Thanksgiving is truly one of the greatest holidays of the year. Eat turkey. Watch football. Call it a day (without the turkey, you would call that a Sunday). The experience is heightened by the stressful half-week that precedes it and the timeless traditions we uphold, like taunting your cousins with the best end-zone dance.

Some Thanksgiving traditions survive the test of time - like tryptophan the Lions putting you to sleep after dinner. Here are the Top 13 Thanksgiving Football Games:

1934 - Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

14 years after the first Thanksgiving day, the world was treated to two things. First, the beginning of nearly a century of crappy rivalries between the Lions and Bears (most played rivalary in football). More importantly: this was the world’s first NFL broadcast. I believe John Madden actually called the game. Since 1934, Detroit has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year… except (trivia time) 1939-1944.

1966 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns

Important game less because the Cowboys played the Browns, more because 1966 started the streak of Cowboys home games on Thanksgiving day. They won the game 26-14 and hosted every year since except for 1975 and 1977.

That’s right boys and girls and turkeys: every year since 1966 (except two) you were treated to two teams: the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. And, for the most part, that means you were treated to one awful team and usually one good team.

1994 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers

Little known fact: Jason Garrett actually played back-up quarterback to Troy Aikmen’s back-up. Now he is modern day back-up to fatty Wade Phillips. This was a little known fact until Thanksgiving day 1994 when Garrett, the Cowboy’s 3rd string QB, was forced to start and led Dallas’ team to a 42-31 win vs. the Green Bay Packers. Ever since that victory, owner Jerry Jones has been infatuated with Jason Garrett.

1976 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins

Roger Staubach is to the Cowboys as Debbie is to Dallas. But on Thanksgiving Day 1976, Staubach was injured during the inner-division game against the Redskins. Back-up Clint Longley came in and rallied the Cowboys from a 16-3 deficit to a stunning victory. Despite being a no-name rookie, Longley threw two touchdown passes including the game winning 50 yarder to Drew Pearson with less an a minute remaining. The game was named the second-best in the history of Texas Stadium by ESPN in 2008.

Clint does the only other thing he’s good at: dressing up as the 1976 Napoleon Dynamite and practicing his snake-handling skills.

2004 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears

An epic game not between teams - but between roaming back-up quarterbacks. Constantly over-hyped Drew Henson was the Cowboys started in ‘04 - but he was brutally bad in the first half and was benched for Mr. Veteran Vinny Testaverde. Teste rode rookie Julius Jones to a strong second half and 21-7 victory. Jones’ coming-out party was a Thanksgiving Day game against the Bears. He carried 33 times for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game.

1980 - Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears

Did you know that the Bears and Lions have played each other more than any other teams in NFL history? Little known fact unless you grew up idolizing Barry Sanders… because they mention that in every match up between these NFC North / Central titans. This match up featured the first and only overtime opening kickoff return for a touchdown in Thanksgiving Day Football history. Bears return-man David Williams returned the kick off for a victory.

1976 - Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills

This Thanksgiving game goes down as an unusual game in history for 2 reasons. 1) The Lions actually won, 27-14. And 2) Bills running back OJ Simpson rushed for a Thanksgiving Day record 273 yards. Yet the Bills still found a way to lose. Judging by the box score, their anemic 15 total yards passing and 3 turnovers probably had something to do with that.

No linebackers were killed in this game.

1997 - Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

1997 was a magical year for Barry Sanders (so was 1998 and every other year that my favorite pro athlete ever played). But Thanksgiving 1997 was great because Barry broke off 167 yards against the hapless Bears and got three touchdown. During the game, Sanders moved past Eric Dickerson for 2nd on the all-time rushing list. The 55 points are the most ever scored by a Lions team in regular season play, and are the most points ever allowed by the Bears to that point.

1920 - Akron Pros vs. Canton Bulldogs

Not exactly a Top Gobbler Game for any reason other than these three historic facts: 1. 1920 was the first year that pro football was played on Thanksgiving. 2. Fritz Pollard quarterbacked the Akron Pros to a win against Jim Thorpe’s Canton Bulldogs (awesome team names by the way). 3. Fritz was the first black quarterback.

1998 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings

1998 was a memorable Thanksgiving because The Ocarina of Time was released on Nintendo 64 that week. Only 2 things could pry gamers away from Zelda: dinner, and bearing witness to some Vikings rookie named Randy Moss. Moss caught 3 passes, scoring 3 TDs on the Cowboys. He finished with 163 receiving yards and the Vikings won 46-36. For a guy who plays when he wants to play, both America and the Kingdom of Hyrule were glad he felt like it that night.

1998 - Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The other Thanksgiving game in 1998 was marked by overtime, which always begins with a simple coin toss. Jerome Bettis was the captain for the Steelers, and for some reason he made an undecipherable call while the coin was in the air. The officials misheard whatever he said and gave Detroit the ball, allowing them to win 19-16. From that point on, officials were required to hear the call before the coin is tossed.

1965 - Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Colts

1965 was the first Thanksgiving game to be televised in color, which allowed everyone to see the vivid blue of the Lions in contrast with the vivid blue of the Colts. It was also notable because its one of the few (only?) Thanksgiving games to end in a tie: 24-24, which by definition makes it all the more memorable because that makes it yet another game that Detroit managed not to lose. Although the coin-toss rule is moot, it’s a good thing we’ve changed the rules to include overtime nowadays or Donovan McNabb would’ve been really confused.

1993 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

In what will go down in history as one of the stupidest plays of all time, Leon Lett managed to trump his own Superbowl greatness by playing in the snow. Miami took a game-winning FG attempt in the final 15 seconds of play only to be blocked by the Cowboys D-line. A person of normal intelligence even for football players would allow the blocked ball to go dead so the Cowboys can run out the clock. But that’s too much like smart. Lett attempted to grab the ball in the snow and fumbled, allowing Miami to get it back and rekick for the win, 16-14.

Yes, Turkeys come with 6 legs

In 1989, the great John Madden gave the late Reggie White a Turkey Leg, as a symbol of being game MVP. Since then, a great tradition was born. Madden ran into a serious problem, how can you give each member of an offensive line a turkey leg, if there are only two legs? Madden brought the term Turduckin into the homes of millions, when he combined a turkey, chicken, and duck. This allowed Madden to pass out up to 6 legs.

Some of the more interesting recipiants of Madden’s Turkey leg award:

In 1994, current Dallas Cowboy Offensive Cordinator Jason Garrett recieved a leg for leading his Cowboys to victory against the Greeen Bay Packers.

In 2005, Michael Vick recieved a Thanksgiving MVP award. Look how far he has come since then.

Emmitt Smith is by far the most well fed player on Thanksgiving Day. He has won a record 5 Legs.

Now that Madden does not do Thanksgiving Day games (A CRIME) the networks give out some bootleg awards. (FOX gives a Galloping Gobbler award, and CBS gives the All-Iron Award) How an All-Iron Award=Thanksgiving, I don’t know

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