The Cowboys have traditionally hosted games on the American holiday since 1966 and ‘America’s Team’ put on a magnificent performance to beat the Chiefs despite Patrick Mahomes throwing four touchdown passes on his return to his native Texas.
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Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three, but they now have a 6-6 record and are in danger of missing the play-offs for the first time since the 2014 season.
The Cowboys rallied to take a 17-14 lead at halftime, but a tense finish began with the Chiefs taking a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Dak Prescott then held his nerve as Dallas scored 11 points on its next two possessions to keep them clean, despite a late response from the Chiefs.
The Cowboys have now notched back-to-back wins over both of last season’s Super Bowl teams in the space of four days after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
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After a thrilling 21-point comeback against the Eagles, who denied the Chiefs a third title in February, the win over Kansas City is the third in a row for Dallas to improve to 6-5-1 and keep its own playoff hopes alive.
With five games remaining, Dallas is second behind the Eagles (8-3) in the NFC East, while the Chiefs are behind the Denver Broncos (9-2) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) in the AFC West.
Packers keep pressure on Bears
The Green Bay Packers kept the pressure on the Chicago Bears as they won 31-24 over another of their NFC North division rivals, Detroit.
The Lions have hosted Thanksgiving games since 1934, but fell to a 7-5 record because they couldn’t contain a Packers offense well led by Jordan Love.
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The Green Bay quarterback threw for a season-high 234 passing yards and four touchdowns to keep his team ahead at all times, leading 17-14 at halftime.
Dontayvion Wicks scored a touchdown in the second and third quarters to help the Packers to a third straight victory and improve to 8-3-1.
The Bears lead the NFC North at 8-3 and visit Philadelphia on Black Friday before traveling to Green Bay next week.