NFL Thanksgiving 2016: Cowboys, Lions, Steelers get big wins

The Dallas Cowboys have a long and storied history of being featured on Thanksgiving Day, but for two years in the 1970s, the Cowboys were replaced by the then-St. Louis Cardinals.

Since 1966, the Cowboys have been featured on Thanksgiving Day in every season except for 1975 and 1977, when Dallas was replaced by the St. Louis Cardinals. Not the baseball team, because that would be really weird. We’re talking about the other football team that used to be in St. Louis.

The Pittsburgh Steelers raced past the Indianapolis Colts on Thanksgiving evening. The Colts were without Andrew Luck, and allowed the Steelers to ease by with a 28-7 win on the road.

After an Antonio Brown touchdown, he and Le’Veon Bell celebrated together, and it resulted in an unsportsmanlike penalty.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have battled through an up-and-down season, with injuries tearing apart a 4-1 start. But Ben Roethlisberger is healthy now and his connection with wide receiver Antonio Brown looked as crisp as ever during a 28-7 win on Thanksgiving.

Brown finished the game with three touchdowns — two over Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis, who left with a groin injury in the second quarterback.

The Thanksgiving Day game that everybody was looking forward to between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington lived up to our expectations, with the Cowboys holding on for a 31-26 victory. What we didn’t know was that we were going to get some old-fashioned trash talk during and after the game thanks to the long-winded lungs of Dez Bryant and Josh Norman.

Both players have long been in the discussion for being among the best at their respective positions. Yet, the arguments for the league’s top player at any position has seemed to taper this season, with much of the focus revolving around the lack of fun in the NFL, mediocre games, and falling ratings. Thursday, they faced off in one of the NFL’s most historically revered rivalries, one that hasn’t had much flair, if any at all, in recent years.

The finale of our Thanksgiving tripleheader wasn’t quite as exciting as the first two games, as the Pittsburgh Steelers handled the Indianapolis Colts on the road.

The Steelers didn’t waste any time in the first quarter scoring. Ben Roethlisberger kept dumping off short passes to his teammates for various gains, and by the end of the drive, Le’Veon Bell was able to punch it in for a 2-yard rushing touchdown.

Final score: Steelers 28, Colts 7

Third quarter: Steelers 21, Colts 7

Josh Norman and Dez Bryant have started what appears to be a budding rivalry between the two, one that could possibly put a much-needed spark in the Washington-Dallas rivalry.

The two started butting heads during the Cowboys’ 31-26 win, and at one point, officials had to separate the two, and even go to each individual sideline to speak to each player to diffuse the situation.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was injured in their Thanksgiving game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but came up with a reception that put the Colts inside the 5-yard line.

Hilton had an earlier drop, on a play that was immensely easier:

Zeke was awarded the Galloping Gobbler for his performance against Washington. The trophy used to be a turkey, so he was a little disappointed to see just a regular old trophy. He eventually changed his tone, though.

And that crop top is just the best.

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the Dallas Cowboys to victory has been a consistent theme all season, and the pair of talented rookies did it again — this time on Thanksgiving. With a pair of touchdowns each, Prescott and Elliott led Dallas to an early lead over Washington, and never gave up the lead in a 31-26 victory.

Elliott kicked off the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown to cap a 75-yard drive to open the game, and from there the Cowboys had a lead the team would never relinquish.

Score

Final score: Lions 16, Vikings 13