The Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day home games have been a tradition dating back to 1934. Millions of fans were already tuning in in to see some lowly Lions teams over the years. Detroit has become an NFC power under coach Dan Campbell, and as a result, 2024's Lions Thanksgiving game—a dramatic 23–20 over the rival Chicago Bears—drew a record number of eyeballs.
The NFL announced a record average viewership of 34.2 million across its three Thanksgiving last week, with the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants and Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins following game in Detroit. The Lions and Bears averaged 37.5 million viewers, a record for the early Thanksgiving Day slot and an 11% bump from last year's Lions-Packers game.
