Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Halftime Show 2023

By Ashish Chamlagain / 2 November 2023 02:15 AM

Detroit Lions Thanksgiving halftime show 2023 is slated on 23 November against the Packers. Jack Harlow will perform his hit songs on stage.

Thanksgiving in America is more than turkey, it's equally linked with family fun and football. For sports fans across the United States, it is as important as the traditional turkey dinner on that day.

Such football matches on special occasions also feature the halftime show which is to draw non-sports fan audiences and football viewerships across the country.

The tradition of inviting the artist to the show to perform their songs has contributed a lot to NFL Television viewership and attendance in the stadium. Many audiences come to attend the game just to watch their favorite artist performing on the stage.

The tradition of executing songs by artists in the show of the game during the national holiday began in 1997 in Dallas where Reba McEntire electrified the crowd in the game of the Cowboys against the Oilers.

Both the Cowboys and the Lions organize the show yearly calling in various popular and fans-favorite singers from all over the country and providing fans with a perfect gift of entertainment during the occasion.

Thanksgiving Halftime Show Performers

Jack Harlow is the Halftime show performer for the Lions' 84th annual Thanksgiving. The War and Treaty will perform the national anthem.

Since 1997 there have been several halftime show performances and a number of renowned artists have showed up on the stage electrifying the stadium environment in both the Lions and Cowboys games.

Jack Harlow

In the Lions vs. Raiders game on 30 October Monday Harlow was announced as the performer for the Lions' Turkey Day mid-game show.

Jack is a six-time Grammy Award-nominated rapper who has given many hit songs including "Industry Baby", "First Class" and "What's Poppin". His name in the industry is because of this album.

The 25-years old has released three studio albums among which "Jackman" his third release is considered among the most mature piece of album in his entire singing career till now.

Harlow was also awarded with Variety's "Hitmaker of Tomorrow" award in 2021. He has also won three MTV Video Music Awards which are: Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Collaboration.

The War And Treaty

They are a country music duo who are to perform the national anthem during the Lions vs. Packers game. The group was founded by Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, the husband and wife duo.

It was established in Albion. The duo had their major label debut album released this March which is titled "Lover's Game" and is receiving much praise from the critics.

The duo performs in a combination of soul, blues, country, and rock style. They have been active in the industry since the year of 2014.

The team gets some popular faces to enact the national anthem. For the 2006 season, the franchise finalized the 12-time Grammy Award receiver singer Taylor Swift.

Lions Thanksgiving Halftime Performers In The Past

2023 - Jack Harlow
2022 - Bebe Rexha
2021 - Big Sean
2018 - Mike Posner
2012 - Kid Rock
2011 - Nickleback
2007 - Goo Goo Dolls
2006 - John Fogerty
2005 - Mariah Carey
2002 - Bon Jovi

What Is Detroit Lions Record On Thanksgiving Day?

Detroit Lions Thanksgiving day record last 10 years is 4-6 (W-L) since 2013. Their last win was a 16-13 victory against the Vikings in 2016.

Among a total of 83 games T-Day games played since 1934, the Lions have secured their victory in 37 matches lost 44 hustles against various teams, and recorded 2 ties.

The franchise has not won any games played on Turkey Day in the last six years. This year, the hope of the Lions fans is much higher as their team is in full form this season.

In their last win over the Minnesota Vikings in 2016, the franchise was able, to sum up the total of 16 points where Matthew Stafford contributed for 232 yards, one touchdown, and 30 rushing yards.

The team's running back Theo Riddick played an excellent all-round game going for nine carries for 45 yards and five catches for 13 yards and had seven receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown along with WR Anquan Boldin.

Lions Score On Turkey Day Games Last 15 Years

Below is the list of the final scoreboard count of the teams on every T-Day game since 2008:

2008: 10-47 loss against Tennessee Titans
2009: 12-34 loss against Green Bay Packers
2010: 24-45 loss against New England Patriots
2011: 15-27 loss against Green Bay Packers
2012: 34-31 loss against Houston Texans
2013: 40-10 win against Green Bay Packers
2014: 34-17 win against Chicago Bears
2015: 45-14 win against Philadelphia Eagles
2016: 16-13 win against Minnesota Vikings
2017: 23-30 loss to Minnesota Vikings
2018: 16-23 loss to Chicago Bears
2019: 20-24 loss to Chicago Bears
2020: 25-41 loss to Houston Texans
2021: 14-16 loss to Chicago Bears
2022: 25-28 loss to Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day History

Lions have been playing the Turkey Day game every year since 1934. The only interruption was for 6 years during World War II from 1939 to 1944.

In 1934, G.A. Richardson had purchased the Portsmouth Spartans (Detroit Lions today) and scheduled a holiday matchup between the Lions and the Bears as a part of an advertising and marketing campaign that drew a lot of attendance.

The game was attended by 26,000 fans on 29 November 1934 where the defending back-to-back world champion, the Chicago Bears beat the Lions by 19-16 score.

It has already been eight decades since it all started and the franchise holds a record of 37-44-2 in the annual holiday classic they commenced.

The team was the primary host and practitioner of the T-Day games although it is not officially agreed or written anywhere they held the right since they began and continued the tradition for the longest period of time.

There are several other teams who have played in the Turkey Day games but only the Lions and the Cowboys have continued to host the tradition.

The Detroit-based franchise has also secured a network deal with NBC to broadcast the holiday games across their almost 100 stations in the country.

Dallas Cowboys entered the T-Day games in 1966 only as a result of the team's general manager Tex Schramm's hunger for more publicity in the country when they were barely known as America's team.

The holiday game enriched the franchise with immense publicity and popularity. Their first game in 1966 was attended by 80,259 fans. They have played every T-Day game since the time except for in 1975 and 1977 when it was given to St. Louis Cardinals.

Why Do The Detroit Lions Always Play On Thanksgiving?

Detroit Lions always play on Thanksgiving because they are the ones who started the tradition in 1934 decided by Richards to attract fans.

Since that time, it has been something the league owes to the Lions which has now become an important culture for sports fans across America and as necessary as the Turkey Day dinner.

Although it began as a marketing move by the owner of the franchise it has become an inseparable part of the national holiday in the United States.

It was from the same time when stadium seats began holding out for holiday games in the National Football League. The team is appearing in their 84th T-Day game this November.

The third game on the same holiday was added from the 2006 season to be played on primetime and there are no fixed teams that are to appear in the game. It is decided by the League.

NFL Thanksgiving Games TV Schedule 2023

The first NFL Turkey Day match is scheduled to take place on 23 November at 12:30 PM ET on FOX. The Lions will host the Packers.

There are a total of three matchups to be played on that day which will air on three different channels across the United States. Below is the full list of the TV schedule of the matches on Turkey Day:

23 November 2023 Thursday

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions at 12:30 PM ET on FOX
Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 PM ET on CBS
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks at 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Although the matches are decided to be played on Thursday they are not the part of regular Thursday Night Football schedule but are linked with the regular week 12 routine of the matches.

How To Watch?

The fans will be able to witness the annual triple-header games through three different networks all over the country. If you are planning to watch it online without cable then go for streaming services that carry Fox, CBS, and NBC such as Fubo TV or YouTube TV.

Other streaming options that consist of the above three channels can be subscribed. Fans can also watch it for free if they have an over-the-air antenna connected to their televisions that catches local channels.

If you missed the actions by any chance then there is an option of NFL+ where you need to be a premium subscriber to watch already-aired matches online.