The Athletic has live coverage all day of NFL on Thanksgiving Day, including Packers vs Lions and Chiefs vs Cowboys.

One of the special things about sports is how it actually transcends the world of sports alone. If you’re a fan, you find a lot of joy in the fundamental aspects, whether it be the draft or free agency or splashy trades, and of course, the games themselves.

However, sports go beyond that bubble. They are embedded in our culture.

Baseball is a common backdrop for the Fourth of July festivities. The NBA is a staple on Christmas Day. How does one commemorate the turning of the calendar year if not with some marquee college football games?

While all of those cultural sports crossovers are special, I would contend, in my admittedly biased opinion, that the NFL on Thanksgiving reigns supreme.

The number of games, and the times each begins, is perfect for the rhythm of the day. The Dallas Cowboys, nicknamed America’s Team, are one of the staples. You either love them or you love to hate them. The Detroit Lions, another Thanksgiving staple, have added some zest to the slate in recent years since they became one of the league’s top teams. To match the Cowboys up this year with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Lions with their division rival Green Bay Packers will surely make for a ratings bonanza. The AFC North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in Joe Burrow’s return isn’t too shabby, either.

Beyond the field, temperatures are dipping and the holiday season is in full swing. It’s just a wonderful time of the year. We begin this week’s What’s Trending in the NFL in a reflective mood, looking back at some signature NFL Thanksgiving memories.

5. Randy Moss’ revenge: Just saying the name Randy Moss on Thanksgiving, the image that comes to your mind is Moss sitting on the bench in a hat, looking back and up into a camera with the Fox graphic right over his chest stating his ridiculous stat line. Three catches, 163 yards and three touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings’ rookie star against the Cowboys. Of course, earlier that year, the Cowboys had passed on Moss at the No. 8 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft over character concerns and selected Greg Ellis instead. Moss went at No. 21 to the Vikings.

4. Mike Tomlin becomes a meme: Timing has a lot to do with this one. We’re talking about 2013, when Twitter was on the rise and social media was becoming a big part of how we consumed our entertainment as a virtual community. Memes were being created and going viral. In a game between the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore returner Jacoby Jones took a kickoff down the left sideline. As he made his way down the field, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin crossed the white boundary and was on the field. Tomlin did a little jump-scoot and avoided contact with Jones but the return man was tackled there and Tomlin’s move became an internet sensation (he was also fined $100,000 for the play).

3. Leon Lett’s miscue: The list is becoming crammed with sour Cowboys memories, but this is impossible to exclude. If you’re too young to have watched this live or don’t remember it, the call of this play is worth watching. First, the field is white with snow on a late November day in Dallas in 1993. You have Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in complete jubilation when Dallas blocks Miami’s game-winning field goal attempt, and it cuts quickly to Troy Aikman and Michael Irving in a celebratory embrace. Then, there’s the replay, in which three Cowboys players immediately signal for no Dallas player to touch the ball. There’s Leon Lett, clearly exhausted, lumbering towards the ball and just slipping into it. And the “no!” from the broadcast when they realize it was Lett, who had a fumble blunder earlier that year in the Super Bowl, is iconic. Lett’s Super Bowl blunder ultimately didn’t matter, but this one cost the Cowboys the game.

2. Butt Fumble: Lett’s Thanksgiving mistake was embarrassing, but it’s not close to the most embarrassing play on Thanksgiving Day. That title is reserved for New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who ran into his own lineman’s butt in 2012 against the New England Patriots, fumbled the ball and watched it be taken into the end zone by New England. The full context of that play only adds to the embarrassment because it was part of a 52-second sequence in which the Jets lost three fumbles and the Patriots scored three touchdowns. Of course, nobody remembers the other two fumbles but everyone remembers the Butt Fumble — though Sanchez now has much bigger concerns.

1. John Madden’s turkey tradition: The game where this tradition was born was actually a 27-0 snoozefest in 1989, with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Cowboys. Legendary Hall of Fame announcer John Madden was on the call for that game and decided that the game’s MVP would be rewarded for his performance with a turkey leg. Eagles pass rusher Reggie White was the first recipient, and that was just the beginning of this iconic tradition. It eventually evolved into more than just a single turkey leg, and Madden even popularized the turducken in the late ’90s. Madden’s enthusiasm for that extra element and the images and videos of football players who just finished a grueling three-hour battle on the gridiron, enjoying turkey legs, is perhaps the ultimate face of the NFL on Thanksgiving.

