For over half a century, the NFL has become a fixture on Thanksgiving Day just like the turkeys and pumpkin pies being simultaneously served across dinner tables all over the country. And boy, have we been treated to some of the best games in the league’s history on this special day.
Let’s take a look at the 10 best matches of Thanksgiving’s past – all involving either the Detroit Lions or the Dallas Cowboys, who annually host a contest on “Turkey Day” – and relive some of those great moments before we baste and stuff our faces with the three-game football slate this Thursday.
For an in-depth look at this season’s Thanksgiving games, check out our previews for Philadelphia vs. Detroit, Carolina vs. Dallas, and Chicago vs. Green Bay right after this.
The Top 10 Thanksgiving Day Games in NFL History
10. Colts 41, Lions 9 (2004)
[sc:NFL240banner ]While most of the games listed here end with thrilling results, it’s hard not to overlook Peyton Manning’s first-ever Thanksgiving game as a pro back in 2004. The future first ballot Hall-of-Famer orchestrated a clinical offensive performance in that game against Detroit, throwing for a then-NFL record six touchdown passes.
Sparked by this midseason explosion, Manning would go on to finish the 2004 season with yet another NFL record that he would soon break himself a little under a decade after: 49 passing touchdowns to end the season (he finished with 55 TDs in 2013 with the Denver Broncos).
9. Lions 55, Bears 20 (1997)
What would Thanksgiving be without the Detroit Lions? And back in the 1990s, it was Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders who provided the entire football world with spectacular performances on this special occasion.
One would argue that the 1995 game between the Vikings and the Lions (Warren Moon’s late-game pick in the end zone to seal the win for the Lions, 44-38) deserves a spot on our list, but it’s hard to pass on bringing up Sanders’ three-touchdown, 167-yard day to beat the Bears in 1997. The 10-time Pro Bowler’s elusiveness was in full display in this match, having TD runs from 40, 25 and 15 yards out.
8. Vikings 44, Cowboys 38 in OT (1987)
Let’s turn back the clock a decade before Sanders’ breakout performance for the first Thanksgiving game that went into overtime on our list.
In 1987, the Cowboys hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a match that signaled the end of quarterback Danny White’s career in Dallas. The ‘Boys found themselves down by 14 points three times in this contest, and White delivered with four TDs to keep his team hanging on.
However, he also threw three interceptions in that game, with the final pick in OT proving to be the camel that broke the Cowboys’ back as Minnesota would go on to win the match. White would then start only one more game for the Cowboys after that polarizing outing.
7. Packers 29, Lions 27 (2001)
When Green Bay and Detroit meet on Thanksgiving, you can expect a tightly-contested bout regardless of either team’s standings at that point in time. Take for example their clash back in 2001, when the 0-9 Lions nearly upset Brett Favre and the mighty Packers.
The Packers had a 29-13 in that game, with the last Green Bay score being a safety. But little did the Lions know that those two points from the safety would ultimately cost them the game. Detroit’s Mike McMahon staged a late comeback, including his 4th-and-8 touchdown completion with 18 seconds left in the game. However, the team failed to convert on the two-point conversion after that TD to tie to contest, and Green Bay would go on to narrowly escape a monumental upset against their rivals.
6. Saints 30, Cowboys 27 (2010)
The New Orleans Saints were riding high from their Super Bowl win from the previous season entering their 2010 Thanksgiving match against Dallas, and the defending champs flexed their muscles early on in the contest by jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
But the Cowboys would rally from that seemingly insurmountable deficit and even take a four-point lead late in the game. The team also had a great chance to put the game away for good with a 47-yard catch by Roy Williams near the end of the fourth. Unfortunately, New Orleans managed to strip the ball from Williams for a crucial turnover, and Drew Brees would then drive the Saints 89 yards downfield and hit Lance Moore for the 12-yard game-winning touchdown.
5. Packers 44, Lions 40 (1986)
In the highest-scoring NFL game on Thanksgiving Day, the 1986 Packers found an unlikely hero in wideout Walter Stanley, who had a holiday performance for the ages.
