These 10 NJ-born NFL players are suiting up this Thanksgiving Day

One of the biggest traditions in sports is around the corner: Thanksgiving Day NFL action.

American football and Thanksgiving Day have had a close relationship dating back to the 1800s. In fact, it was in 1876 that Yale and Princeton began an annual Turkey Day matchup.

In the NFL, the Detroit Lions have played every Thanksgiving Day since 1934. That year they lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 19-16.

Since then, the Detroit Lions have a 37-42-2 Thanksgiving Day record. Not great.

In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys adopted the practice of hosting Thanksgiving games. Their all-time Turkey Day record is 31-21-1.

The NFL added a third game to the docket in 2006, taking place in primetime. The teams that play in the night game change every year.

Sadly there are no local teams playing on Thanksgiving this year. You'll have to wait until Sunday, Nov. 28, to watch the Jets or the long-awaited matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

Here is the schedule of games you can expect to be watching as you consume an impressive amount of food and kick back a few drinks with your family:

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions: 12:30 pm on FOX
Las Vegas Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys: 4:30 pm on CBS
Buffalo Bills @ New Orleans Saints: 8:20 pm on NBC

While you're watching, keep a look out for these ten Jersey NFL players who will be on the field.

Who wouldn't want to see a Garden State touchdown with the whole country watching?

Happy Thanksgiving, and may all of your three-game NFL parlays hit.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 producer, writer, and host Joe Votruba. Any opinions expressed are his own.

Questions, corrections, or comments? Send Joe Votruba an email. Follow Joe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.