Thanksgiving is almost here, and just like the parade, the food coma, and the annual family political debate, there’s one tradition everyone actually looks forward to: football. This year’s NFL Thanksgiving triple-header sticks to the script: The Detroit Lions kick things off against the Green Bay Packers , the Dallas Cowboys host the Kansas City Chiefs in the late afternoon slot, and the night wraps up with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Cincinnati Bengals .
But it wasn’t always this way. For most of NFL history, there was no Thanksgiving night game at all. It was just the Lions and Cowboys holding down the holiday while everyone else passed the gravy. These two teams have been woven into the day for decades. But what if we tell you that back in the 70s, the

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