Does the Buffalo Bills play on Thanksgiving Day in 2022?

The Buffalo Bills for the second straight season and third time in four years are set to play on Thanksgiving Day. This year they will be playing the first game of the day when they travel to Detroit to face the Lions.

Last year, the Bills played the New Orleans Saints in primetime on Thanksgiving night in a game that really wasn’t competitive as they would build a 24-point lead over the first three quarters and go on to win 31-6.

In 2019, the Buffalo Bills traveled to Dallas to play the Cowboys and it was the first time they played on Thanksgiving since 1994. The Bills would win that game against the Cowboys by the final score of 26-15.

It was also the first real glimpse into the superstar that Josh Allen would become. He would finish that game completing 19 of 24 pass attempts for 231 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

The turning point in that game was in the first half when Allen would attempt a QB sneak on fourth down. It would appear that he was stopped but on a second effort would be able to pick up the first down.

Buffalo Bills will be looking for their first win against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving

While the Buffalo Bills won their last two games on Thanksgiving, the two games before that played on Thanksgiving were against the Detroit Lions. In both of those games, the Bills would be on the losing end with a 35-21 loss in 1994 and a 27-14 loss in 1976.

However, in the last three times the two teams have met, not on Thanksgiving, the Buffalo Bills have won each of those contests. The last game was in 2018 and the Bills would win 14-13 and took the lead in the fourth quarter on a Josh Allen touchdown pass to Robert Foster.

While the Lions should be improved this season with players like Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams, the Buffalo Bills are considered a Super Bowl contender. If the Bills were to lose this game it would be considered a major upset.