Most memorable Thanksgiving moments in NFL history: From Leon Lett to Butt Fumble

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

The tradition started way back in 1876, when Princeton and Yale began playing their annual football game on the fourth Thursday of November. And by the time the NFL was born more than four decades later, Thanksgiving football was already an American tradition.

Now it’s almost impossible to imagine getting through the holiday without it.

In fact, the games — and there has always been more than one since 1960 and three since 2007 — haven’t just produced some holiday fun and a distraction from food and family, they have regularly included some unbelievable performances and incredibly iconic moments. Some of them surely got a boost from playing out in front of a national television audience.

But some would have left an indelible mark on NFL history no matter what.

So here is a list of the 12 of the most iconic NFL Thanksgiving moments and performances — a combination of great feats, incredible gaffes, and things that are just seared into our collective memory. Hopefully, on Thursday the Giants and Cowboys, the Bears and Lions, and the Dolphins and Packers can provide a few more:

2013 — Coach interference

Jacoby Jones was on his way to the all-time holiday highlight reel, but he didn’t end up there for the reason he expected.

In the third quarter of the game between the Ravens and Steelers, Jones, the Ravens’ return man, received a kickoff after the Steelers’ first touchdown of the game. He caught the ball at the goal line, broke towards the left sidelines, and by the time he reached midfield he was behind the entire Steelers defense.

But at the Steelers’ 38-yard line, coach Mike Tomlin had wandered to the edge of the sideline with his back to the play as he watched it unfold on the end zone scoreboard. When he realized he might be in Jones’ way, he took one step onto the field and jumped back to the side, causing Jones to alter his path and slow down just a little. It…


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Publish date : 2024-11-27 17:58:00

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