Top 10 Greatest Thanksgiving Day NFL Games of All Time

#10: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

2013
You’ll naturally be seeing a lot of Lions and Cowboys games on this list. But the addition of the third Thanksgiving game has given modern rivalries like the one between the Steelers and Ravens the chance to feast. This was a weird one, as it saw Justin Tucker hit a whopping five field goals. But if there’s one thing the game is remembered for, it’s Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ostensibly interfering with Jacoby Jones’s kickoff return. It’s unclear if Jones would’ve scored if not for Tomlin, and while no penalty was called, Tomlin was fined $100,000. The Ravens ultimately wouldn’t have much to gripe about though, as they’d win when the Steelers’ comeback fell short after an unsuccessful game-tying two-point conversion.

#9: Denver Broncos vs. Dallas Cowboys

2005
Jake Plummer and Drew Bledsoe are two quarterbacks who never quite met expectations, and neither were particularly noteworthy in this game at the tail end of their careers. But that doesn’t mean this game wasn’t something to write home about. It was very much a back-and-forth affair, with the Broncos and Cowboys trading touchdowns right up to the end of regulation. Champ Bailey opened the scoring with a 65-yard pick-six, and the Cowboys continually tied the game before getting the chance to take the lead with under eight minutes left. Billy Cundiff missed the potential game-winning field goal, and just the fourth-ever Thanksgiving game to go to OT ended with a Denver field goal.

#8: Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions

1986
Stuffing ourselves on Thanksgiving often inspires little more than lethargy. So to see two teams work to put up a combined eighty-four points definitely has us feeling a little inadequate. Indeed, the Packers narrowly edged out their then-NFC Central rival Lions 44-40, and a lot of that had to do with wide receiver Walter Stanley. Stanley’s career was hardly decorated, but he showed up on Thanksgiving Day 1986 with 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four catches. It still wasn’t enough to put Green Bay over the top, that is until he tacked on an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the final minute. Imagine if fantasy football was widespread back then; Stanley would’ve had your team feasting on points.

#7: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

2012
Unlike the other entries on this list, this game wasn’t even close. The Patriots absolutely obliterated the Jets by a final score of 49-19, scoring a whopping five touchdowns in the second quarter alone. So did the Patriots simply have the Jets’ number? Well, yes, as they often did back then. But we imagine it was pretty difficult to rebound after the infamous “butt fumble.” Yes, the play that will live on in blooper reels for decades occurred on Thanksgiving, when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the backside of his own lineman Brandon Moore with seemingly no provocation. And even worse, defenseman Steve Gregory immediately picked up the ball and ran it back for a score. Sometimes, you just gotta love a rout.

#6: New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys

2010
Everyone loves a comeback, even when the point swing doesn’t always stick. After a field goal and a pair of Chris Ivory touchdowns, the Cowboys found themselves trailing 17-0 after the first quarter. They were able to close the gap somewhat before halftime, down by two touchdowns, before quarters three and four saw them come all the way back to take the lead. Dallas led by four with less than six minutes left to play, but in a close contest, it’s often the team that scores last that wins, as the Saints marched back to regain the lead after the two-minute warning. The Cowboys’ final drive was a valiant effort, but David Buehler’s potentially game-tying field goal from 59-yards out went just wide.

#5: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions

1980
Since overtime wasn’t instituted in the regular season until 1974, we didn’t see a Thanksgiving game go to OT until 1980. But what a finish it was. The Bears trailed the Lions 17-3 after three quarters, but turned up the juice in the fourth. Bob Fisher caught a 20-yard touchdown to bring Chicago within a score, before Vince Evans defined “better late than never” by punching in the game-tying TD as time expired. At that point, Lions kicker Eddie Murray probably wanted a couple missed field goals back, but the Bears wouldn’t let them sit in their misery for long. Dave Williams returned the overtime kickoff for 94 yards, as the 13-second fifth quarter would be the league’s shortest for some time.

#4: Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions

2012
In the third quarter of this one, Texans running back Justin Forsett ran for an 81-yard touchdown, but it was clear he was down just seven yards in. The scoring play would’ve thus automatically been reviewed and overturned, but Lions head coach Jim Schwartz threw the challenge flag. Since you’re not supposed to challenge a scoring play, the Lions were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Not only that, but the rule back then meant the review was canceled. So the touchdown stood, eventually leading to an overtime that was even crazier. In the extra quarter, both teams turned the ball over and missed field goals, before the Texans finally scored. And of course, the rule regarding challenges was ultimately amended.

#3: Washington vs. Dallas Cowboys

1974
The NFL has a sordid history with bounties, wherein certain players are deliberately targeted with cash prizes for dealing injuries. But thankfully, karma reared its ugly head between these rivals in 1974. Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach already wasn’t having a great game when Washington ultimately succeeded in sidelining him, with the latter team already up 16-3 in the third quarter. Having to bring out your second string never bodes confidence, but rookie Clint Longley played the game of his uneventful career. He led the Cowboys to three touchdown drives, including hitting a 50-yard bomb with just twenty-eight seconds left. Washington head coach George Allen later said it was “probably the toughest loss [they’d] ever had,” but we’re not inclined to feel bad for his team.

#2: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions

1998
The game itself was fairly close, with the Lions erasing a 10-point deficit and the teams going into overtime tied at 16. And that’s when the controversy started. Steelers’ Jerome Bettis was assigned to call the coin toss that would decide overtime possession. It seems like he might’ve started saying “heads,” but definitely finished with “tails.” It was tails, but referee Phil Luckett heard “heads,” and thus awarded the Lions the ball. This was back when you could win in overtime on a first-possession field goal, which is exactly what the Lions did. This was the first of five losses to end the Steelers’ playoff-less season. Meanwhile, players have since been required to call the toss beforehand, rather than while the coin’s in the air.

#1: Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys

1993
You’d think that a snowy Thanksgiving game in Texas couldn’t get any more memorable, but think again. The Dolphins were down by one when they attempted what would’ve been a game-winning field goal with seconds left, but it was blocked by Jimmie Jones. While his teammates celebrated - knowing the Dolphins couldn’t regain possession without Cowboy help - Leon Lett did the unthinkable. In attempting to grab the ball, Lett slipped on the turf and accidentally kicked it forward, making it live once more. The Dolphins recovered the ball on the goal line, setting up what was now a sure-thing game-winner. Thankfully for the Cowboys, they’d put the gaff in the rearview, going undefeated from there to a Super Bowl win.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Gobble gobble in the comments!