My Lions T-Day Games in History

The Den
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Lions football has been a Thanksgiving Day tradition ever since 1934. The Lions lost the first-ever Thanksgiving game to the Chicago Bears and played them 5 times in a row from 1934 -1938.

The Lions have an all-time 37-45-2 record on Thanksgiving Day games.

The Lions have been winless on Thanksgiving since 2016 and have yet to capture the holiday win under Dan Campbell.

To be honest my holiday will be ruined if they lose again. I’ll be pissed…… Each year I go to this game forcing my family to celebrate Tday on Friday. This year I’m not going to go. My family is getting together instead. Hopefully the results will change.

This is the 20th time the Lions and Bears have played on Thanksgiving. Chicago has an 11-8 record against us… (Dan I am sick of losing on Thanksgiving damn it!) The Bears have a three-game winning streak 2018, 2019, 2021. Detroit’s last win over Chicago was in 2014.

My first T-day game came in 1982 vs the NYG. The game was tied 6-6 before Lawrence Taylor picked off Danielson for a 97 yard pick 6. I’ll never forget that ride home.

I’ve been to almost every Thanksgiving game since 1993. Here are some of the more memorable ones.

I was there in 1995 when Mitchell set a Lions record with 410 passing yards, three WRs finished with 100+ yards. Brett Perriman’s 153, Johnnie Morton’s 102 and Herman Moore’s 127.

I was there in 1997. Barry’s 2000 yards season and how on T-day he dominated the Bears for 167 yards and 3 TDs. I remember how amazed I was with Barry.

I was there in 1998 when Bettis tried to fool the refs with his Heads-Tails coin flip trick in OT. (I recall it being played on the jumbo tron and later debating it here in the Den) A couple big runs by Barry and Jason Hanson kicked the game winner. Probably the biggest controversy in Tday history and it forced the NFL to change its rules.

I was there in 2011 when Suh was ejected vs GB for stomping and the Lions losing that game. I remember thinking the refs were against us all year.

I was there in 2012 when Jim Schwartz threw the red flag on an 81 yard run by Justin Forsett. That should have been ruled down but the flag made it so the refs could not review the play. I’ll never understand that one. We lost in OT.

I was there in 2013 when we spanked the Packers 40-10.

I was there in 2014 when we spanked the Bears 34-17.

I was there in 2015 when we stomped the Eagles 45-14.

Then again in 2016 when we beat the Vikings 16-13 to sweep the Vikings that year. I recall the game was tied and Slay picked off Bradford with 38 seconds on the clock. The Lions burn the clock out and Prater kicked the game winning FG.

After winning 4 in a row (should have been 5) I remember thinking that the Lions were tough to beat on Thanksgiving. We have not won a game since and I’ve been to everyone of those heart breaking losses.

I remember in 2019 and in 2020 I tried to give-a-way three of my four seats. I offered them for free on the board. No one wanted them. Not even for free. I went to those games alone. Embarrassed and frustrated to see a stadium almost half empty.

Here we are 2024 and Lions tickets are going for nearly double the face value. It’s nearly impossible to get tickets for this game. I must have had at least 20 people ask me for t-day tickets. So I’m not going this year. I’m spending it at home with my family.

@Dan Campbell and the Lions Players…

I beg you…. Beat the friggen Bears. Beat them worse than we did in 2014. Make a statement that these Lions are different. Your on National TV……Show the world what you stand for. Bite their kneecaps, claw, scrape and punish the Bears. Detroit and its fans deserve it. Make us proud!

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I remember ALL those games. I personally got called a cheater by my uncle for the Steelers coin toss debacle. He is a huge Steelers fan. I am hoping for a win this year but with all our injuries on defense I just don’t see it happening. The bears always play us tough I see an L coming Thursday. Seriously hope I’m wrong.

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Also will never forget that day, my daughter was born that day, very early in the morning. After being up all might, I came home from the hospital to an empty house arpund noon. After conking out on the couch during the pre-game show, I watched the second half of the game. My parents drove two hours to bring me a turkey dinner that night. Lawrence Taylor put a damper on one of the happiest days of my life.

How far have we come in four years. Some day, there will be a statue of MCDC.

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I remember that Steelers coin toss game. It’s been a while, but I swore I heard him call “heads-tails”. My Steeler friends think otherwise :person_shrugging:t2:

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That’s funny. Bettis knew exactly what he was doing by calling Heads-Tails. There was a lot of debate and controversy surrounding that call because the TV only heard him say heads.

The rule at the time was whatever you said first. So the ref ruled he called it heads.

