The Top 10 Most Memorable Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day Games | Sportatorium | Dallas | Dallas Observer | The Leading Independent News Source in Dallas, Texas
Navigation

The Top 10 Most Memorable Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day Games

The turkey. The dressing. The relatives and the heartburn, neither of which will leave. The red kettle. The grandiose halftime show, this year featuring Daughtry. The - usually anyway - Cowboys' victory. Ah, Thanksgiving. The elements are similar, but tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving Day game in Cowboys Stadium. Should...
Share this:

The turkey. The dressing. The relatives and the heartburn, neither of which will leave. The red kettle. The grandiose halftime show, this year featuring Daughtry. The - usually anyway - Cowboys' victory.

Ah, Thanksgiving.

The elements are similar, but tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving Day game in Cowboys Stadium. Should be an easy win over the lowly Oakland Raiders, who make for the perfect Homecoming opponent.

The Cowboys are 26-14-1 all-time on Turkey Day. Some of them - for better or for worse - you might remember ...

10. 11.27.69 Cowboys 24, 49ers 24. Craig Morton's touchdown pass to Lance Rentzel with three minutes remaining salvages a tie in the Cotton Bowl.

9. 11.26.87 Vikings 44, Cowboys 38 (OT) -- Darrin Nelson's run overcomes Danny White's five touchdowns and drops 5-6 Dallas out of the playoffs.

8. 11.24.05 Broncos 24, Cowboys 21 (OT). After Billy Cundiff misses a 34-yard field goal late in regulation, Denver's Ron Dayne sets up  the heartbreak loss with a 55-yard rumble.

7. 11.23.06 Cowboys 38, Buccaneers 10. Tony Romo's ascension from free agent to superstar gains traction as his five touchdowns lead Dallas into first place in the NFC East.

6. 11.26.98 Vikings 46, Cowboys 36. Rookie receiver Randy Moss haunts the team that passed over him in the draft with three touchdowns and 163 yards receiving.

5. 11.22.01 Broncos 26, Cowboys 24. Dallas' rally from a 26-3 deficit is thwarted when coach Dave Campo inexplicably shuns a two-point conversion attempt after a Reggie Swinton touchdown in the fourth quarter.

4. 11.23.89 Eagles 27, Cowboys 0. Philly's Buddy Ryan adds to the "Bounty Bowl" humiliation with a $200 reward for one of his players taking out Cowboys' kicker Luis Zendejas.

3. 11.24.94 Cowboys 42, Packers 31. With Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete knocked out of the game and his team trailing 24-3, Jason Garrett steps in and throws for 311 yards and leads Dallas to a record 36 second-half points.

2. 11.25.93 Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14. Ice storm. Leon Lett. 'Nuff said.

1. 11.28.74 Cowboys 24, Redskins 23. Replacing an injured Roger Staubach, Abilene Christian rookie Clint Longley -- making his first NFL appearance -- authors a dramatic and improbable rally, climaxed by a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds remaining.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.