NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Why has the NFL continued to ignore a Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game? I get that the Cowboys and Detroit Lions are a ritual but let’s be serious here, the Eagles and Cowboys would be a far better matchup for all parties involved.
It’s a true NFL rivalry. Two NFC East teams fighting for top honors in the division, and Conference, and two fan basses who can’t stand one another. This is must-see TV. Think back to their first meeting this season on Fox where the game drew 27.5 million viewers and this was in Week 9. Nothing was on the line and the game was in the same time slot as other NFL games that day.
Imagine what the ratings would be if they had a slot to themselves with family members gathered around eating, drinking, and best of all, trash-talking one of the oldest and best rivalries in all of sports. When the schedule is announced, fans will ask the question of what teams are playing on Thanksgiving. They want to know this.
The NFL wants to continue their tradition and while the Washington Commanders are in the same division as the Cowboys and Eagles, it’s still not on the level of a Dak Prescott vs Jalen Hurts showdown. Two of the best owners in sports in Jerry Jones and Jeff Lurie. And the fans, well, can you name two better fan bases to have going at each other than Eagles and Cowboys fans?
Thanksgiving Day games are not as huge as the Super Bowl and that’s because there are no real rivalries. The Green Bay Packers will face off against the Detroit Lions and that’s a small rivalry. Not like the old Packers and Bears showdown. The day cap game will be the Seattle Seahawks vs the San Francisco 49ers. While in the same division, no one outside of their fanbase really cares.
Why No Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys On Thanksgiving
To take it a step further, where are the Baltimore Ravens vs the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs? We’re talking about rivalry games that will hold some meaning in the standings. These are the go-to games the NFL should have during Thanksgiving. Who wants to see Jordan Love or Sam Howell? No disrespect to those guys but this is a day where everyone’s home.
There is no need for Red Zone. Each game has its own slot. The world will be watching and the NFL is not putting their best foot forward. Thanksgiving Day games should be flexed.
On average, each game has a draw of 33M+ in terms of viewership and that’s with out of contention teams. The Cowboys are still a huge draw. The Commanders are rebuilding their fanbase. The Lions are a great story this season. The 49ers have a following as do the Seahawks but you still can’t say that a draw between the Eagles and Cowboys will fall under any of these matchups. A game of this magnitude will break records.