Not ranked: Tony Romo’s Thanksgiving debut and Tom Brady the bully — The ranking above includes some of the most widely regarded memories but we all have some personal ones, too. For me, two games come to mind. In 2006, the post-Aikman quarterback drought had taken a toll but there was a buzz in Dallas because Bill Parcells had finally handed the ball over to a young Tony Romo. The Thanksgiving game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was just Romo’s fifth start. On the national stage, he threw seven incompletions, five touchdowns, including one to Terrell Owens, which led to Owens running the ball straight to the Salvation Army kettle behind the end zone and making a donation.

In 2010, the Patriots played the Lions and Tom Brady put on a clinic. He posted his second career game with a perfect 158.3 passer rating but even more than the impressive bottom line, what I remember most about that game was how Brady identified Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith as a weak link in the Detroit secondary and just went after him in the passing game in relentless fashion. It was a complete display of Brady’s brilliance at his peak.

Road to Santa Clara

The five teams with the best chance at winning the Super Bowl.

5. Seattle Seahawks: I still don’t trust Sam Darnold in the big games, but there are a handful of teams that could be in this slot that I have questions about. In Seattle, though, Darnold has a lot around him that gives him a chance to succeed. He has the best wide receiver in the NFL this year, an efficient running game and a top-level defense. The remaining schedule is also a good mix of subpar teams and a couple of good tests to prepare the team for the playoffs.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: They’re in a fine spot in the standings, but the confidence meter is definitely taking a hit on the offense. The passing game got going a bit early on in the game on Sunday, but the Philadelphia offense went completely dry against a subpar, albeit improved, Cowboys defense. Saquon Barkley did some damage as an outlet receiver but his troubles on the ground are becoming a real concern after 22 yards on 10 carries. The track records of Barkley, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have earned them some patience, but at this point, it’s running thin.

3. Denver Broncos: The defense is legit and will soon welcome back its best player in Patrick Surtain II. Running back R.J. Harvey is somewhat of a wild card here because if he can elevate his game with this opportunity in J.K. Dobbins’ absence, that could be huge for what the Broncos ask of Bo Nix.

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) runs against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High.

If R.J. Harvey can fill the void after J.K. Dobbins’ injury, the Broncos are a threat. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)

2. New England Patriots: The soft schedule will be something that folks point to as a primary reason for the Patriots’ success, and there’s no denying that they’ve had it easy. But there’s nothing they can do about it other than take care of business, and they’ve been doing that. We should get some more clarity on them in the next three weeks, when they play the desperate Buffalo Bills and Ravens.

1. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have everything right now. They boast a top-level defense, an elite offense quarterbacked by a veteran MVP favorite who has proven postseason success, a great supporting cast and a fantastic coaching staff. They have some quality wins on the resume and their two losses came essentially by 1 point (had the Eagles’ Jordan Davis just fallen on the blocked field goal) and by 3 points in overtime, respectively. They’re the most complete team in the NFL right now.

Not ranked: Kansas City Chiefs — Things looked bleak when the Chiefs trailed the Indianapolis Colts 20-9 on Sunday, but an overtime win has kept the playoff hopes alive. They’re either going to miss the playoffs or be one of the most feared teams in the postseason, because the margin for error is thin and there are quality opponents left on the schedule.

Bottom five

The five teams with the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

5. New York Giants: The Giants became the first team this season to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but there should be optimism about the future with that team. Jaxson Dart is the main reason, of course, but the offense could come along quite a bit at full health next year with Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson and Cam Skattebo.

4. New Orleans Saints: Super worth it to work out Justin Tucker. We’ve all watched the Saints this year and thought, you know what, they’re just a kicker away.

3. New York Jets: It’s just nice to look at a Jets box score and see a quarterback stat line that looks like it belongs in the NFL.

2. Las Vegas Raiders: If it wasn’t for them having two wins (including one against the team below them) and the criteria being what it is, the Raiders would be in strong contention for the No. 1 spot here. There is an argument to be made that they are the worst team in the league, which is jarring because there is quite a bit more individual talent, at least on paper, than the actual worst team. Perhaps gutting the coaching staff midseason isn’t the worst idea.

1. Tennessee Titans: They’re the only one-win team in the NFL and it’s hard to spot a second win coming this season. The biggest threat is Week 17 against the Saints but it’s likely the Titans finish 1-16.

Not ranked: Cleveland Browns — Cleveland’s win over Las Vegas took them out of the two-win cluster, and it earned Shedeur Sanders another start. And while Sanders is the juiciest storyline in Cleveland, the best storyline is what Myles Garrett is doing. He’s an absolutely dominant player at the height of his powers and worth the price of admission.