No, the New York Jets are not playing on Thanksgiving this year. And the schedule makers must be over the moon. Initially, it was rumored that they could take on the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day this season, but that matchup — which was already Aaron Rodgers-less — took place in Week 2.
And so, while the Jets are playing on Black Friday this year, the NFL has narrowly avoided Tim Boyle starting on Thanksgiving yet again. In 2021, when Boyle was the backup to Jared Goff in Detroit, he made his first career start the week prior and was in line to start if Goff was unable to play because of an oblique injury. Goff gutted through the injury but still lost to an Andy Dalton-led Chicago Bears team.
The first-ever Black Friday NFL game will feature the Jets and the Miami Dolphins. And while that isn’t exactly on Turkey Day per se, it’s still part of the holiday weekend, which is why we at The Comeback elected to take a look and revisit the last three times New York played on Thanksgiving.
Nov. 22, 2012: a.k.a “The Butt Fumble” Game
Given their national prominence, it’s hard to believe that the Jets haven’t played on Thanksgiving in 11 years, but perhaps Mark Sanchez running into Brandon Moore’s behind — and the fact that New York has the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports — is the reason.
Looking back over a decade ago, this was the beginning of the end for head coach Rex Ryan’s time in The Big Apple (if it wasn’t already). The Jets entered Turkey Day with a 4-6 record — the same record they have entering Friday’s game, ironically enough — with a chance to turn their season around.
In their matchup against the New England Patriots earlier in the season, the Jets had a chance to sit atop the AFC East. But after fighting back from a 23-13 deficit in the fourth quarter, New York lost in a heartbreaker in overtime. So, this was another opportunity to take a game from New England and claw back into playoff contention.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Jets were trounced by the Patriots, who scored five touchdowns in the second quarter, three of them in a span of 52 seconds. The second quarter began with a Tom Brady touchdown pass to Wes Welker, but the wheels didn’t begin to fall off until the ensuing drive. The Jets answered with a drive to New England’s 31-yard line and Rex Ryan made the decision to go for it on 4th-and-inches.
Shonn Greene was stopped short of the marker and fumbled the football. On the ensuing play, Brady connected with Shane Vereen on an 83-yard touchdown pass on a wheel route. That was only the beginning of the series of mistakes that led to the Patriots entering halftime with a 35-3 lead.
The following drive, New York prepared for a running play with quarterback Mark Sanchez under center, fullback Lex Hilliard lined up behind him in the I formation, and running back Shonn Greene positioned as the deep back. The oral history of one of the most infamous plays in NFL history suggests that the play was designed for Sanchez to fake a handoff to Greene, who was running left, while Hilliard would receive the handoff and run a fullback dive play.
Sanchez mistakenly turned towards the left side, and unaware of the miscommunication, Hilliard ran past him. Sanchez tried to salvage the play and scrambled towards the left side. Completely unaware that Brandon Moore was trying to block Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork to allow the play to continue, Sanchez decided to slide to protect himself. He made a bad play worse. Much, much worse.
“I don’t know what [Sanchez] was doing, man. It was just a disaster,” Ryan later said.
At the moment Sanchez initiated the slide, he collided with Moore’s backside, causing him to lose balance and fumble the football. As Sanchez and Moore fell to the ground, the ball bounced out to the right side of the play, landing near the 32-yard line.
Gregory scooped up the football and took it to the house. 21-0.
And that was that.
The Jets lost 49-19 and Fireman Ed retired from his duties. Though, he came back in 2015.
Nov. 25, 2010:
While this game isn’t highlighted by a nickname, it’s more known for Brad Smith coming out of his shoes on a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown. So if you were looking for a Jets win on Thanksgiving Day, you came to the right place. And it also doesn’t come as a surprise that this win over the Cincinnati Bengals — New York’s third in a calendar year — came in a season Gang Green went to its second-consecutive AFC Championship game.
The Jets were coming off a come-from-behind win over the Houston Texans, in which Mark Sanchez was at his best. Sanchez wasn’t at his best in New York’s 26-10 win over the Bengals on Turkey Day, but he didn’t need to be.
Trailing 7-3 at halftime, the Jets regained the lead — one which they wouldn’t relinquish — on the second play from scrimmage in the second half. Brad Smith took a 53-yard end-around to the house. After Sanchez threw an interception, Bengals kicker Aaron Pettrey missed a 27-yard chip shot. New York was begging Cincinnati to stay around, but the Bengals special teams unit had other ideas. A muffed punt led to a Santonio Holmes touchdown, and even after the Bengals cut the deficit to seven, Smith returned the ensuing kickoff to the house.
I could write a dissertation on why Smith, who was such an electric player, played in the wrong era of football. The Jets tried to replace him with Tim Tebow; that’s a different story for a different day, but we’ll always have this game where his stat line read: 3 carries, 55 yards, TD, 3 kick returns, 122 return yards, TD.
Nov. 22, 2007:
The Jets’ first Thanksgiving Day appearance since 1985 was a rather forgettable one.
In a 2007 season that culminated in a 4-12 record, the Jets entered their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at 2-8. The game went as you’d expect when you start Kellen Clemens against a team that featured Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Jason Witten and Terrell Owens.
The Jets fell behind early when Barber scored a seven-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Dallas extended its lead in the second quarter when Romo threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Witten. If the game wasn’t already over then, it was after Cowboys cornerback Terrence Newman returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown.
The Jets’ only points of the game came on a 40-yard field goal by kicker Mike Nugent just before halftime.
The Cowboys continued to pile on, as kicker Nick Folk drilled multiple field goals and Romo threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Owens.
The Jets fell to 2-9 with the loss. It probably explains why they didn’t return to Thanksgiving Football until AFTER they had proven capable of being a winner again.
That seems to be the case as to why Gang Green will be on your television Friday, instead of Thursday, this year.
[ESPN]
