Lions defenders tackle Bills quarterback Josh Allen Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bills-Lions sets Thanksgiving Day ratings record

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/27/22

The Detroit Lions may have a below-.500 record on Thanksgiving Day, but that doesn’t stop them from drawing a crowd.

Thursday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field may have ended in a 28-25 loss, but the 31.6 million viewers that tuned in helped set a couple of ratings records.

NFL ON CBS Scores with the Most-Watched Early Thanksgiving Day Game on Record as Bills-Lions Delivers 31.627 Million Viewers

Full Release: https://t.co/oUXbIILRDV pic.twitter.com/50SCKbyTl1
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) November 25, 2022

“CBS Sports’ presentation of the Bills’ victory over the Lions delivered the most-watched early Thanksgiving Day game on any network on record (since 1988),” Paramount+ said in a release. “The game averaged 31.627 million viewers, up +12% from last year’s comparable game window, and is CBS’ most-watched game of the season.”

The game peaked at 41.98 million viewers.

The Lions have a 37-44-2 record in Thanksgiving games. Their last Turkey Day win was a 16-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 2016.

Detroit hosted its first Thanksgiving Day game in 1934 in a 19-16 loss to the Chicago Bears. Then-team owner George A. Richards struck a deal with NBC to broadcast a national Thanksgiving game on its radio network affiliates.

The Lions have hosted Thanksgiving games ever since — minus a six-year hiatus from 1939-1944 — with a run of 77 consecutive seasons dating back to 1945. They hosted their first nationally televised holiday game in 1953 —a 34-15 defeat of the Green Bay Packers.

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