[OLD HEAD]

NFL 2008


NFL Serves Up Three Sizzling Courses of Thanksgiving Football
11/22/2008



HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL !


************************************************** ************************************************** **************************************

THREE THANKSGIVING GAMES PLAYED, “PLAY 60” HIGHLIGHTED

Thanksgiving, a day of family and togetherness, is also a good time to focus on the importance of keeping kids healthy and giving them safe places to play.

In support of NFL PLAY 60, the league’s health and fitness campaign aimed at getting kids active for 60 minutes a day, all three of next week’s nationally televised NFL Thanksgiving Day games will include special public service announcements featuring home-team players.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback DONOVAN MC NABB, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DE MARCUS WARE and Detroit Lions wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON will appear in the PSAs. The spots were filmed at recent team PLAY 60 events where players joined local youngsters to get active and talk about the importance of good health. Fans can help the effort during Thanksgiving week by logging onto NFL.com/PLAY60 to donate to organizations that support youth health and fitness.


Thanksgiving Day’s focus on kids will include halftime performances by young-fan favorites JESSE MC CARTNEY in Detroit and the JONAS BROTHERS in Dallas, and anthems sung by MICHELLE WILLIAMS (Detroit), DEMI LOVATO (Dallas) and MARIO (Philadelphia). Local youth football teams from Detroit, Dallas and Philadelphia also will lead the home teams onto the field at the start of each game while wearing special NFL PLAY 60 jerseys.

************************************************** ************************************************** **************************************



NFL SERVES UP THREE SIZZLING COURSES

OF THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL


For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving Day and NFL football are inextricably linked.

From touch football games with friends to watching NFL games with relatives after a traditional feast, these football moments and memories are interwoven with the holiday season.

The NFL this Thursday will present fans with a Thanksgiving tripleheader for the third consecutive year as traditional competitors Detroit and Dallas host games during the day followed by a primetime nightcap on NFL Network.

Some of the most memorable NFL games in history have been played on Thanksgiving Day – the “Clint Longley” game…the Cowboys-Dolphins’ “snow” game…Barry Sanders running for 167 yards and three touchdowns…and many others.

There are sure to be memories waiting to happen next Thursday. At 12:30 PM ET on CBS, the Tennessee Titans, who remain the NFL’s lone undefeated team entering Week 12, will visit the Detroit Lions. It will be the Lions’ 69th Thanksgiving game in their 75 seasons.

Each of the succeeding games will feature an NFC East team fighting for a playoff spot. At 4:15 PM ET on FOX, the Dallas Cowboys, who are currently tied for second place in the division with Washington at 6-4, will host their 41st Thanksgiving game when they play the Seattle Seahawks.

The Thanksgiving tripleheader concludes at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network when QB KURT WARNER and the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals visit the Philadelphia Eagles, who are still very much in the playoff mix at 5-4-1.


Following are some of the NFL’s most memorable games and moments on Thanksgiving Day:



DATE
TEAMS
SUMMARY

11/25/20
Canton Bulldogs 0 at Akron Pros 7
In the first professional football game played on Thanksgiving Day, Fritz Pollard, the first African-American quarterback in the NFL, led Akron to a 7-0 victory over Jim Thorpe and the Canton Bulldogs. The game marked the start of the Thanksgiving tradition of pro football in America.


11/26/25
Chicago Cardinals 0 at Chicago Bears 0
Harold “Red” Grange, in his first professional season, led the Bears to a scoreless tie against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. The game attracted 36,000 fans, the largest crowd in pro football history at the time.

11/28/29
Chicago Cardinals 40 at Chicago Bears 6
The Cardinals defeated the crosstown-rival Bears behind six rushing touchdowns by Ernie Nevers, a still-standing NFL single-game record. Nevers accounted for all 40 of the Cardinals’ points, converting four of six points-after-touchdown.

11/29/34
Chicago Bears 19 at Detroit Lions 16
In the first NFL game to be broadcast nationally (on NBC radio), the Bears defeated the Lions, 19-16. The game marked the beginning of the NFL’s Thanksgiving tradition in Detroit.

11/22/62
Green Bay Packers 14 at Detroit Lions 26
Before 57,598 fans at Tiger Stadium and a national television audience, the Lions sacked Packers quarterback Bart Starr 11 times for 110 yards in losses. It was the Packers’ only loss of the season.

11/28/74
Washington Redskins 23 at Dallas Cowboys 24
Trailing Washington 16-3 in the third quarter, Dallas rookie quarterback Clint Longley replaced an injured Roger Staubach and lifted the Cowboys to victory with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 0:28 remaining.

11/25/76
Buffalo Bills 14 at Detroit Lions 27
Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson runs for a Thanksgiving Day- record 273 yards (most in NFL history at the time) in a losing effort.

11/27/80
Chicago Bears 23 at Detroit Lions 17 (OT)
Chicago kick returner Dave Williams returned the overtime kickoff for a touchdown, completing a Bears comeback from a 17-3 deficit. Williams’ return is one of only two overtime kickoff returns for touchdowns in history.

11/22/90
Washington Redskins 17 at Dallas Cowboys 27
Rookie running back Emmitt Smith carried 23 times for 132 yards, including two second-half touchdown runs, as the Cowboys scored the final 17 points in the game.

11/25/93
Miami Dolphins 16 at Dallas Cowboys 14
On a snowy Thanksgiving in Dallas, the Cowboys’ Jimmie Jones blocked Miami’s game-winning field-goal attempt with 0:15 remaining. With the game seemingly over, Dallas’ Leon Lett revived the dead ball, sliding into it at the Cowboys’ seven-yard line. Miami recovered the ball at the Dallas one with :03 left -- enough time for Pete Stoyanovich to kick a game-winning 20-yard field goal.

11/27/97
Chicago Bears 20 at Detroit Lions 55
Lions running back Barry Sanders ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns. In the process, Sanders passed Eric Dickerson for second on the all-time rushing list.

11/26/98
Minnesota Vikings 46 at Dallas Cowboys 36
Minnesota’s rookie wide receiver Randy Moss caught only three passes against the Cowboys, but all were touchdowns as he finished the day with 163 receiving yards.

11/28/02
Washington Redskins 20 at Dallas Cowboys 27
Down 20-10, the Cowboys came back to post their 10th consecutive victory over the archrival Redskins. Dallas running back Emmitt Smith ran for 144 yards, becoming the only player in history to eclipse the 17,000 career rushing-yards mark.

11/24/05
Denver Broncos 24 at Dallas Cowboys 21 (OT)
Broncos running back Ron Dayne rushed for a 16-yard touchdown in the third quarter and his 55-yard scamper set up Jason Elam’s game-winning 24-yard field goal in overtime.


Following are some of the greatest single-game individual performances in NFL Thanksgiving Day history:

RECORD
TOTAL
PLAYER
TEAMS
YEAR



Most TDs
6
Ernie Nevers, Chi. Card.
Chicago Cardinals 40, Chicago Bears 6
1929


Most Yards Rushing
273
O.J. Simpson, Buffalo
Detroit Lions 27, Buffalo Bills 14
1976


Most Yards Passing
455
Troy Aikman, Dallas
Minnesota Vikings 46, Dallas Cowboys 36
1998

Most Yards Receiving
303
Jim Benton, Cleveland
Cleveland Rams 28, Detroit Lions 21
1945


Most Interceptions
4
Bobby Dillon, Green Bay
Detroit Lions 34, Green Bay Packers 15
1953



Good Luck And Enjoy Your Day!


---------------------------