ST. LOUIS – For decades, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have hosted Thanksgiving games every year as part of a long-standing NFL tradition.

Detroit has hosted a Thanksgiving showdown each year since 1934. Dallas has hosted one every year since 1966, with two exceptions: 1975 and 1977.

On both of those occasions, the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals earned the chance for national spotlight. The Washington Post recently tackled the switch-up in a feature story, including how St. Louis ended up with two Thanksgiving games and some unfortunate twists that followed.

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For St. Louis, the city’s run at hosting Thanksgiving home games was short-lived. It didn’t help that the Cardinals were routed in their only two Thanksgiving games at Busch Memorial Stadium, losing 32-14 to the Buffalo Bills in 1975 and 55-14 to the Miami Dolphins in 1977.

How did the football Cardinals and Thanksgiving cross paths? The team was becoming increasingly popular under head coach Don Coryell and the “Big Red” identity in the 1970s. Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle took notice, extending an invitation to host Thanksgiving Day showdowns in 1975 and 1977.

Sandwiched between both seasons, the Cardinals also agreed to a Thanksgiving road game against the Dallas Cowboys in 1976. It was a little more respectable than two crushing losses, but St. Louis fell 19-14 to their division rival in the second of three consecutive holiday losses.

After three consecutive blunders, including two on home grounds, Rozelle reportedly asked Dallas if they wanted to host another Thanksgiving game. Owners agreed under one key condition. That being, Thanksgiving games in Dallas were here to stay.

The Washington Post cited a Chicago Times excerpt from 1988 on the matter. A quote from then-Cowboys owner Tex Schramm reads: ““It was a dud in St. Louis. … Pete [Rozelle] asked if we’d take it back [after 1977]. I said only if we get it permanently. It’s something you have to build as a tradition. He said, ‘It’s yours forever.’”

While in St. Louis, the Cardinals played two more Thanksgiving games as the road opponent in the 1980s, also winless in both contests. The franchise relocated to Arizona after the 1987 season.

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Each Thanksgiving loss for the football Cardinals in the 1970s proved more crushing than the last…

In 1975, it was their last loss leading up to a first-round playoff exit.

In 1976, it was their last loss of the season. St. Louis won two more games, but missed the playoffs with a 10-4 record. Instead, the Cowboys clinched a spot with an 11-3 record with the head-to-head win over the Cardinals proving pivotal in seeding.

In 1977, the Cardinals carried a 7-3 record into the game and seemed to be a potential playoff cusper once again. The Thanksgiving loss was the first of four straight to close out the season and the first of 12 straight defeats that spanned over two seasons. Coryell also left the Cardinals after the season ended.

“Had the team won that game [in 1977], the Cardinals would have had an 8-3 record with three games left and probably would have made the playoffs. And a victory might have convinced Rozelle to stick with St. Louis as a Thanksgiving showcase city,” said the Washington Post.

After the Cardinals departed, St. Louis earned another chance with the NFL and was home to the NFL Rams from 1995 to 2016, which included the Super Bowl XXXIV title before the franchise moved back to Los Angeles.

The NFL has added a third Thanksgiving game to its schedule each year since 2006 with rotating opponents.

This year’s Thanksgiving slate includes the following games on the following channels”

• Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions – 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff (FOX 2 or local FOX affiliate)

• Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys – 3:30 p.m. CT (CBS or Paramount+)

• San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks – 7:20 p.m. CT (NBC or Peacock)

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.