CeCe Winans stunned NFL fans with her a cappella rendition of the national anthem© FOX Sports

Legendary gospel singer CeCe Winans sang the national anthem at Ford Field ahead of the Thanksgiving game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, and football fans were amazed at her performance.

The game between the Lions and the Packers kicked off the NFL Thanksgiving triple-header, as Detroit continued its tradition of hosting the festive game. Later in the day, the Kansas City Chiefs face the Dallas Cowboys, before the Baltimore Ravens face the Cincinnati Bengals in the primetime slot.

The performance of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is always a big occasion before NFL games, but especially during a festive time such as Thanksgiving. The Lions selected Winans to deliver the national anthem, and fans now want her to perform it permanently before games.

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Winans, a 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist, the most for any female gospel singer, delivered an a cappella performance at Ford Field. The emotion was seen on the sidelines and in the crowd, but it was also perfectly captured on the FOX Sports broadcast.

After Winans finished her performance, fans rushed to social media to praise the gospel legend. “She sang tf out of the national anthem,” one fan wrote on X.

“Perhaps the best our national anthem has ever been performed,” another claimed. “Cece just sang our National Anthem so incredibly beautiful! Thank You, CeCe,” a third posted.

Fans continued to praise Winans, with some requesting that her performance be used for all NFL games. “Need Cece Winans to sing the national anthem weekly. Just play this recording nationwide lol,” one fan suggested.

“CeCe Winans just absolutely slayed the national anthem. One of the best I’ve heard live in a long time,” a supporter wrote.

“So we need CeCe Winans to sing the national anthem at all football games from now on. Everyone else is fired,” another jokingly claimed.

The Detroit Lions hosted the opening game of the NFL Thanksgiving triple-header© Cooper Neill, Getty Images

The first game of the triple-header was a crucial clash in the NFC North division, with both the Packers and the Lions sitting on seven wins, trailing the 8-3 Chicago Bears. It’s the first of many blockbuster clashes, with the Chiefs and the Cowboys both fighting to remain in playoff contention.

The 6-5 Chiefs secured a nail-biting overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, and the 5-5-1 Cowboys are also in desperate need of a victory. One of the biggest storylines of the day is in the Bengals-Ravens primetime game, with quarterback Joe Burrow set to return from injury.

Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury in Week 2 and has been sidelined ever since. The Bengals then turned to backup quarterback Jake Browning, before trading for veteran Joe Flacco, who the Cleveland Browns had benched.

The Bengals have since slumped to 3-8, but Burrow was cleared to return for the Thanksgiving clash. The Ravens are 6-5 this season, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC North division.