The Cleveland Browns joined the NFL in 1950, and the league has played at least one game on Thanksgiving Day every year since.
But in all that time, the league has only deemed the Browns worthy of playing a game on Thanksgiving on three occasions.
The Browns are not alone in their lack of national exposure, of course, as the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team in the league never to play on Thanksgiving. Other infrequent invitees include Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals, with one appearance each; the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, each with two;
It is understandable that the league would not want to showcase teams like the Jaguars, Buccaneers and Bengals, but for one of the NFL’s cornerstone franchises, at least until 1999, to have made so few appearances seems odd.