5. 1998—Lions 19, Steelers 16 (OT)—The 7–4 Steelers headed into their Thanksgiving matchup with 4–7 Detroit in good position for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Detroit’s team at that time was still based around all-world running back Barry Sanders.
The teams played to 16–all draw in regulation leading to overtime, which is where this game became interesting.
During the overtime coin toss, Steelers running back Jerome Bettis claims he called “tails” though the referee heard “heads.” There are reports that Bettis started to say “heads” before changing it to “tails” which would actually be in line with NFL rules (amazing they have a rule about this).
The call would prove to be significant as the coin landed tails, giving the option to Detroit, which promptly took the ball down the field and hit the game-winning field goal.
Why here: Other than the bizarre coin toss, the game had few memorable moments.
4. 1997—Lions 55, Bears 20—Barry Sanders’s finest season may have been 1997 when the six-time All-Pro ran for 2,053 yards on 335 carries—an average of 6.1 yards every time they handed him the ball.
His Thanksgiving performance against Chicago—19 carries for 167 yards—was actually near the norm for him on the season, but doing it on the national stage in a blowout immortalized it somehow. Sanders scored three times on runs of 40, 25, and 15 yards to put the game out of reach.
Why here: More exciting than the memorable coin toss, but it’s hard topping Manning’s below performance.
3. 2004—Colts 41, Lions 9—Peyton Manning was probably at his best in 2004, at least statistically speaking. He led an offense along with Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James that became so feared come playoff time, they were actually favored to dethrone the defending Super Bowl Champion Patriots in the second round of the playoffs—in New England—before losing.
Manning broke several passing records in 2004—including most touchdown passes and highest quarterback rating (121.1).
His performance against on Thanksgiving—six touchdown passes on 23/28 passing for 236 yards—might have been his best of the season. It marked the fifth straight game that the five-time All-Pro threw at least 4 touchdown passes on his way to 49 on the season.
Why here: Always hard to top any Barry Sanders performance, but Manning’s six TD passes would be the biggest highlight of his record-breaking season.
2. 1998—Vikings 46, Cowboys 36—Randy Moss’s rookie season with Minnesota resulted in the Vikings becoming having one of the best offenses in history. Along with Cris Carter, Randall Cunningham, and Robert Smith, the Vikings put up 556 points—34.8 per game—on the season en route to a 15–1 record.
The first-year player from Marshall was the main catalyst. His height (6'4") and speed created nightmares for opposing defenses.
Never was it more obvious though than on the Thanksgiving stage. Moss hauled in three 50-yard touchdown catches (a 51-yarder, 56-yarder, and another 56-yarder) to lead the Vikes past Aikman’s 455 passing yards, in beating the Cowboys.
Why here: The awe-inspiring performance was Moss’s coming-out party. The whole country saw what a huge advantage his team had with him. As great as Manning’s performance was, he had been a known commodity for some time.
1. 1993—Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14—Jimmy Johnson’s 7–3 defending Super Bowl Champion Cowboys led 14–13 with seconds remaining in this snow-covered contest but were facing defeat, when Miami place kicker Pete Stoyanovich lined up for the game-winning field goal.
Miraculously though, the Cowboys blocked the kick and, for a split-second, were in the driver’s seat to win the game. Unfortunately (for Dallas) as the Cowboys were waiting for the ball to come to rest and making sure no Dallas players touched it (it would stand to be their ball), Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett came out of nowhere to grab the still-spinning ball.
As soon as he scooped it off the snow, the ball fell right out of his surely-freezing fingers. Miami immediately recovered the ball at the one-yard line with time for one play left. Stoyanovich lined it up again and got the ball through to win the game.
Why here: Though nothing is actually impressive about it, the blunder has stood as one of the most memorable in the history of the game ... even more so than his early-celebration error in the Super Bowl the year before.
Friends Read Free