FRISCO, Texas — The Cowboys and Chiefs enter Thanksgiving riding the emotional lift of marquee Week 12 victories, setting the stage for a holiday matchup steeped in history and powered by two of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses.
Dallas has long owned Thanksgiving, hosting the game 56 times since 1966 and posting a 34-22-1 record in the classic. The Cowboys have claimed three straight wins on the holiday, and Dak Prescott continues to thrive in the spotlight. Prescott is 4-3 in seven Thanksgiving starts with a 103.6 passer rating — the highest by any Dallas quarterback on the holiday.
The last Thanksgiving meeting between these teams came in 1995, a 24-12 Cowboys win. Dallas has also taken three of the past five against Kansas City. This year’s matchup pits a Cowboys team that’s 3-1 at home against a Chiefs squad that’s struggled on the road at 1-4.
Dallas’ playmakers are rewriting franchise milestones. George Pickens is the second NFL receiver to hit 1,000 yards this season and just the fifth Cowboy — sixth instance — to reach that mark within the first 11 games. Javonte Williams enters the holiday with 896 rushing yards, needing only eight to surpass his career-high set as a rookie in Denver. CeeDee Lamb is on milestone watch as well, needing just 29 receiving yards Thursday to reach 7,000 for his career.
The Cowboys’ defense has undergone a quiet but significant shift. Since acquiring Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson at the bye — and with DeMarvion Overshown returning to the lineup — Dallas has allowed only 90 rushing yards on 30 carries over the last two weeks, the fourth-fewest yards per carry in the league during that stretch.
With Prescott and Patrick Mahomes set to share a national stage, Thursday’s matchup carries the feel of a heavyweight duel. And with Dallas’ offense rolling and its defense surging, the Cowboys may have the edge to deliver another Thanksgiving upset.
