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Thanksgiving is many people’s favorite time of year, and watching football makes it that much sweeter because you get to eat all your food while watching elite athletes go head-to-head. Throughout NFL history, Thanksgiving Day games have been a beloved tradition for fans and players across America.
Thanksgiving NFL games only come around once a year, so get ready to dig in as we discuss the top 5 NFL wide receiver performances on Thanksgiving. The most recent high-performing wide-out to make this particular list was in 2016, but let’s see what this year’s slate of games brings!
Starting the best Thanksgiving Day wide receiver performances is Green Bay Packers receiver Walter Stanley due to his unmatched performance against the Detroit Lions in 1986.
The game was tight till the end, although if it weren’t for Stanley’s 4 catches for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns, the Packers wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Most notable was his kick-returning ability, where he returned 3 kicks for 50 yards, 2 punts for 113 yards and 1 touchdown to give the Packers the victory on Thanksgiving Day.
Another Green Bay Packers receiver, Sterling Sharpe, would have one of the best wide receiver performances in a Thanksgiving Day match. Ending with 9 receptions for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns, Sharpe had the game of his life, although the Packers were far from winning.
In the end, the Cowboys would hold strong, winning the game 42-31, although this wouldn’t stop Sharpe from playing one of the best NFL games of his life, one that’s hard to match in normal regular season games.
While Randy Moss always dreamed of playing for the Dallas Cowboys, he’d serve the Minnesota Vikings with one of the best wide receiver Thanksgiving Day performances ever.
Coming out the gates firing, Moss would make 3 catches for 163 yards, all of which led to touchdowns. With such an incredible performance to boast, Moss led the Vikings to a crushing 46-36 victory over the Cowboys in one of the highest-scoring shootouts for an NFL Thanksgiving Day game.
Another extremely immaculate performance from one of the top modern wide receivers in the NFL occurred on November 24, 2016, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts.
Antonio Brown, legendary wide receiver of the Steelers, would have a performance which matched the best of his illustrious career, with 91 yards in receptions and 3 touchdowns to match. Considering the Steelers only scored 28 points to the Colts 7, Brown can be largely credited with the victory due to his game-changing catches.
Top of our list of top wide receiver performances in NFL Thanksgiving Day games is the Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson and his unmatched performance against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 26, 2015.
In this one, Johnson snatched 8 receptions for 93 yards and 3 touchdowns, leading the Lions to a definitive 45-14 blowout against the Eagles. While the Lions aren’t necessarily known for having the best Thanksgiving Day performances, Calvin Johnson showed what one wide receiver was capable of, considering his three-TD performance was why they came out victorious.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.