But someone after the fact cleaned up the audio and you could hear him say Heads - Tails. Then there was audio recording on the sideline of Bettis telling Cowher that he said Heads-Tails.

The ref made the right call but Bettis and the Steelers called fowl creating a big controversy.

Every PIT fan I knew claimed they were robbed by a crooked ref.

I remember us talking about it in the den back then too. It was heavily debated.

The NFL changed their rules after that forcing teams to choose and the ref to announce it before the coin is flipped.

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found the clip, I really don’t hear it this time. Maybe too many rock concerts? I swore I heard it at the time tho

Phil Luckett Botches Jerome Bettis OT Coin Toss (1998) | NFL On Thanksgiving

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Here’s a link that tells the whole story and reminds us that Bettis antics ruined a ref’s reputation.

It also has the enhanced video showing he did say heads tails.

https://x.com/sbnation/status/933404053492596736/mediaviewer

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You do know Air that if the Lions win on Thursday you are banned from Thanksgiving day games for as long as MCDC is the head coach. Just not worth the risk.
:grin:

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Yeah I thought of that. I’ll gladly miss them if need be…lol

But I was there for the 4 game win streak too. So…I got that going for me.

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Nooooooooooooo!!!

Star Wars No GIF

The one time I actually go to Ford Field…nobody else is going to be there. :sob: :sob: :sob:

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the Twitter link didn’t work for me. I got a message saying the page doesn’t exist. I would love to see the story though

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Weird it’s a playable link on my screen. Anyone else having that issue?

@Nate may have some insight here.

It’s a post by SB nation if that helps.

Let me see if I can find another link to it and if I do I’ll message it to you.

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Thanksgiving always seemed like a game best watched at home to me. Same with Christmas games, I’m eating and drinking like a King, not getting stuck in traffic, especially without turkey. :smile: Enjoy the time with your family Air.

Also Lions by 40!

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You know, if the league is serious about the injury problems in the league, then every time a team has a thursday game they have their bye the week before, ie that sunday previous since thursday games are always the beginning of the week. The only time they don’t get a bye is if they play 2 thursdays in a row you wouldn’t get one the next week, like we do after chicago.

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I agree but the league is only serious about $$$, the player safety angle is a bunch of bologny to try to avoid getting sued again. It’ll be 18 games soon enough. There is a Thursday game every week now. Plus all the international games. $$$

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If you’re viewing from work, social media (and their corresponding feeds) might be blocked. It’s working for me.

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Thank you for the memories. I remember all the
bad and good games since 1970. When the Lions
beat the Raiders that year pissing off AL Davis trying
to showcase his team. I was 10 years old.

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This game is the one that I want the most, and with our injury situation, it also scares me. I really like our offensive matchup vs Bears defense. Bears are giving up a lot of rushing yards, and their pass defense can be had. They sold out to stop Jefferson which worked, but then they got killed by Addison. In OT, they gave up the one play to Jefferson and that was enough.

Our defensive injuries are what is scaring me. I am hopeful that Davis’s knee checks out fine, and he and Arnold are back. If Davis can’t go, then I am hopeful that Mosely can play outside with Arnold, and that Arnold’s groin is fine after rest. I do NOT want to see Vildor again, and I especially do not want to see Vildor/Dorsey again. Last year wasn’t that long ago, we don’t need to revisit it!

I do think we will shut down the run and force Caleb to pass. Especially if we score on their defense. However, we cannot let off the gas like Minnesota was stupid enough to do. That’s the second game they let off the gas and it almost cost them, they let GB off the mat as well. I don’t think Caleb is a great passer, but he can hit some deeper shots and he can scramble. If I am Aaron Glenn, I am getting Houston out there and telling him to spy Caleb, just like he used to do against Fields, and like he did against Stroud that game. You see Caleb step up, you run him down. I was hopeful Houston was getting things back after the Texans game but he vanished again. I do think he is a good chess piece against scrambling QB’s though, that’s where he will shine for us.

I like Detroit’s chances, but last year I LOVED our chances against a beaten up GB team. Then Jordan Love hits a deep shot on the first pass, and immediately the Lions are on their heels, fall behind and got clobbered. Chicago is a mentally frail team led by a mentally frail QB, and if we get on them early, they will get frustrated and break. You cannot let Chicago hang around and give them hope. I am rooting for Lions by 20, but I just have the feeling this game gets uncomfortably close.

EDIT: I literally posted this, and just saw the headline that James Houston was released. Well shit my pants… (too soon?) I will keep it here for irony’s sake.

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Yeah - I wonder who their clearing the spot for?

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Rudy Ruettiger. :smiley: Best sack per play rate ever