Thanksgiving Football: Never a Dull Moment

As much as turkey is a part of Thanksgiving, NFL football has become a staple of many American families throughout the holiday's history.

The Thanksgiving Classic is a tradition that goes back long before the AFL-NFL merger, and has been the catalyst to many new traditions that continue today. The first NFL game to be televised in color was the 1965 Classic between the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Colts. That broadcast showed that grass and jerseys in a way never seen before, which paved the way for the beautiful quality of the blood sweat and grass stains that can now be seen on the newest of HDTV's.

The Thanksgiving Classic has allowed John Madden to introduce us to Turducken, throwback jerseys have made their presence, and referees have forgotten their hearing aids at home.
 
Along with those memorable moments have been some big plays that have made some of the actual games that much more memorable. Here is my list of the top five Thanksgiving Classic games ever.

5. Going into overtime in a game in 1998, The Pittsburgh Steelers were tied at 16 with the Detroit Lions. The TV shows that during the coin toss, the referee mishears what Jerome Bettis calls, and awards the ball to the Detroit Lions who score a field goal to win the game, 19-16.

An allegedly confused and irate Bettis is shown arguing, but to no avail. This could have been a candidate for the number one spot, if it hadn't been released by former Steelers Coach Cowher in 2007, that it was Bettis that had made an unclear declaration on "Heads-tails".

4. While many can question the character of one OJ Simpson, no one could question his ability. It was Thanksgiving 1976 that showed just how talented Simpson was. The passing game was faltering for the Bills against the Lions, so the Bills decided to run the ball.

That opened the door for a record breaking day by the Juice. Simpson rushed for 273 yards that day, placing his name in the record books for most rushing yards in a game. It does prove that a team needs to be more than just one dimensional, as the bills only passed for 29 yards, and lost 27-14. The record set by OJ on that day has since been broken, and now is held by Minnesota's Adrian Peterson at 296 yards.

3. The Dallas Cowboys were a Troy Aikman team. Without him, the team would lose it's leader and not have a chance at continuing the dominance they had with Troy at the helm. That theory had to be tested for Thanksgiving 1994.

Aikman was forced to sit due to an injury. It was third string quarterback Jason Garrett who got the start. Even though many had no idea who he was, Garrett gave us something all of us love; seeing the underdog step up to the plate and pull out an exciting win. The Cowboys didn't miss a step beating the Green Bay Packers 42-31. 

2. The first time a Dallas quarterback needed a back up to fill in was in 1974. Roger Staubach had started slowly, spotting the Washington Redskins a 16-3 lead. Hearts must have sunk as the Cowboys had to take Staubach out with an injury. Like the Jason Garrett situation, unknown quarterback Clint Longley came in for his 15 minutes of fame. Longley and the Cowboys won the game on the strength of 2 long passes that solidified the win, 24-23. 

1. The number one pick may not be a big surprise to many football fans. The best Thanksgiving Classic to ever take place happened because of the funniest play that has ever happened on thanksgiving, maybe ever in the NFL. The play happened on Thanksgiving, 1993 in a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.

Neither city is know for being one to see a lot of the cold white stuff on the ground affecting a football game. However it was a colder day in Dallas that saw snow on the ground. With Dallas leading, 14-13, Miami attempted a 40-yard field goal with seconds remaining. The field goal was blocked, leaving even the announcers thinking the game was over, and the Dallas Cowboys the victors.

Leave it to Leon Lett to try to be the hero. While trying to recover a ball that had no chance of going anywhere, Lett slipped into the ball, and with his contact, the Dolphins were able to recover it, and had one more chance to kick a field goal, from a much closer distance, to win the game.

The loss didn't take the Cowboys out of contention, as Dallas still won the Super Bowl. It did however take away their share of first in the league with San Francisco.