 Since the league introduced games on Thursday evenings in 2006, a third prime time game has also been played on Thanksgiving.Unlike the afternoon games, this game has no fixed host and has featured different teams annually; the prime time game has been contested almost solely by division rivals since 2012.The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented, as it was a day that most people had off from work.