins. Their small but unfavorable sample keeps them firmly in the bottom tier.
4. Arizona Cardinals
Key stats: Rank 28 | Thanksgiving Success Score: 16.86
Despite a long Thanksgiving history under several franchise names, the Cardinals show one of the weakest performance profiles, with low win rates and poor point differential across decades.
5. New York Jets
Key stats: Rank 27 | Thanksgiving Success Score: 20.03
The Jets round out the bottom five. Sparse holiday appearances and an overall negative scoring profile keep them in the lower tier, though their results are stronger than the four teams below them.
Rank 32 is unused because only 31 franchises have played a Thanksgiving game in the dataset.
Expert insight
"Thanksgiving games highlight identity. The teams that succeed are not just talented – they are prepared for a predictable national spotlight."
"The data shows that rhythm matters. Franchises with consistent Thanksgiving history perform better across eras, even when their regular-season profiles fluctuate."
— Action Network Data & Research Team
Methodology
Action Network analyzed every Thanksgiving NFL game from 1934-2024, identifying all holiday matchups using the fourth-Thursday rule across the full NFL calendar.
Each franchise’s record was evaluated using raw historical data from game logs, including win percentage, point differential, blowout wins (17+ points), streaks, last-ten results, and long-term consistency.
These variables were combined into a weighted index emphasizing win rate, scoring dominance, blowout ability, and stability to produce the Thanksgiving All-Time Winners ranking.
Sources
NFL historical game logs (1930–2024)
Pro-Football-Reference archives
Action Network internal database (34,500+ games analyzed)
You can view the full Thanksgiving dataset here:Full Thanksgiving Data Spreadsheet
