The best Thanksgiving memories, from Randy Moss indulging in food to the Butt Fumble that had Tom Brady and the nation in stitches.
One of the greatest customs in American sports is the NFL playing games on Thanksgiving. The NFL is extremely popular on Thanksgiving because Americans adore football and food, even if the late November holiday isn’t very popular in England for obvious reasons.
Dallas was Moss Moss’d on Thanksgiving. Moss made a big impression on the NFL as a tall yet quick rookie wide receiver in 1998.In the first year, he caught 69 passes for 1,313 yards and an incredible 17 touchdowns, winning him MVP honors and the title of Offensive Rookie of the Year.
However, there’s no better way to introduce yourself to the American public than on television, and Moss made a memorable Thanksgiving performance in this regard. Only three passes were caught by the former Marshall standout against the Dallas Cowboys, who were still regarded as America’s Team at the time. Moss delivered on all three of his receptions, amassing 163 yards and three touchdowns in a stat line that still seems unbelievable.
Leon Lett pulls off another incredible feat.
The Cowboys have traditionally been the focal point of Thanksgiving NFL football. A 1993 play starring Lett, who had given up a Super Bowl score the season before, is one of the most unforgettable moments.
Miami set up for a late-game field goal in a snow-filled game that featured heavy jackets and icy hands; had Dallas let the ball to go uncontested, the Cowboys would have won by one point.Eventually, though, Lett slipped in for a snowy scoop, returning the ball to Miami.
In the last seconds, Miami pulled away with an incredible 16-14 victory after the Dolphins’ second field goal try was successful.
In the Lions match, the Juice breaks free.
A legendary NFL running back and one of the world’s top athletes, O.J. Simpson once had widespread recognition.In 1976, after an incredible 1,800-yard season, The Juice was nearly unstoppable when his engine was running at maximum power. That moment was still real.
With 273 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against the Lions on Thanksgiving in ’76, Simpson set an NFL record at the time. Simpson’s career quickly took a turn for the worse when Buffalo defeated 27–14.But for a while, Thanksgiving football was always associated with The Juice’s supremacy in the backfield.
Thanksgiving time in the NFL is incomplete without a mention of one of the most well-known and hilarious plays in the league’s history. Even though he was selected fifth overall, the Sanchize never made it to the Pro Bowl. He was the starting quarterback for the New York Jets for just four years, going 37-36 overall in that time.
However, Sanchez did have a 4-2 postseason record, and the former USC standout invented the Butt Fumble play. Unaware of the situation, Sanchez went straight into an offensive lineman for the Jets. The bizarre fumble was gathered by the New England Patriots for a simple touchdown.
Tom Brady, who was playing that day for Bill Belichick’s side, couldn’t help but smile when he watched it later from his hotel room on a replay. He remarked, “The first time I saw it, I laughed out loud in a room by myself for 20 seconds,” on The Let’s Go podcast in 2022 following his observation of Miami Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead kicking the ball off Trent Sherfield’s back against the Buffalo Bills.
“I found it to be the funniest sports-related thing I had ever seen. It’s still one of the funniest sports-related memories I have because our team benefited from it and I was watching from the sidelines. It was really funny, but I don’t believe [Dolphins versus. Bills] topped it.” The picture of Sanchez’s helmet colliding with a teammate’s butt has stuck with me ever since and I doubt it will ever fade.