Five Impressive Thanksgiving Day NFL Performances and Some Football Cards to Feast On
As the leaves turn bright colors and fall to the ground, the air is becoming cold and crisp, and today we gather around the extra large table(s) to enjoy a day-long feast of turkey and all the trimmings with our most favorite loved ones.
Push yourself away from the table for a few minutes and review five of the most impactful Thanksgiving Day performances in NFL history as we offer a card from that very season to remember each amazing Turkey Day performance.
1. Moss Cooks the Cowboys
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss burst onto the scene his rookie season and almost immediately became one of the best wideouts in the league. His coming out party happened on Thanksgiving Day of 1998 on National TV as he caught three Randall Cunningham passes for 163 yards, taking all three to the house. Moss's day looked as if you were playing Madden on rookie mode. The images of Moss catching bombs with no defender within ten yards of him as he raced and hurdled himself into the endzone will live on forever on NFL Thanksgiving Day highlights. Randy had three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns in a game that brought the birth of a superstar.
We could select a plethora of Moss rookies but for this special occasion, we will go high-end and choose one of his best, the 1998 SP Authentic RC.
2. Barry Sanders Batters the Bears
The only thing more synonymous with Thanksgiving than the Detroit Lions playing football is the Butterball Turkey itself (OK, maybe the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, too). The year prior to Moss's outburst, Detroit Lions legendary running back Barry Sanders put on a show against their NFC North rival Chicago Bears on Turkey Day. Barry juked, jived, spun, cut and ran downfield for 167 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-20 blowout of Da Bears. If you fought off the tryptophan and were watching Thanksgiving Day football in the nineties, chances are you were watching Barry Sanders cement his legacy nearly each and every Thanksgiving Thursday.
In honor of Sanders, carving up the Bears we will go with his tough 1997 EX-2000 Cut Above die cut insert.
3. Griese Carves Up the Cardinals
For the third spot on our list, we go back a few decades to Thanksgiving Day of 1977. The Miami Dolphins were a perennial powerhouse, and Bob Griese was the signal caller for the squad. The Hall of Fame quarterback threw for just over 200 yards, but launched a record six, yes six, Thanksgiving Day touchdowns, a number only matched decades later by the great Peyton Manning. Griese's Dolphins whooped up on the Cardinals by a final score of 55-14 and sent the red birds on a short trip home on an empty stomach.
Admittedly, we don't have many options for a 1977 card of Griese. We'll go with his classic base 1977 Topps offering here.
4. McCoy Mashes Cowboys
With the help of a bruising offensive line, lightning fast and elusive LeSean McCoy ran through gaping holes against the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of 159 yards and a touchdown in a 33-10 Eagles route of their archrival on Thanksgiving Day in 2014. At times, McCoy looked like he was the athletic big brother running wild in a wide-open family backyard Turkey Bowl game in total Philly frontline domination.
It's only fitting with Shady's near flawless performance that we tab a 2014 Flawless patch auto as his card of choice.
5. Manning Lights Up Lions
We head to Thanksgiving Day of 2004 when the legendary Peyton Manning tied fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese's Thanksgiving Day record of six touchdown passes (see above). One key point of demarcation is the fact that Manning did it in only three quarters of play. He threw six tuddies to his buddies, the first three to one of his favorite targets of the time in Brandon Stokely and then "The Sheriff" promptly tossed three more to his all-time favorite and most productive target in fellow HOFer Marvin Harrison. The result was one of the most lopsided victories in Turkey Day football history as the Colts ruined the holiday for the throwback uniform wearing Lions by a score of 41-9. Manning went on to break Dan Marino's single-season touchdown passing record that season.
To honor Payton's signature Turkey Day performance, we select a 2004 Topps certified on card autograph.
That's a wrap on our list. Head back to the kitchen for seconds (or thirds) and enjoy the rest of the holiday surrounded by family, friends and football.
Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms