A new year. old custom. older rival.
It will be about football, not turkey, but Dolly Parton, the Salvation Army, and all the other traditional Thanksgiving fare when the Dallas Cowboys play the Washington Commanders on Thursday afternoon at AT&T Stadium. While supporters and viewers relish one of the richest, most recognizable traditions in American sports, the Cowboys can continue to compete strongly in the NFC East.
Things remain the same more often than they change.
The Cowboys defeated the New York Giants on Thanksgiving of last year, with two of their four touchdowns coming from former players Dalton Schultz, Ezekiel Elliott, and Peyton Hendershot.
Since former executive Tex Schramm volunteered his team to play on a holiday in 1966, the Cowboys’ late-afternoon kickoff has been a Thanksgiving tradition for all but two years (the St. Louis Cardinals took Dallas’ place in 1975 and ’77). the dressing and the turkey. Heartburn and relatives are two things that linger painfully. The always-too-brief nap after lunch. The red kettle of the Salvation Army. This year’s grand halftime show will feature Dolly, one of the queens of country music.
With a 32-22-1 turkey day record, a Cowboys victory is also usually in the cards. Thanksgiving has left me with both wonderful and terrible memories over the years. Our Top ten:
10. 2012 – Washington 38, Cowboys 31: Robert Griffin III, a thrilling rookie quarterback, scorches the turkey and splatters the dressing with three touchdown passes in the second quarter, leading to a perplexing 28-3 halftime lead.
9. 1987 – Vikings 44, Cowboys 38 (OT): Danny White’s five touchdowns are surpassed by Darrin Nelson’s game-winning, 24-yard touchdown run, knocking Dallas 5-6 out of the playoff race.
8. 2005 – Broncos 24, Cowboys 21 (OT): Denver’s Ron Dayne sets up the heartbreaking loss with a 55-yard rumble after Billy Cundiff misses a 34-yard field goal late in regulation.
7. 2016 – Cowboys 31, Redskins 26: Dallas extends its winning streak to ten games with a combined four touchdowns from rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. The team also pulls off a thrilling 34-point fourth-quarter comeback thanks to a late onside kick recovery.
6. 1998 – Vikings 46, Cowboys 36: Rookie receiver Randy Moss haunts the team that passed him over for Greg Ellis in the draft with three touchdowns and 163 yards receiving.
5. 2011: Dolphins 19, Cowboys 20: The final five minutes are consumed by a 10-play drive led by Jason Witten and DeMarco Murray, which sets up Dan Bailey’s game-winning 28-yard field goal on the last play of the game.
4. 1989: Eagles 27, Cowboys 0: Buddy Ryan of Philly injects some “Bounty Bowl” humiliation by offering a $200 reward to one of his players who takes out Luis Zendejas, the Cowboys’ kicker.
3. 1994 – Cowboys 42, Packers 31: With his team trailing 17-3 and Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete out due to injuries, Jason Garrett enters the game and throws for 311 yards, leading Dallas to a record 36 points in the second half.
2. 1993 – Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14: Ice storm. Leon Lett. You know the rest. Grumble mumble …
1. 1974 – Cowboys 24, Redskins 23: Clint Longley, a rookie from Abilene Christian and his first NFL game, leads an incredible comeback that is capped off by a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds left. Longley replaces an injured Roger Staubach.