The Detroit Lions have a history of wearing their throwback uniforms for their annual Thanksgiving Day game. Detroit made a very controversial choice not to bring back the throwbacks for 2024.
When the Lions announced their uniform combination on Wednesday for Thursday’s Thanksgiving showdown with the Chicago Bears, the social media account said “blueberries are on this year’s Thanksgiving table.” The Lions home uniform is the “Hawaiian Blue” jersey, but is typically worn with gray pants. This combination comes with blue pants and blue shoes to go with the silver helmets.
The throwback uniforms are a nod to the 1950s Lions’ teams that won multiple championships, including Detroit’s last title in 1957. The throwbacks feature classic numbers in silver with no outline, paired with silver stripe-less pants and blue socks. When the throwback uniforms were announced as part of the new uniforms for the Lions, it was assumed they would be worn on Thanksgiving — a day the Lions play every year.
The Lions actually have not worn their throwback uniforms on Thanksgiving much in the Dan Campbell era, only wearing the uniforms in 2023. Detroit wore the alternate “wolf gray” uniforms in 2022 and their home uniform combination in 2021 under Campbell. They also have worn their alternate “wolf gray” uniforms on Thanksgiving in 2019, making that four of the past six seasons the franchise has not worn their throwback uniform combination on Thanksgiving.
Detroit has a seven-game losing streak on Thanksgiving. Perhaps the Lions feel the uniforms they scored 52 points in each of their last two home games played at Ford Field are a good sign they can snap the skid.
