Best NFL Thanksgiving Performances of All Time

Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching, and there's nothing better than watching football while stuffing yourself with turkey, corn, and whatever else your family chooses to eat. With that being said, some NFL players have to wait for their Thanksgiving dinners, as they have games to dominate. Here are five of the best NFL Thanksgiving performances of all-time.

5. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys, 1994

Before Jason Garrett was being chastised by every single Cowboys fan for their 13-9 loss last week (and many losses that came before), he was better known for a memorable Thanksgiving Day performance in 1994 as a third-string quarterback. With both Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete out, Garrett was tasked with facing off against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, and boy, did he deliver in primetime, going 15-for-26 for 311 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Cowboys to a 42-31 victory.

4. Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins, 1977

Bob Griese had a lot of memorable moments as the quarterback of a dominant Miami Dolphins team in the 1970s, and one of his hallmark moments was when he threw for six touchdowns on Thanksgiving Day in 1977 against the then-St. Louis Cardinals. Six! That wasn't matched until 2004, when another quarterback threw for an astounding six touchdowns as well, but we'll get to that in a bit.

3. O.J. Simpson, Buffalo Bills, 1976

A year before Griese's six-touchdown performance, O.J. had one of the greatest running performances in the history of the NFL, rushing for a then-single-game record 273 yards, as well as two touchdowns. Even though the Bills lost that game to the Lions, O.J.'s performance deserved to be recognized as one of the best on Turkey Day.

2. Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings, 1998

Heading into this matchup against the Cowboys, Moss had a lot of extra motivation to perform, as Dallas had famously passed over him in the previous year's draft. With a golden opportunity to perform on primetime television, the rookie caught three passes for three touchdowns, all of which went for 50-plus yards.

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, 2004

Peyton torched the Detroit Lions for six touchdowns in only three quarters, throwing three touchdown passes to both Brandon Stokley and Marvin Harrison while leading the Colts to a lopsided 41-9 win. And this was on the same day that Lions legend Barry Sanders received his Hall of Fame ring. Talk about ruining a special day.