Turkey, touchdowns and turnovers: A brief history of the Vikings on Thanksgiving
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Vikings have a Thanksgiving matchup with the New England Patriots this year, their ninth Turkey Day game in franchise history.
Minnesota's had good luck on the holiday, going 6-2. The Vikings are 3-0 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and 3-2 against their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions.
The Vikings' inaugural Thanksgiving game kicked off on Nov. 27, 1969. The team was 10-1 heading into the matchup, and they stomped the Lions 27-0. Four quarterbacks threw passes in that game - Joe Kapp and Gary Cuozzo for the Vikings, Greg Landry and Bill Munson for the Lions. They combined for 224 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. The Vikings would finish the season 12-2 and lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in their first Super Bowl appearance.
The purple and gold won their next two Thanksgiving games, including a high-scoring affair in Dallas that featured a career-best game from franchise great Anthony Carter. The wide receiver had eight catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the 44-38 overtime win. The next year, the Vikings once again shut out the Lions, 23-0.
Their first Thanksgiving loss occurred on Nov. 23, 1995. Curiously, the score was once again 44-38, though this time, the Lions came out on top. Showing just how far the game of football had come since these teams first met on Thanksgiving, the two QBs combined for 794 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
The 1998 Thanksgiving game is probably the one Vikings fans remember best due to the performance of rookie wide receiver Randy Moss. The Cowboys managed to hold the first-year phenom to three catches - unfortunately for Dallas, they were all touchdowns. Moss totaled 163 yards in the 46-36 win, and Cris Carter added 135 yards and a touchdown of his own.
3 receptions
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 22, 2018
163 yards
3 TDs
In 1998, #Vikings fans were incredibly thankful for @RandyMoss' Thanksgiving Day performance. pic.twitter.com/PcddpLMe74
Moss had another standout performance in 2000, catching seven passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings topped the Cowboys 27-15. That would mark the final Thanksgiving game for the Cowboys' Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, and the last Vikings game on the holiday for 16 years.
Their return on Nov. 24, 2016, was memorable only for its ending. The Vikings led the Lions by 3 points with 1:49 left. A Matt Prater field goal tied it, and on the next drive, Sam Bradford threw an interception on 3rd and 7 in Vikings' territory. The Lions kicked a walkoff field goal to win it.
The Vikings got revenge a year later, beating the Lions 30-23.
Thursday's game will mark the first time the Vikings have played at home on Thanksgiving, and the first time they've played against a team other than Detroit or Dallas.
This year's opponents, the Patriots, are 3-2 in Thanksgiving games. Their last appearance was in 2012 - the infamous "butt fumble" game in which New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez ran headlong into an offensive lineman's rear end and lost the football.
Coming off an absolute roasting by the Dallas Cowboys, the 8-2 Vikings are hoping to feast on the 6-4 Patriots' second-to-worst red zone offense. The Vikings offense, however, could have a tough time carving up the Patriots defense, which ranks second and fourth in points and yards allowed per game, respectively.