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Cowboys vs. Giants live updates: Score, highlights from Thanksgiving game

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Cowboys vs. Giants live updates: Score, highlights from Thanksgiving game

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For the second time in three years, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys face off on Thanksgiving. The NFC East foes match up in the second game of the holiday slate.

Dallas enters its traditional host game on Thanksgiving riding a high from a chaotic win 34-26 over the Washington Commanders in Week 12. The teams combined for 41 points in the final eight minutes and 11 seconds, including two kick return touchdowns by the Cowboys. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and is the first behind quarterback Cooper Rush, who has taken over as the starter following Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury.

New York had no such luck in Week 12. After benching then releasing longtime starting quarterback Daniel Jones, the Giants had just 245 yards of total offense in a 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. Running back Devin Singletary’s one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter avoided a shutout for New York. Quarterback Drew Lock will be getting his first start of the season on Thanksgiving.

This is just the third time the two divisional rivals are playing on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are 2-0 in the previous matchups in 2022 and 1992. Follow along here for all of the updates from the Thanksgiving afternoon NFL game.

Cooper Rush’s pass to Brandin Cooks was just outside of his reach on 3rd-and-4 from the Giants’ 5-yard line. Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey opened the scoring for the game with a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The Cowboys drove 65 yards in 11 plays, highlighted by Rush finding CeeDee Lamb for a key third-down conversion to bring the Cowboys close to the red zone before KaVontae Turpin brought them inside the Giants’ 15.

Dallas’ offense will start the first drive of the game from their own 30 after a touchback.

Cowboys vs. Giants Thanksgiving game start time

  • Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 PT)
  • Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

The Cowboys continue their tradition of playing on Thanksgiving with the afternoon game on the slate. It’s slightly later than the typical afternoon slate start time of 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET.

Cowboys vs. Giants TV channel

FOX will carry the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game for the first time since 2022, the last time these two teams played on the holiday. Announcers Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (color analyst) will be on the call, with Tom Rinaldi and Erin Andrews reporting from the sideline.

Cowboys vs. Giants picks, predictions

Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Cowboys vs. Giants Turkey Day matchup will sway:

  • Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys 21, Giants 14
  • Tyler Dragon: Cowboys 22, Giants 17
  • Richard Morin: Cowboys 27, Giants 13
  • Jordan Mendoza: Cowboys 20, Giants 16

The Cowboys are favored to get a win on Thanksgiving over the Giants, per BetMGM’s NFL odds. 

 Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024 including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. 

  • Favorite: Dallas (-4) 
  • Moneyline: Dallas (-200), New York (+165) 
  • Over/under: 37.5 points 
  • Philadelphia Eagles (9-2, 3-0 NFC East) 
  • Washington Commanders (7-5, 2-2) 
  • Dallas Cowboys (4-7, 2-1) 
  • New York Giants (2-9, 0-4) 

The Cowboys-Giants Thanksgiving game in Week 13 will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys have hosted one Thanksgiving game every year since 1978.

In the 1960s, NFL viewership was growing rapidly, and the league added a second Thanksgiving game in 1966. Then-Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm volunteered the Cowboys to play on the second game, so long as the team could host the game each year. 

The Cowboys won their Thanksgiving debut 26-14 over the Cleveland Browns and the tradition continued the following season. The St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals took over as a host team for the Cowboys in 1975 and 1977 but Dallas was reinstated in 1978 and have had a permanent place on the holiday ever since. 

Dallas has played 56 total games on Thanksgiving with a 33-22-1 record on the holiday entering 2024. 

-Ayrton Ostly

The Dallas Cowboys are continuing their long-time tradition of playing on Thanksgiving Day. For their 2024 game against the New York Giants, they will have to do so without their starting quarterback. 

Dak Prescott will not be available to play on Thanksgiving. He is missing a fourth consecutive contest after he suffered a hamstring against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. 

Instead, backup Cooper Rush will make a fourth consecutive start and look to earn back-to-back wins as Dallas looks to improbably claw its way back into the playoff race. 

Prescott suffered a partial hamstring avulsion – a tear during which part of the tendon rips off the bone – during Dallas’ 27-21 loss to the Falcons in Week 9. He told reporters after the contest that he wasn’t sure if the injury occurred while he was running or being tackled. 

-Jacob Camenker 

The Lions played the Bears in the first-ever Thanksgiving Day NFL game in 1934. The site was the University of Detroit Stadium with 26,000 people in attendance, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s believed that more people would’ve attended if the stadium capacity was larger.

George A. Richards, who bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to Detroit in 1934, was looking to gain some traction in a town dominated by baseball’s Tigers. The team then become known as the Lions but needed something to get the fans’ attention.

