Are you ready for some football? When it comes to Thanksgiving Day games, the best players in the NFL sure are.
For decades now, the top stars have saved their best for the holiday that now features three nationally televised games that draw tens of millions of eyeballs—last year’s Giants-Cowboys game averaged 38.5 million viewers.
It’s a Thanksgiving tradition: We eat turkey, argue with our washed uncles and bratty nephews, and watch the All-Pro NFL legends create indelible moments on the field. Whether it was Barry Sanders putting defenders on skates or Randy Moss’ breakout performance, there have been plenty of iconic performances on Turkey Day. These are the 10 Best Thanksgiving Day NFL Performances.
Randy Moss (1998)
According to sports lore, Randy Moss’ 1998 Thanksgiving performance was one of the greatest “I’m Him” moments of the 1990s. Months after the Dallas Cowboys, the team Randy said he always wanted to play for, passed on him in the NFL Draft (largely due to his off-field legal issues), Moss and the Minnesota Vikings beat down the Cowboys 46-36. Moss had just three catches but those three catches were good for 163 yards and three touchdowns. How’s that for an “I told you so”?
Tony Romo (2006)
Tony Romo might have eventually been designated The Guy Who Couldn’t Get It Done When It Mattered Most, but hopes were still high for him early in his career. In just his sixth start, the undrafted QB had his coming out party against the Tampa Bay Bucs on Thanksgiving Day, lighting them up for 5 touchdown passes, 306 passing yards and a 148.9 QB Rating. Fortunately for the Cowboys—and maybe not so much for displaced starter Drew Bledsoe—it was clear Romo wasn’t going to turn back into a pumpkin. Unless it was the playoffs.
Peyton Manning (2004)
2004 was pretty much the start of Apex Peyton Manning, and his Thanksgiving heater was a microcosm for that level up. Eli’s big brother torched the Lions, completing 23 of 28 passes for 236 yards and 6 touchdowns—his fifth consecutive game with four or more passing touchdowns, an NFL record. Manning would go on to throw a then-record 49 touchdowns for the season.
Barry Sanders (1997)
We’ve made all sorts of advances in sports medicine and training since Barry Sanders retired. But his blend of gymnastic balance, Ferrari acceleration, and Steve Jobs vision remains unparalleled. For evidence, peep his 1997 Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears. Against a division rival, he rushed 19 times for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns. Even more impressive: it marked his 11th straight 100-yard rushing game of the season.
OJ Simpson (1976)
There is an inescapable darkness that clouds his previous accomplishments, but before standing trial for murder, OJ Simpson was one of the greatest running backs of all time. With his combination of speed and strength, Simpson was a breakaway threat who could also take contact. On Thanksgiving Day 1976, he was in full flight against the Lions, rushing for a career-high 273 yards in the Bills 27-14 defeat.
Jason Garrett (1994)
In a vacuum, Jason Garrett’s stat line (15-26 311 passing yards, two TDs and a pick) would be considered very good, but fairly mortal. But then consider that Garrett was a third-stringer filling in for an injured Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete. Then, remember that he delivered this performance while overcoming a double-digit halftime deficit against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers and it turns into a Thanksgiving miracle.
Lawrence Taylor (1982)
It’s difficult to imagine a Thanksgiving game with a 13-6 final score being an all-timer. Then again, it’s also difficult to imagine Lawrence Taylor, the most disruptive defensive player in the history of the game. Having suffered an injury a week earlier, LT was kept out of the first half of the New York Giants’ contest against the Detroit Lions. But once he got in, he wrecked havoc. Taylor notched a sack, forced a fumble, and then intercepted a pass near the Giants goal line and took it 97 yards to the house for the game-winning touchdown.
Dak Prescott (2023)
A pattern throughout Dak Prescott’s career resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day 2023: The Dallas QB excels against bad teams and the 2023 Washington Commanders, playing out the string in Ron Rivera’s final season as head coach, were a really bad team. Against his NFC East rival, Prescott completed 22 of 32 passes for 331 yards and four TDs in Dallas’ 45-10 shellacking of the Commanders. How ’bout Dak Prescott?
Brett Favre (2007)
Ahead of the 2007 NFL season, Brett Favre was facing his most difficult opponent yet: Father Time. By Thanksgiving, he’d pretty much put those washed allegations to rest, completing a franchise-record 20-consecutive passes on his way to 381 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in the Packers’ 36-27 win over the Detroit Lions.
Emmitt Smith (1996)
A week after being benched for a pedestrian performance, Emmitt Smith got his get back. Facing his division rival, he carried the ball 29 times for 155 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Smith would end his career with eight 100-yard games on Thanksgiving and is the all-time rushing leader on the holiday with 1,178 yards.