The Dallas Cowboys most memorable Thanksgiving moments

While there hasn’t been much positive to talk about in Dallas this season other than the recent two-game winning streak, we’ve got a treat for you. Since everyone loves nostalgia these days, we figured it would be cool to take a look at some of the best moments in Cowboys Thanksgiving game history. Not all are great moments for the Cowboys specifically, but they are memorable moments nonetheless.

Leon Lett’s unforgettable Turkey day blunder (1993)

Oh goodness. If you’re a Cowboys fan, you know exactly what this is about, no matter your age. This is one of the biggest blunders in NFL history, not just on Thanksgiving. Leon Lett was a Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Cowboys during the team's Super Bowl runs in the early-mid 1990s.

On this day, Lett went down in history for all the wrong reasons. This was one of those rare snow games in Dallas and it had come down to the Miami Dolphins attempting a field goal to win the game. The Cowboys special team did a great job blocking the ball which propelled past the line of scrimmage, as Cowboys players screamed “Get away!”

From out of nowhere one white jersey enters the picture then proceeds to slip and slide into the ball making the play live. The Dolphins recovered the ball at the 1-yard line and subsequently went on to kick the game-winning field goal as time ran off the clock. Luckily for Dallas, this moment did not throw them completely off course as they would go on to win their second of three Super Bowls in four years.

Jason Garrett gets the last laugh (1994)

Fans of a certain age won’t even remember Jason Garrett as a player, let alone the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. While Troy Aikman was the man in Big D during the 90’s, Garrett was his backup for seven years. But it was turkey day of the ’94 season where Garrett filled in for the injured Aikman and went off.

On this day against the Green Bay Packers, Garrett would be part of a comeback and dominating second-half performance by America’s Team. At the time, a young Brett Favre and the Packers had not quite become a huge factor in the NFC but they were on their way. They got up on Dallas early building a 17-6 lead. The Cowboys went on to score 36 second-half points vanishing the Packers, 42-31.

In that game, Garrett passed for 311 yards and two TDs. He also got a little help from Emmitt Smith who rushed for 133 yards and two TDs himself. It was one of the highlights of Garrett’s career and a memorable moment in Cowboys' Thanksgiving game history.

Randy Moss embarrasses the Cowboys (1998)

This one is legendary because Randy Moss wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys player. Moss’s draft stock dropped due to “off-field” issues entering the ’98 draft. A player who should’ve been a top-five pick fell to No. 21 where the Minnesota Vikings snatched him up. Dallas had the No. 8 pick and selected defensive end Greg Ellis.

Moss never forgot nor did he forgive the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones for passing him by. It wouldn’t take long for Moss to get his revenge as his first career game against the Cowboys came on Thanksgiving Day of his rookie season.

Talk about less being more, Moss put on a show like nothing we’d ever seen before. Moss’s stat line from this game was bonkers since he only had three catches in the game. However, he made the most of his opportunities with all three receptions going for touchdowns to the tune of 163 yards receiving. That performance pretty much wrapped the Rookie of the Year award for Moss as the Vikings made it to the NFC title game that season.

Tony Romo torches the Buccaneers (2006)

At this point, Tony Romo was still relatively unknown to the football world as he’d only had a handful of starts since replacing Drew Bledsoe earlier in the 2006 campaign. To the surprise of most, this undrafted free agent who’d actually been with Dallas for a couple of years had played well.

But on this Thanksgiving day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Romo the gunslinger was born. Romo had already conquered his first 300-yard passing game two weeks earlier in a win against Arizona. However, on this turkey day, Romo completely dominated passing for 306 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys defeated John Gruden’s Bucs, 38-10.