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The greatest NFL games in Thanksgiving history

Noah Frank | nfrank@wtop.com

November 25, 2015, 3:13 AM

NFL football fans watch during an NFL football game on Thanksgiving day between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in Detroit Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
WASHINGTON — NFL football and Thanksgiving. They go together like turkey and stuffing, or mashed potatoes and gravy, or an oversized portion of whatever you’re serving Thursday and a nap on the couch. The Turkey Day slate has expanded over the years, from a single game to a full, three-contest slate. Now you can find a way to avoid uncomfortable conversation with your family the entire holiday. But come Black Friday, you’re on your own. Four of the six teams involved in this year’s games have losing records, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the games won’t be entertaining. Just in case they aren’t, though, here’s a list of the 10 best Thanksgiving Day games from NFL history. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre (4) is sacked by Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Claiborne (50) in the second quarter in Pontiac, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. Lions defensive end James Hall recovered the fumble and scored on an 8-yard run. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
#10: 2001 — Winless Lions nearly beat Packers The 2001 Detroit Lions were truly terrible. They weren’t the 0-16 team that would follow seven years later, but managed just 2 more points than that squad, finishing 2-14 and getting outscored by 154 points on the year. They came into Thanksgiving at 0-9 against a 6-3 Packers squad that would end up winning 12 games and advancing a round in the playoffs. And Detroit gave Green Bay everything it could handle. Trailing 29-13 late in the fourth quarter, the Lions drove down and scored a touchdown along with the two-point conversion to make it a one possession game with 80 seconds remaining. Then they recovered the onside kick, drove down and scored again with 10 seconds to play. But the final two-point conversion came up short, as Mike McMahon’s pass could not find Cory Schlesinger and the Lions fell, 29-27. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Clint Longley, Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback, holds two of the local newspapers proclaiming his outstanding play in the Cowboys 24-23 victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday, shown in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 29, 1974. Longley came in the third quarter after Roger Staubach was injured and guided the team from a 16-3 deficit to a last second victory with a 50-yard touchdown pass. (AP Photo/Harold Waters)
#9: 1974 — Dallas rallies without Staubach to beat Washington This one might not be popular with the locals, but it belongs on this list. Roger Staubach went down with a first-half injury after going just 3-for-11 with an interception, watching the ‘Boys fall behind 16-3. But Clint Longley, who would complete just 31 passes in his NFL career, went 11-for-20 for 203 yards and two touchdowns to lead Dallas back to a 24-23 victory. (AP Photo/Harold Waters)
AP Photo/Harold Waters
Jim Taylor (31) of the Green Bay Packers, the NFL's leading ground-gainer, is brought down by Lions' Dick Lane in the third quarter in Detroit, Nov. 22, 1962. Taylor was held to a scant 47 yards on the ground by Detroit in dumping the league's leaders 26-14. (AP Photo/Preston Stroup)
#8: 1962 — Lions beat undefeated Packers The 1962 Packers lost just one game all season en route to a championship and came into Thanksgiving Day a perfect 10-0 under Vince Lombardi. But their visit to Detroit did not go as planned. The Lions jumped out to a 23-0 halftime lead at Tiger Stadium and kept Green Bay off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, twice picking off Bart Starr. While it wouldn’t be enough to win the NFL West division, it kept their old rivals from perfection. (AP Photo/Preston Stroup)
AP Photo/Preston Stroup
Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White reacts after sacking San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young in the fourth quarter of the Packers 36-22 win, Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998, in Green Bay, Wis. Halfway through his farewell season and six weeks shy of his 37th birthday, White is playing like a young man again. His 11 sacks, as many as he had all of last season, have him on pace to challenge his career-best of 21, which he set in 1987 for the Philadelphia Eagles. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
#7: 1986 — Packers beat Lions 44-40 in highest-scoring game in Thanksgiving history In 1986, both the Packers and Lions were pretty dreadful, combining for just nine wins. Both were heavily outscored on the season and averaged just 15.9 and 17.3 points per game, respectively. But all the trends went out the window on Turkey Day, when the clubs combined for 84 points on the turf in Pontiac. The game swung back-and-forth with three lead changes, and the winning score came on an 83-yard Walter Stanley punt return in the fourth quarter to give Green Bay the win. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
AP Photo/Morry Gash
Houston Oilers star running back Earl Campbell (34) shown in action during Saturday night, Aug. 24, 1980 exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
#6: 1979 — Campbell, Oilers beat Staubach, Cowboys 30-24 What should have been a classic running back showdown between Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett instead became the Houston run game against Roger Staubach and the Dallas air attack. And while the Cowboys’ star threw for nearly 300 yards and a pair of scores to put Dallas ahead early, it was Campbell’s 33 carries for 195 yards and two scores of his own that proved to be the difference as Houston came back to win, 30-24. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
AP Photo/Bill Haber