The Packers overcame a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter in an inconceivable manner, as Stanley returned a late-game punt 83 yards for a touchdown to give his team the victory. He already had 124 receiving yards and two TDs caught prior to the return, and would finish the game with a whopping 207 all-purpose yards.
4. Bears 23, Lions 17 OT (1980)
As what the Packers-Lions game before this had proven, a special day like Thanksgiving deserves some heroics from special teams indeed.
In 1980, the match between the Bears and the Lions began very lopsided, with Chicago in command, 17-3. Detroit would not be fazed by the huge lead, and quarterback Vince Evans capped off his team’s furious comeback with a 94-yard drive that ended with a five-yard run from Evans himself as time expired.
But as (bad) luck would have it, the Bears won the coin toss to take the game’s first and only possession in the extra period. Chicago’s kick returner, Dave Williams, returned Detroit’s OT kickoff for a 95-yard dash to the end zone to break many Motor City fans’ hearts just 21 seconds into overtime.
3. Cowboys 24, Redskins 23 (1974)
When we talk about Dallas’ rich history from the 70’s, the first thing that always comes to mind is the formidable pairing of legendary head coach Tom Landry and the amazing Roger Staubach. However, on one fateful Thanksgiving Day in 1974, it was rookie backup Clint Longley who left his mark in the league with a spectacular 24-23 comeback victory over the Redskins.
Staubach got injured midway through that game, and Longley rallied his team for the one-point, last-minute win by hitting his second touchdown pass of the day with 18 seconds left in the contest. Longley only had 31 completions on 68 attempts his entire three-year career in the NFL, but his 11-of-20 outing on that Thanksgiving miracle was more than enough to have his name eternally etched in Dallas’ decorated lore.
2. Lions 19, Steelers 16 OT (1998)
At first glance, this overtime game between Detroit and Pittsburgh from 1998 is obviously setting you up for a wild finish. However, the conclusion was actually underwhelming, mainly because of the controversial developments that occurred even before the extra session’s kickoff.
Jerome Bettis of the Steelers was set to call the coin toss by referee Phil Luckett, but Luckett (and a lots of fans watching at home and in the stands) got confused whether Bettis really called heads or tails – with some even jokingly quipping that the Pittsburgh back called it “teads” or “hails”.
After all the confusion had settled, Detroit ended up with the first possession in OT. Quarterback Charlie Batch, who would become a Pittsburgh legend in his own right later on in his career, ironically led his Lions 41 yards downfield to set up the team’s 42-yard game-winning field goal.
In place of a captivating finale, this Thanksgiving Day game certainly deserves a high spot on our list for being one of the early precursors that could very well have pushed the NFL to revise its scoring rules and regulations in overtime periods.
1. Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14 (1993)
First of all, the best Thanksgiving game in NFL history can be summed up in one word: snow!
As undeniably strange as this unexpected, wintry climate from the confines of normally arid Texas already is, it was also pretty much just foreshadowing the equally awesome 1993 game between the Dolphins and the Cowboys that was about to commence.
Let’s fast-forward to the final quarter, with Dallas in the lead, 14-13. Miami was setting itself up for a field goal, which ended up being blocked by the Cowboys. However, the ball tumbled closer towards Miami’s end zone, and Dallas failed to secured possession, ultimately giving the ‘Fins another chance and an even better field position to nail the 19-yard, game-winning chip shot.
While that loss certainly dealt a huge blow to the Cowboys, the team would go on to run the rest of the season’s table en route to their Super Bowl XXVIII title over the Bills. And in another twist of fate, than win by Dolphins ended up being the team’s final victory of the season as well.
With so much drama and surprises ready to please us on any given Thanksgiving, shouldn’t we all be extremely thankful that this favorite sport of ours never fails to deliver the goods during the holidays?
Don’t be like a turkey out in the rain and create a betting account now to further enjoy this Thursday’s three-game slate of hard-hitting football action with your stellar predictions.
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