TL;DR
- The Kansas City Chiefs, originally the Dallas Texans, have played 10 Thanksgiving Day games with a 5-5 record.
- The NFL has played Thanksgiving games since 1920, with the Lions and Cowboys consistently featured.
- The Chiefs' Thanksgiving appearances are infrequent due to scheduling with NFC teams and the addition of a third game.
- The Chiefs' most recent Thanksgiving game was November 23, 2023, with a future game scheduled for November 27, 2025.
Established in August 1959, the Kansas City Chiefs organization functioned for its initial three years as the Dallas Texans, relocating to Kansas City in 1962.
Since 1920, the NFL has held at least one football game on Thanksgiving, with the exception of 1941-1944 during World War II. It was decided in 1934 that the Detroit Lions would consistently feature a home game on Thanksgiving. The Dallas Cowboys subsequently adopted this tradition, playing a home game on Thanksgiving every year since 1966. In 2006, the NFL introduced a third annual Thanksgiving game, scheduled for the evening.
Although the Chiefs first took to the football field in 1960, the organization has participated in Thanksgiving Day games a mere 10 times. Further details regarding the Chiefs' Thanksgiving Day performances are provided below.
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Chiefs' Thanksgiving Day record
The Chiefs have participated in 10 Thanksgiving Day contests, holding a record of 5 wins and 5 losses. Prior to 1962, the Kansas City franchise was recognized as the Dallas Texans, and in that prior guise, the team had a 0-1 record on Thanksgiving.
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The Chiefs have appeared on Thanksgiving a total of __PLH_1 times.
Since their relocation to Kansas City in 1962, the Chiefs have participated in 10 Thanksgiving Day contests, holding a record of 5 wins and 5 losses.
It's unlikely Kansas City will be showcased on Thanksgiving, and attempting to calculate the precise odds is quite complex. The NFL introduced a third Thanksgiving Day game in 2006. The Cowboys and Lions, who have consistently played on Thanksgiving since 1966 (Dallas) and 1934 (Detroit), are always guaranteed two of the three home game slots.
As both the Cowboys and Lions belong to the NFC, the Chiefs will face them on the field every four years. By this calculation, Kansas City would have an away game in Dallas or Detroit once every eight years. The schedulers then must ensure this matchup occurs on Thanksgiving Day. This explains why, despite being one of the NFL's long-standing franchises, the Chiefs have only appeared on Thanksgiving nine times since relocating to Kansas City.
Having a third game not tied to conference play would offer the Chiefs an additional possibility, yet even with The Thanksgiving schedule growing to include three teams in 2006, Kansas City has not been selected for that particular contest since its first year.
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The Chiefs' most recent Thanksgiving Day game was on November 23, 2023.
Kansas City's previous Thanksgiving game was in 2025 versus the Cowboys; before that, it occurred in 2006. This is significant as it marked the league's decision to host three games on Thanksgiving Day, deviating from the usual two contests involving the Cowboys and the Lions.
The third game in 2006 wasn't team locked. The Chiefs played the Denver Broncos and won 19-10.
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Chiefs Thanksgiving history
| Date | Matchup/Result | Chiefs Thanksgiving Record |
| Nov. 24, 1960 | Titans def. Texans 41-35 (AFL) | 0-1 |
| Nov. 23, 1967 | Raiders def. Chiefs 44-22 (AFL) | 0-2 |
| Nov. 28, 1968 | Chiefs def. Oilers 24-10 (AFL) | 1-2 |
| Nov. 27, 1969 | Chiefs def. Broncos 31-17 (AFL) | 2-2 |
| Nov. 25, 1971 | Lions def. Chiefs 32- 21 | 2-3 |
| Nov. 26, 1981 | Lions def. Chiefs 27-10 | 2-4 |
| Nov. 26, 1987 | Chiefs def. Lions 27-20 | 3-4 |
| Nov. 23, 1995 | Cowboys def. Chiefs 24-12 | 3-5 |
| Nov. 28, 1996 | Chiefs def. Lions 28-24 | 4-5 |
| Nov. 23, 2006 | Chiefs def. Broncos 19-10 | 5-5 |
| Nov. 27, 2025 | Chiefs vs. Cowboys | 5-6 |
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