Top 10 NFL Thanksgiving Games of All-Time

Mark Sanchez

Detroit 26, Green Bay 14 (1962) – What’s so special about a game that took place while JFK was still in office? The Packers played spectacular football that season, and this Thanksgiving Day game at Tiger Stadium was the only game that Vince Lombardi’s team would lose that season. The Lions did not just pin a loss on the previously undefeated Packers, they hammered them by jumping out to a 26-0 lead and the only points Green Bay scored came in the fourth quarter after the game was out of hand.

QB Milt Plum threw a pair of first-half TD passes to wide receiver Gail Cogdill, but it was the Lions defense that dominated. They held Packers’ star running back Jim Taylor to 47 rushing yards and they kept Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr in check. The Lions got interceptions from Dick LeBeau – yes, the Steelers’ defensive coordinator was a brilliant defensive back – and Hall of Famer Dick “Night Train” Lane. The Packers would go on to win their second straight NFL championship, but they got hammered on Thanksgiving Day.

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Steve Silverman
Steve Silverman is a longtime sportswriter who spent 10 years as senior editor at Pro Football Weekly and he has also written for the Wall Street Journal, ESPN Magazine, MSNBC, and NFL.com. Silverman currently covers all sports – including the NFL – for CBS New York and Bleacher Report.