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Thanksgiving
is always a great day.
The
family is together. The
food is great. And,
invariably, so is the football.
The
NFL will present fans with a Thanksgiving tripleheader this
Thursday as traditional competitors
Detroit
and
Dallas
host games during the day and NFL Network kicks off the first of
its eight primetime games this season with a nightcap featuring
the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons.
Some
of the most memorable NFL games in history have been played on
Thanksgiving Day – the “Clint Longley” game…the
Cowboys-Dolphins’ “snow” game…Barry Sanders running for
167 yards and three touchdowns…and many others.
There
may be memories waiting to happen Thursday.
At 12:30 PM ET on FOX, the Green Bay Packers will visit the
Detroit Lions. It
will be the Lions’ 68th Thanksgiving game in their history.
At
4:15 PM ET on CBS, the Dallas Cowboys will play their 40th
Thanksgiving game when they host the New York Jets.
It will be a matchup of running-back brothers –
28-year-old THOMAS JONES against his sibling, 25-year-old JULIUS of the Cowboys. This
will be the second meeting of their professional careers –
Julius (150 yards, two touchdowns) got the better of Thomas’
Bears on Thanksgiving Day in 2004 in a 21-7 Cowboys’ victory.
The
Thanksgiving tripleheader continues at 8:15 PM ET on NFL Network
when the Colts visit the Falcons.
Following
are some of the NFL’s most memorable games and moments on
Thanksgiving Day:
|
DATE
|
TEAMS
|
SUMMARY
|
|
11/25/20
|
Canton
Bulldogs 0 at
Akron
Pros 7
|
In
the first professional football game played on
Thanksgiving Day, Fritz Pollard, the first
African-American quarterback in the NFL, led
Akron
to a 7-0 victory over Jim Thorpe and the Canton Bulldogs.
The game marked the start of the Thanksgiving tradition of
pro football in
America
.
|
|
11/26/25
|
Chicago
Cardinals 0 at
Chicago
Bears 0
|
Harold
“Red” Grange, in his first professional season, led
the Bears to a scoreless tie against the Cardinals at
Wrigley Field. The game attracted 36,000 fans, the
largest crowd in pro football history at the time.
|
|
11/28/29
|
Chicago
Cardinals 40 at
Chicago
Bears 6
|
The
Cardinals defeated the crosstown-rival Bears behind six
rushing touchdowns by Ernie Nevers, a still-standing NFL
single-game record. Nevers accounted for all 40 of
the Cardinals’ points, converting four of six
points-after-touchdown.
|
|
11/29/34
|
Chicago
Bears 19 at
Detroit
Lions 16
|
In
the first NFL game to be broadcast nationally (on NBC
radio), the Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions,
19-16. The game marked the beginning of the NFL’s
Thanksgiving tradition in
Detroit
|
|
11/22/62
|
Green Bay
Packers 14 at
Detroit
Lions 26
|
Before
57,598 fans at Tiger Stadium and a national television
audience, the Lions sacked Packers quarterback Bart Starr
11 times for 110 yards in losses. It was the
Packers’ only loss of the year.
|
|
11/28/74
|
Washington
Redskins 23 at
Dallas
Cowboys 24
|
Trailing
Washington
16-3 in the third quarter,
Dallas
rookie quarterback Clint Longley replaced an injured Roger
Staubach and lifted the Cowboys to victory with a 50-yard
touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 0:28 remaining.
|
|
11/25/76
|
Buffalo
Bills 14 at
Detroit
Lions 27
|
Buffalo
’s O.J. Simpson runs for a Thanksgiving Day- record 273
yards (most in NFL history at the time) in a losing
effort.
|
|
11/27/80
|
Chicago
Bears 23 at
Detroit
Lions 17 (OT)
|
Chicago
kick returner Dave Williams returned the overtime kickoff
for a touchdown, completing a Bears comeback from a 17-3
deficit. Williams’ return is one of only two
overtime kickoff returns for touchdowns in history.
|
|
11/22/90
|
Washington
Redskins 17 at
Dallas
Cowboys 27
|
Rookie
running back Emmitt Smith carried 23 times for 132 yards,
including two second-half touchdown runs, as the Cowboys
score the final 17 points in the game.
|
|
11/25/93
|
Miami
Dolphins 16 at
Dallas
Cowboys 14
|
On
a snowy Thanksgiving in
Dallas
, the Cowboys’ Jimmie Jones blocked
Miami
’s game-winning field-goal attempt with 0:15 remaining.
With the game seemingly over,
Dallas
’ Leon Lett revived the dead ball, sliding into it at
the Cowboys’ seven-yard line.
Miami
recovered the ball at the
Dallas
one with :03 left -- enough time for Pete Stoyanovich to
kick a game-winning 20-yard field goal.
|
|
11/27/97
|
Chicago
Bears 20 at
Detroit
Lions 55
|
Lions
running back Barry Sanders ran for 167 yards and three
touchdowns. In the process, Sanders passed Eric
Dickerson for second on the all-time rushing list.
|
|
11/26/98
|
Minnesota
Vikings 46 at
Dallas
Cowboys 36
|
Minnesota
’s rookie wide receiver Randy Moss caught only three
passes against the Cowboys, but all were touchdowns as he
finished the day with 163 receiving yards.
|
|
11/28/02
|
Washington
Redskins 20 at
Dallas
Cowboys 27
|
Down
20-10, the Cowboys came back to post their 10th
consecutive victory over the archrival Redskins.
Dallas
running back Emmitt Smith ran for 144 yards, becoming the
only player in history to eclipse the 17,000 career
rushing-yards mark.
|
|
11/24/05
|
Denver
Broncos 24 at
Dallas
Cowboys 21 (OT)
|
Broncos
running back Ron Dayne rushed for a 16-yard touchdown in
the third quarter and his 55-yard scamper set up Jason
Elam’s game-winning 24-yard field goal in overtime.
|
Following
are some of the greatest single-game individual performances in
NFL Thanksgiving Day history:
|
RECORD
|
TOTAL
|
PLAYER
|
TEAMS
|
YEAR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most
TDs
|
6
|
|
Ernie
Nevers, Chi. Card.
|
Chicago
Cardinals 40,
Chicago
Bears 6
|
1929
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most
Yards Rushing
|
273
|
|
O.J.
Simpson,
Buffalo
|
Detroit
Lions 27,
Buffalo
Bills 14
|
1976
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most
Yards Passing
|
455
|
|
Troy
Aikman, Dallas
|
Minnesota
Vikings 46,
Dallas
Cowboys 36
|
1998
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most
Yards Receiving
|
303
|
|
Jim
Benton, Cleveland
|
Cleveland
Rams 28,
Detroit
Lions 21
|
1945
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most
Interceptions
|
4
|
|
Bobby
Dillon,
Green Bay
|
Detroit
Lions 34,
Green Bay
Packers 15
|
1953
|
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