Ranking New England Patriots Thanksgiving Day games
The New England Patriots have appeared in 5 Thanksgiving Day football games so far in their history, could the next one be coming soon?
The New England Patriots had a tough 0-2 start in NFL Thanksgiving Day games, but under QB Tom Brady they’re a perfect 3-0. Here’s to hoping he gets one more such game under his belt before he calls it a career.
The Patriots have never hosted a Thanksgiving game, and maybe it’s time they get the chance to. Of course, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys each host a game every season on the festive Thursday, but the league has expanded to a third game on Thanksgiving Day. That could be New England’s chance to swoop in and host a holiday game.
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Here, I have ranked all 5 of the Patriots Thanksgiving Day games, from the really ugly to the great to the flat-out comical.
5. November 23, 2000: Lions 34, Patriots 9
After a 16-year gap between Thanksgiving games, the New England Patriots were embarrassed in Detroit. A Drew Bledsoe-led offense could muster only 9 points on the day as the home team went home happy to gobble up some turkey.
In 2000, Bill Belichick did not get the Patriots off to a good start. They were a 5-11 team, even with some notable names on the coaching staff. Charlie Weis was the offensive coordinator, but the defense had the big-time (now) names. Eric Mangini, Brian Daboll, and Rob Ryan were all on the New England staff that got embarrassed by the Lions.
The Patriots actually led this game 9-6 in the third quarter, but the Lions broke loose for 4 touchdowns to end the game on a high note.