Many families will sit together on the couch this Thanksgiving and watch football. Thanksgiving football has become an American tradition. Football fans are also accustomed to the tradition of seeing the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions play each Thanksgiving Day. Each of the greatest games played on Thanksgiving include either the Cowboys or Lions.
2004 Indianapolis Colts vs. Detroit Lions
This was Peyton Manning's first appearance on Thanksgiving Day and he turned in one of his greatest performances of his career. Manning and the Colts defeated the Detroit Lions 41-9. Manning threw six touchdown passes in the game and played a great game on the big stage on Thanksgiving Day.
1998 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions
This game is commonly remembered because of the overtime coin flip where Jerome Bettis famously called tails but the referee heard heads. This gave the Lions the ball in overtime and the Lions and Charlie Batch ended up winning the game 19-16 in overtime. This was a great game and also led to a change in the coin flip rule going forward.
1993 Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys
This game has been seen on blooper reels everywhere. Miami was kicking a field goal to win the game with less than a minute left when the Cowboys blocked the field goal. Leon Lett famously touched the ball in an attempt to pick it up but slipped in the snow and allowed the Dolphins to recover the ball. The Dolphins got another chance at a field goal and made it. The Dolphins won the game 16-14.
1974 Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach got injured in the game and the Cowboys were trailing the Redskins 23-3. Backup quarterback Clint Longley entered the game and brought the team back from 20 points down against their rival. This is one of the biggest games in the Cowboys-Redskins longtime rivalry and one of the most exciting games in Thanksgiving football history.
1969 San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys
The 49ers and Cowboys are another of the bigger rivalries in the NFL. This game on Thanksgiving Day in 1969 ended in a 24-24 tie. The Cowboys were a much better team that season but the game was very close and went back and forth all game. The tie shows how close the end result of the game was.
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Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.
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