Football on Thanksgiving is an undisputed American tradition and this year fans will once again be treated to a three-game spectacular.
However, it is another year that the Jacksonville Jaguars have been snubbed from a prime-time holiday game. They remain the only NFL team to have never played on turkey day.
The Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions always play on the holiday and this year they will play the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, respectively, at home.
Thursday night’s blockbuster slate then concludes with the Green Bay Packers hosting the Miami Dolphins.
In a bid to explain why the Jaguars are always snubbed for a big holiday game, the team’s Chief Operating Officer Chad Johnson said last year: ‘These Thanksgiving Day matchups are made by the NFL, whose scheduling model has a cyclical component to it.
‘And because of this, our opportunities to play the Lions and Cowboys are to some degree limited, as both teams reside in the National Football Conference.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team in the NFL to have not played on Thanksgiving
Lions quarterback Jared Goff consoles Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence after their recent game
‘We are always interested in showcasing our team and our town on a national stage and plan to continue working with the league on various prime-time scheduling opportunities in the coming years.’
The Jaguars have existed for almost 30 seasons but they operate in one of the league’s smallest markets and continue to struggle for success.
They operate in the fourth-smallest city in the NFL – beating only New Orleans, Buffalo and Green Bay – and have only made the playoffs just four times in the last 24 seasons.
The NFL has therefore chosen to take their Thanksgiving games elsewhere.
The league has played games on Thanksgiving ever since the league was organized in 1920 in a bid to boost its popularity and attract more fans.
The Lions first started hosting a Thanksgiving game every year in 1934 and the Cowboys joined them in becoming a holiday staple in 1966.
