Denver Broncos: Top 4 performances in Thanksgiving games

IRVING, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Running back Ron Dayne #33 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by Roy Williams #31 of the Dallas Cowboys on November 24, 2005 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
IRVING, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Running back Ron Dayne #33 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by Roy Williams #31 of the Dallas Cowboys on November 24, 2005 at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Denver Broncos, Mike Anderson
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 23: Running back Mike Anderson #38 of the Denver Broncos carries the ball against the New York Giants during the game on October 23, 2005 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won 24-23. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

With Thanksgiving here, let’s look back at a little Denver Broncos holiday history.

Football and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. You sit down at the dinner table and enjoy your feast, but football is also a tradition across many households on this holiday.

The Denver Broncos will not take the field this Thanksgiving, but they have appeared in 11 Thanksgiving Day  games in their history, managing just a 4-7 record in them.

Unlike the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, who play every year on Thanksgiving, the Broncos have only been seen sparingly on turkey day. As a matter of fact, it’s been more than a decade since they played on Thanksgiving.

I have looked back and combed through all 11 games that the team has played on the holiday, looking for some standout performances. Quite frankly, in many of the games (mostly the ones that ended in defeat), there wasn’t much to take from them.

But as you go through this list, you will see that the Broncos have been a team that has been able to get some great rushing performances on Thanksgiving, even if there has yet to ever be a big game for a quarterback.

So as you enjoy the football games on Thursday, or maybe your second helping of the Thanksgiving feast, let’s take a little trip down memory lane on turkey day.

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