Thankful for the Lions

The Lions on TV and Thanksgiving Day, it's a tradition that families across America have come to know across the years. As a football fan, I love watching all games, no matter the teams playing, and Thanksgiving day is no different for me. First, a little history into how the Lions started playing on Thanksgiving and why it's important. It all started in 1934 when then owner George Richards, who also owned a radio station affiliated with NBC Blue network, negotiated a contract to broadcast the teams games on Thanksgiving across 94 stations across the country. The Lions were playing second fiddle to the Detroit Tigers when it came to "sports notoriety" in that era so Richards chose to have his team play on Thanksgiving hoping to draw a bigger crowd to his team. Teams had played on Thanksgiving before, but because of his radio station he was able to get a day where the whole nation heard his football team, and only his team, it was a smash hit. The Lions not only sold out their stadium the first year that they played this game, they had to turn people away at the gate. It was a losing effort against the Chicago Bears, but it became a new team tradition.

The Lions currently hold a 37-40-2 record on Thanksgiving day games. Their two ties came in 1963 against the Green Bay Packers, and 1965 against the Baltimore Colts. Prior to today's game, they had lost to the Chicago Bears the last two seasons, and the Minnesota Vikings in 2017. Their most recent win, was in 2016 against a Sam Bradford led Vikings, it seems forever ago, but that's because 2020 has felt like 4 years in itself. With 5 minutes left in the game *starting from their own 2*, Stafford led the Lions on a 68 yard 10 play drive setting up a 48 yard game tying field goal with 1:45 left in the game. Bradford would then throw an interception to Darius Slay that he returned 13 yards to the Minnesota 20 yard line. Stafford took a knee and set up Matt Prater for the game winning field goal.

This year the Lions weren't up against a division rival for the first time in 5 years, having played and beaten down the Eagles 45-14 in 2015. The Texans came to Detroit, and made it their home. JJ Watt got his first touchdown since 2014, plucking a pass out of the air from Matthew Stafford and returning it to the end-zone, while Deshaun Watson threw for 4 touchdowns torching the Lions defense for 318 yards. The Texans even had a nice little "Turkey Bowl" play for the Lions, HB Duke Johnson took the handoff and started a stretch run to the right, he stopped and threw the ball back to Watson, who found Fuller all alone on the left side of the field for a touchdown. Stafford and the Lions had a trick play of their own, but while Stafford almost completed the "process of a catch" he wasn't able to control it on the ground and it resulted in an incompletion. The game resulted in a dominant 41-25 win for the Texans, and the Lions have now lost 4 in a row on Thanksgiving.

Some want to see the Lions Thanksgiving day game to be switched out with another team, I say let it stay. The Lions ARE the Thanksgiving day team, even people who aren't Lions fans tend to root for the Lions on Thanksgiving, unless their favorite team is playing them or they are a Packers fan. George A. Richardson's radio broadcast is a large reason that the NFL became a mainstay of Thanksgiving day traditions, so I believe the Lions Thanksgiving game should be around as long as the NFL is. Some of my favorite memories on Thanksgiving are watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving, and I would hate to see that tradition go away.

Signed,

Not A Lions FAN