DALLAS — The Jonas Brothers will headline the halftime show of the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game against the New York Giants, becoming the first repeat performer in the game's history.
The musical trio first performed at the Cowboys halftime show in 2008, the final season of Texas Stadium in Irving. Performing for the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day show is one of the biggest shows of the year and is headlined by the musical industry's biggest stars.
The first Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show performer was "the Queen of County" Reba McEntire in 1997.
Not that it has any impact on the game, but it's good fortune for Cowboys fans that Dallas won its Thanksgiving game the last time the Jonas Brothers performed at halftime. And as you'll see below ... pop music, in general, serves well for America's Team.
So, how does the history of halftime performers correlate to the Cowboys' success on the field? Here's a breakdown of the Cowboys' on-the-field results compared to the genre of music during the halftime show:
Country music:
Record: 4-10.5 (we'll explain the .5)
The Dallas Cowboys have not played very well in games where country artists have been the halftime performer. Granted, this is the most common genre picked by a longshot, making up 14.5 (technically 15) of the past 25 years.
The reason why we're giving a half is because 2000 featured Jessica Simpson and Billy Gillman. Gillman is a country artist, while Simpson is not. So, there you go.
Here's a look year-by-year:
- 2021: Luke Combs -- 36-33 (OT) loss to Las Vegas Raiders
- 2020: Kane Brown -- 41-16 loss to Washington Commanders
- 2017: Thomas Rhett -- 28-6 loss to Los Angeles Chargers
- 2016: Eric Church -- 31-26 win over Washington Redskins
- 2015: Luke Bryan -- 33-14 loss to Carolina Panthers
- 2012: Kenny Chesney -- 38-31 loss to Washington Redskins
- 2010: Keith Urban -- 30-27 loss to New Orleans Saints
- 2006: Carrie Underwood -- 38-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 2005: Sheryl Crow -- 24-21 (OT) loss to Denver Broncoes
- 2003: Toby Keith -- 40-21 loss to Miami Dolphins
- 2002: LeAnn Rimes -- 27-20 win over the Washington Redskins
- 2000: Jessica Simpson/Billy Gillman -- 27-15 loss to Minnesota Vikings
- 1999: Clint Black -- 20-0 win over Miami Dolphins
- 1998: Randy Travis -- 46-36 loss to Minnesota Vikings
- 1997: Reba McEntire -- 27-14 loss to Tennessee Oilers
Pop music:
Record: 6-2.5
This might serve as good fortune for the Cowboys in 2022! Not only did they win the last time Jonas Brothers took the stage, but their overall record with pop musical artists is really good.
Again, we're giving the .5 for Simpson's performance here.
Here is a look year-by-year:
- 2019: Ellie Goulding -- 26-15 loss to Buffalo Bills
- 2018: Meghan Trainor -- 31-23 win over Washington Redskins
- 2014: Pitbull -- 33-10 loss to Philadelphia Eagles
- 2013: Selena Gomez -- 31-24 win over Oakland Raiders
- 2011: Enrique Iglesias (Latin pop) -- 20-19 win over Miami Dolphins
- 2008: Jonas Brothers -- 34-9 win over the Seattle Seahawks
- 2007: Kelly Clarkson -- 34-3 win over the New York Jets
- 2004: Destiny's Child -- 21-7 win over the Chicago Bears
- 2000: Jessica Simpson/Billy Gillman -- 27-15 loss to Minnesota Vikings
Rock music:
Record: 1-1
The only two rock artists in the slate have been Creed in 2001 and Daughtry in 2009. The Cowboys split those games.
Here is a look year-by-year:
- 2009: Daughtry -- 24-7 win over Oakland Raiders
- 2001: Creed -- 26-24 loss to Denver Broncos
Cowboys history on Thanksgiving
Bottom line: it seems Jerry needs to start booking local artists, especially pop ones. The Cowboys are 4-2 overall with local guests: 3-1 with local pop (Jonas Brothers, Gomez, Simpson, Clarkson) and 1-1 with local country (Rimes and Travis).
Paging Post Malone and Demi Lovato! Where y'all at?!
The Dallas Cowboys are 31-22-1 all-time on Thanksgiving and are riding a three-game losing streak. The last Thanksgiving win was in 2018, a 31-23 win over then-named Washington Redskins.
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