It makes plenty of sense that “America’s Team” plays every year on American Thanksgiving, but it wasn’t always that way.

The Dallas Cowboys’ tradition of playing an annual game on Thanksgiving came after the Detroit Lions had laid claim to the holiday game. Detroit hosted its first Turkey Day game in 1934, and more than 30 years later, Dallas played its first Thanksgiving game on Nov. 24, 1966.

Unlike their fellow annual hosts, the Cowboys have had plenty of success playing on Thanksgiving. Dallas has won more games than it has lost on the fourth Thursday of November and is riding a three-game win streak into the Nov. 27 clash with the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

According to the Dallas Morning News, former Cowboys team president Tex Schramm offered Dallas up to the NFL as a second site for an annual Thanksgiving game in 1966. Ever since then – with the exception of 1975 and 1977, when the St. Louis Cardinals hosted a Thanksgiving game instead – the Cowboys have played a game on Thanksgiving.

Each year, the Cowboys’ game is the second to kick off on Turkey Day after the Lions’ game concludes. It immediately precedes the third Thanksgiving prime-time game the NFL added in 2006.

Dallas’ meeting with the Chiefs on Thanksgiving this year will be the team’s 58th game on the national holiday.

The Cowboys are 34-22-1 all-time on Thanksgiving. That’s the 12th-best record of any team on Turkey Day and the best of any team to have played at least 10 times on Thanksgiving.

Dallas’ .605 winning percentage on Thanksgiving is also better than its overall win percentage as a franchise: .573.

• 1966: vs. Cleveland Browns W, 26-14

• 1967: vs. St. Louis Cardinals W, 46-21

• 1968: vs. Washington W, 29-20

• 1969: vs. San Francisco 49ers T, 24-24

• 1970: vs. Green Bay Packers W, 16-3

• 1971: vs. Los Angeles Rams W, 28-21

• 1972: vs. San Francisco 49ers L, 31-10

• 1973: vs. Miami Dolphins L, 14-7

• 1974: vs. Washington W, 24-23

• 1976: vs. St. Louis Cardinals W, 19-14

• 1978: vs. Washington W, 37-10

• 1979: vs. Houston Oilers L, 30-24

• 1980: vs. Seattle Seahawks W, 51-7

• 1981: vs. Chicago Bears W, 10-9

• 1982: vs. Cleveland Browns W, 31-14

• 1983: vs. St. Louis Cardinals W, 35-17

• 1984: vs. New England Patriots W, 20-17

• 1985: vs. St. Louis Cardinals W, 35-17

• 1986: vs. Seattle Seahawks W, 31-14

• 1987: vs. Minnesota Vikings L, 44-38 (OT)

• 1988: vs. Houston Oilers L, 25-17

• 1989: vs. Philadelphia Eagles L, 27-0

• 1990: vs. Washington W, 27-17

• 1991: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W, 20-10

• 1992: vs. New York Giants W, 30-3

• 1993: vs. Miami Dolphins L, 16-14

• 1994: vs. Green Bay Packers W, 42-31

• 1995: vs. Kansas City Chiefs W, 24-12

• 1996: vs. Washington W, 21-10

• 1997: vs. Tennessee Titans L, 27-14

• 1998: vs. Minnesota Vikings L, 46-36

• 1999: vs. Miami Dolphins W, 20-0

• 2000: vs. Minnesota Vikings L, 27-15

• 2001: vs. Denver Broncos L, 26-24

• 2002: vs. Washington W, 27-20

• 2003: vs. Miami Dolphins L, 40-21

• 2004: vs. Chicago Bears W, 21-7

• 2005: vs. Denver Broncos L, 24-21 (OT)

• 2006: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers W, 38-10

• 2007: vs. New York Jets W, 34-3

• 2008: vs. Seattle Seahawks W, 34-9

• 2009: vs. Oakland Raiders W, 24-7

• 2010: vs. New Orleans Saints L, 30-27

• 2011: vs. Miami Dolphins W, 20-19

• 2012: vs. Washington L, 38-31

• 2013: vs. Oakland Raiders W, 31-24

• 2014: vs. Philadelphia Eagles L, 33-10

• 2015: vs. Carolina Panthers L, 33-14

• 2016: vs. Washington W, 31-26

• 2017: vs. Los Angeles Chargers L, 28-6

• 2018: vs. Washington W, 31-23

• 2019: vs. Buffalo Bills L, 26-15

• 2020: vs. Washington Football Team L, 41-16

• 2021: vs. Las Vegas Raiders L, 36-33

• 2022: vs. New York Giants W, 28-20

• 2023: vs. Washington Commanders W, 45-10