Pat McAfee blames Lions for Jack Harlow getting criticized for halftime performance at Thanksgiving game
The Lions faced their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, on their annual Thanksgiving Day game in Week 12. While the game was the main attraction, fans found something else to gossip about: Rapper Jack Harlow performed at halftime.
Although not many were fans of the rapper's performance, Pat McAfee defended the 26-year-old on his show. McAfee noted that it was the set design at Ford Field that failed him compared to what Dolly Parton had at AT&T Stadium:
“You see what Dolly Parton had down here in Dallas. There's a chance that Jack Harlow and the Lions lost. When the decision was made to put that sh*t on field at halftime on Thanksgiving, everybody's watching eating their food and the Lions say ‘Yeah, we do this every year, we're gonna mail it in for Jack Harlow.’"
"Now, I do think Jack Harlow needs a little bit more moxy in his performance… but what's more, he was set up for failure with the set design. And I think that kind of radiated in how the team played.”
Harlow and his halftime show were not the only thing that disappointed fans. The Packers defeated the Lions by a 29-22 score. Parton and her halftime show blew away fans while the Dallas Cowboys blew out the Washington Commanders by a 45-10 score.
How long have the Lions and Cowboys played NFL games on Thanksgiving?
Detroit has been playing on Thanksgiving Day since 1934 when then-owner George A. Richards chose to play on Thanksgiving to bring in more fans. The Cowboys started playing on the holiday in 1966.
Detroit and Dallas have played on the holiday since 1978. Playing on the holiday has yielded different results for each franchise.
The loss to the Packers marked Detroit's seventh straight loss on Thanksgiving. Their last win came against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2016 season.
As for the Cowboys, their win over the Commanders was their second straight one on Thanksgiving. They had lost three games until winning on the holiday last season over the New York Giants.