#5: 2012 — The Butt Fumble Sure, this game was a blowout. The Jets never had a chance in a 49-19 thrashing by the Patriots. But Mark Sanchez gave us a play that will live in infamy and lowlight reels for eternity, and for that we are forever thankful. I’ve chosen this particular video to show the play as many times from as many angles with as much detailed analysis as possible. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes during the first half of the NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
#4: 2010 — Saints nearly blow it, steal win from Cowboys Coming off their Super Bowl season the year prior, the Saints were cruising along at 7-3 heading into Dallas to take on a Cowboys team that was just 3-7. Drew Brees led New Orleans out to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter at Jerryworld, and it looked like the Saints would roll from there. The Cowboys fought back, though, scoring three second-half touchdowns to take a 27-23 lead with less than six minutes to play. And with just over three minutes to play, Dallas was on the verge of putting the game on ice, as Roy Williams broke free for a 47-yard reception, only to have Malcolm Jenkins force a fumble and the Saints recover. Brees promptly led the Saints down the field for a go-ahead score, and the Cowboys missed a potential game-tying field goal in the final minute, just for good measure. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
AP Photo/Mike Fuentes
#3: 1998 — Jerome Bettis calls heads and tails in OT, Lions win 19-16 Any game that provokes a rule change deserves its due. The ’98 Steelers marched into Detroit at 7-4 and ground out 60 minutes of football to a 16-16 draw, heading to overtime. When star running back and captain Jerome Bettis came out to call the overtime coin toss, he appeared to call tails while the coin was in the air, but referee Phil Luckett declares that Bettis called heads, only to have the coin land tails up. Despite Bettis’ protests, the call was upheld and the Lions were awarded the ball. Detroit ended up kicking the game-winning field goal in a 19-16 victory, and the Steelers would not win again that season. And captains now give their selection for the coin toss before the coin goes into the air. (YouTube/NFL)
YouTube/NFL
Chicago Bears' running back Walter Payton (34) is shown in action against the Minnesota Vikings, Oct. 19, 1980. (AP Photo)
#2: 1980 — Bears/Lions overtime, opening kick returned 95 yards for GW TD This was the first Thanksgiving game to go into overtime, with the Lions carrying a 17-3 lead through three quarters before the Bears stormed back for 14 fourth quarter points to send the game to the extra session. But it didn’t take long to end things from there. Chicago’s Dave Williams fielded the kickoff from the five yard line and sprinted 95 yards to victory as the Bears won, 23-17. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
#1: 1993 — “The Cowboys will win!” Miami wins 16-14 on second FG attempt Playing in a rare Texas snowstorm, the Dolphins and Cowboys slugged it out in a low-scoring affair, with Dallas holding a 14-13 lead and Miami driving. Pete Stoyanovich had already hit a pair of field goals in the second half for the 8-2 Dolphins, and were lined up with 15 seconds to go with a chance to beat the Cowboys. That’s when the Cowboys got the jump on the Miami line and blocked the field goal. But despite teammates waiving each other away from the ball, Leon Lett made the mistake of jumping in, trying to recover it and kicked it, making it a live ball once again. With the ball once again in their possession, Miami converted the chip shot, 19-yard attempt to win 16-14. But the universe works in mysterious ways. After moving to 9-2, the Dolphins would not win again, losing their final game in overtime and missing the playoffs. Meanwhile, Dallas dropped to 7-4 with the defeat, but would not lose again, in the regular season or the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl championship. (AP Photo)
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NFL football fans watch during an NFL football game on Thanksgiving day between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in Detroit Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre (4) is sacked by Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Claiborne (50) in the second quarter in Pontiac, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 22, 2001. Lions defensive end James Hall recovered the fumble and scored on an 8-yard run. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Clint Longley, Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback, holds two of the local newspapers proclaiming his outstanding play in the Cowboys 24-23 victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday, shown in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 29, 1974. Longley came in the third quarter after Roger Staubach was injured and guided the team from a 16-3 deficit to a last second victory with a 50-yard touchdown pass. (AP Photo/Harold Waters)
Jim Taylor (31) of the Green Bay Packers, the NFL's leading ground-gainer, is brought down by Lions' Dick Lane in the third quarter in Detroit, Nov. 22, 1962. Taylor was held to a scant 47 yards on the ground by Detroit in dumping the league's leaders 26-14. (AP Photo/Preston Stroup)
Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White reacts after sacking San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young in the fourth quarter of the Packers 36-22 win, Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998, in Green Bay, Wis. Halfway through his farewell season and six weeks shy of his 37th birthday, White is playing like a young man again. His 11 sacks, as many as he had all of last season, have him on pace to challenge his career-best of 21, which he set in 1987 for the Philadelphia Eagles. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Houston Oilers star running back Earl Campbell (34) shown in action during Saturday night, Aug. 24, 1980 exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes during the first half of the NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)
Chicago Bears' running back Walter Payton (34) is shown in action against the Minnesota Vikings, Oct. 19, 1980. (AP Photo)

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