So Richards went and scheduled a game on Thanksgiving against the defending champion Chicago Bears. Just like that, a tradition was born.

-Joseph Rivera, Nick Brinkerhoff

DeVito was a surprise add to the Giants’ injury report on Tuesday, turning in a limited session. The quarterback is dealing with a forearm injury to his throwing arm, according to head coach Brian Daboll.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported that DeVito was not traveling with the team to Dallas, and that the Week 12 starter was “a longshot” to play against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. DeVito is currently listed as “questionable” for Thursday.

-Nick Brinkerhoff, Jack McKessy

In recent years, Luke Combs and Dolly Parton graced the stage to commemorate the “Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show.” This time, Dallas is set to welcome in another one of country music’s biggest stars on Thanksgiving: Lainey Wilson. 

The team announced the decision in October, naming the 32-year-old Louisiana native as this year’s entertainer. In her signature bell-bottoms, Wilson appeared alongside the famous Cowboys’ cheerleaders and teased a special guest would join her during the show. 

“I am so excited to announce that I have teamed up with The Salvation Army to love beyond the holidays and make a difference in our communities all year round,” she said in the video. 

-Nick Brinkerhoff 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only active franchise to have never played on Thanksgiving. Three teams have had one game on the holiday: the Carolina Panthers (2015), Cincinnati Bengals (2010), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2006). 

-Ayrton Ostly 

  • RB Deuce Vaughn 
  • G Zack Martin 
  • TE Jake Ferguson 
  • DE Marshawn Kneeland 
  • WR Ryan Flournoy 
  • CB Trevon Diggs 
  • CB Andrew Booth 
  • QB Tommy DeVito (emergency 3rd QB) 
  • TE Greg Dulcich 
  • CB Deonte Banks 
  • S Anthony Johnson 
  • CB Tre Hawkins III 
  • G Jake Kubas 
  • T Jermaine Eluemunor 

The Lions have played 84 Thanksgiving games, the most of any team. They are 37-45-2 in those games. Considering they won’t be relinquishing control of the NFL’s tradition anytime soon, it’s safe to say that they will continue to be Turkey Day’s most featured team. 

Here’s the first round of the 2025 NFL draft will stack up entering today’s games: 

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars 
  2. New York Giants 
  3. Las Vegas Raiders
  4. New England Patriots 
  5. Carolina Panthers 
  6. Tennessee Titans 
  7. New York Jets 
  8. Cleveland Browns 
  9. New Orleans Saints 
  10. Cincinnati Bengals 
  11. Dallas Cowboys 
  12. Chicago Bears 
  13. Indianapolis Colts 
  14. Miami Dolphins 
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
  16. Los Angeles Rams 
  17. San Francisco 49ers
  18. Arizona Cardinals
  19. Atlanta Falcons
  20. Seattle Seahawks
  21. Washington Commanders
  22. Houston Texans
  23. Denver Broncos
  24. Los Angeles Chargers
  25. Baltimore Ravens
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers
  27. Green Bay Packers
  28. Minnesota Vikings
  29. Philadelphia Eagles
  30. Buffalo Bills
  31. Kansas City Chiefs
  32. Detroit Lions

Across all metrics, the top-10 highest paid players in the NFL are all quarterbacks. Here’s how the breakdown looks by AAV, guarantees, and total contract value this season. 

AAV

  • Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $60 million
  • Joe Burrow, Bengals: $55 million
  • Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $55 million
  • Jordan Love, Packers: $55 million
  • Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: $53.1 million
  • Jared Goff, Lions: $53 million
  • Justin Herbert, Chargers: $52.5 million
  • Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $52 million
  • Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $51 million
  • Kyler Murray, Cardinals: $46.1 million

Guaranteed money

  • Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $231 million
  • Deshaun Watson, Browns: $230 million
  • Joe Burrow, Bengals: $219.01 million
  • Justin Herbert, Chargers: $218.74 million
  • Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $200 million
  • Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $185 million
  • Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $179.4 million
  • Jared Goff: $170.61 million
  • Tua Tagovailoa: $167.17 million
  • Jordan Love: $160.3 million

Total contract value

  • Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: $450 million
  • Joe Burrow, Bengals: $275 million
  • Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: $275 million
  • Justin Herbert, Chargers: $262.5 million
  • Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $260 million
  • Josh Allen, Bills: $258.04 million
  • Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $255 million
  • Dak Prescott, Cowboys: $240 million
  • Kyler Murray, Cardinals: $230.5 million
  • Deshaun Watson, Browns: $230 million

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid non-quarterback by AAV at $35 million per year and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is the highest-paid non-quarterback by total value at $170 million.

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