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Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears 1997

This list could probably start and end with Barry Sanders that Thanksgiving Day in 1997. Watching him weave in and out, fly down the field, bounce off defenders with no concern for Detroit’s merely solid blocking was like watching DaVinci paint the Mona Lisa. With replays, of course.

Sanders gained 167 rushing yards that day. He scored three touchdowns, including two when his team’s big lead was cut to only seven points. The Lions eventually won, 55-20.

And Sanders that season rushed for an NFL-leading 2,053 yards. Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per carry that season, the highest on record of anyone with at least 300 carries in one season. Did we mention he also shared the MVP with Brett Favre in 1997? But on that Thanksgiving Day, Barry Sanders didn’t share the limelight with anyone.

Miami Dolphins vs. St. Louis Cardinals 1977

The Cardinals were good in those days under coach Don Coryell. But did you know Don Shula was pretty good, too? And the Dolphins weren’t completely disconnected from their Super Bowl titles of a few years before.

Anyway, Hollywood Sun-Tattler columnist Ed Plaisted wrote a disparaging column asking why the Dolphins were even bothering to make the trip to St. Lousi. The accompanying art had multiple turkeys with the faces of Miami players superimposed at the end of each bird’s neck. 

Except Bob Griese threw a then-NFL record 6 TD passes in the game and Miami won, 55-14. And afterward, Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg threw Plaisted in the shower. 

Bob Griese drops back to pass circa mid 1970’s during an NFL football game at the Orange Bowl in Miami. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins 1974

The Redskins were dominating to the point they knocked Cowboys’ starting quarterback Roger Staubach out of the game with a concussion. So, some schlub named Clint Longley comes in and completes a couple of passes. Then a couple more. And then he throws a TD pass, and soon the Cowboys are back in this freaking game.

No worries, the Redskins led 23-17 with under 30 seconds to play, and the Cowboys were nowhere near the red zone. But Longley then throws a bomb to Drew Pearson, who turns Washington safety Ken Stone into jelly.

Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.  (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) 

Touchdown Cowboys. Cowboys win. Two years later Longley got into an argument with Staubach and punched the starting quarterback. He was never really heard from again. 

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots 2012

The Butt Fumble game. If that sentence doesn’t remind you of what happened and tell you everything you need to know, you don’t know 21st century NFL football history.

The Jets were losing 14-0 in the second quarter when their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, inexplicably ran with the football into the butt of teammate and Jets offensive lineman Brandon Moore. Sanchez fumbled as he fell, his feet rising above his head.

Patriots defensive back Steve Gregory scooped up the ball off the turf and promptly smelled it to make sure it didn’t smell like Moore’s butt. No, he didn’t. He picked the ball up and scored. And so did all the New York tabloids the following morning. 

Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys 1993

It began, on this zero-degree day in Dallas, with the motorcycle cops escorting the Dolphins to the game wiping out while riding through the fallen snow and built-up ice. It included Keith Byars famously laying on the snow and making a snow angel figure to celebrate a touchdown.

And it was supposed to end on a blocked Miami field goal attempt. Except Dallas defensive lineman Leon Lett touched the loose ball as it lay in the snow. And the Dolphins recovered. And, given a reprieve, they kicked the last-second field goal to win it all.

The Dolphins left that game with a 9-2 record, the best in the NFL. But they would not win another game that season. The Cowboys? They didn’t lose another game that season and eventually became Super Bowl Champions.