Minnesota Vikings: Ranking every Thanksgiving game in team history

4. Vikings 44, Cowboys 38 (OT) (1987)

It was the strike-interrupted season of 1987, a year in which there were three weeks of play that featured “replacement players” or veterans (or both) that opted to cross picket lines. However, when the Vikings and Cowboys squared off on Thanksgiving at Texas Stadium, that brief interruption was well over and these two teams combined for 82 points.

Jerry Burns’ squad rolled up 476 yards of total offense and needed every bit of that. The hero of the day was Vikings’ running back Darren Nelson, who ran 24 yards in overtime for the winning touchdown. He finished the day with 118 yards rushing and a pair of scores.

Wide receiver Anthony Carter hauled in eight passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota owned a 38-24 fourth-quarter lead but allowed Dallas to tie the score and send the game into OT.

3. Vikings 30, Lions 23 (2017)

It was a year that began with Sam Bradford at quarterback and would soon have Case Keenum behind center. He would enjoy a career year and it resulted in an NFC North title and an appearance in the NFC title game. After a 2-2 start, the Vikings won 11 of their final 12 games, including a Thanksgiving Day triumph at Detroit.

Keenum led the team to a 20-3 second-quarter lead thanks to a pair of touchdown passes and a nine-yard run into the end zone. Latavius Murray gave Minnesota a 27-10 advantage early in the third quarter with a two-yard run. However, the Lions came roaring back and early in the fourth quarter had narrowed their deficit to four points. The Vikings got a late field goal for a little insurance on an afternoon in which Mike Zimmer’s team amassed 408 total yards and played turnover-free football.