The last time the New England Patriots played on Thanksgiving, they made history. Well, the Jets and Mark Sanchez did.
It’s been nine years since the Pats played on the biggest football holiday of the year, but the memories of the butt fumble game endure. Everyone knew in the moment that they’d witnessed NFL history when Sanchez fumbled after running into the ass of guard Brandon Moore. Nearly a decade later, it’s virtually cemented as the NFL’s most iconic blunder.
The only downside of the butt fumble was that it overshadowed the Patriots’ win, like a big round ass under a streetlamp. They dominated that game, a 49-19 laugher. Overall, the Patriots are 4-1 in five Thanksgiving games in their history.
Here’s a quick look at how the Patriots fared in those games over the years…
1984: Patriots 20, Cowboys 17
ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 11: Tony Eason #11 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium on December 11, 1983 in Anaheim, California. The Patriots won 27-7. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ quarterback at the time was Tony Eason (pictured above), who didn’t have a particularly good NFL career (79.7 passer rating). But 1984 was his best season, when he finished third in the league with a 93.4 passer rating, behind only Dan Marino and Joe Montana. And he scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter (one passing, one rushing) to help lead the Pats to an upset win over the Cowboys.
Only five teams made the playoffs back then, three division winners and two Wild Cards. The Patriots went 9-7, which wasn’t enough to compete with the 14-2 Dolphins, and left them just out of the postseason. But 1984 was the start of a five-year run with a winning record, which included a Super Bowl appearance in 1985 (but we don’t have to talk about that game). Eason’s Thanksgiving comeback stands as one of the fonder memories of this era of Patriots football.
2000: Lions 34, Patriots 9
Nov. 23, 2000: Quarterback Drew Bledsoe #11 of the New England Patriots passes the ball during the game against the Detroit Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Patriots 34-9. (Tom Pidgeon/Allsport)
Think about where Bill Belichick was in 2000. He was on his way to a 5-11 record in his first season as Patriots head coach and got blown out on Thanksgiving … by the Lions! Drew Bledsoe was awful in this game. He posted a 39.6 passer rating, which is the same number you’d get if you spiked the football into the turf on every play. But Bledsoe threw two interceptions, including a 101-yard pick-six by Bryant Westbrook that capped it for Detroit.
This game is perhaps better known as the day Tom Brady took his first snaps in a real NFL game as a rookie. Brady came in as a human white flag after the pick-six and was 1-of-3 passing with a six-yard completion to Rod Rutledge. Mark all that down for your next bar trivia contest.
Tom Brady logs his 1st NFL completion almost 20 years ago on Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, 2000 when Belichick benches Drew Bledsoe in the 4th quarter as the Patriots get rolled over by the Lions in the Silverdome 34-9:pic.twitter.com/E4GnNRlHL0
— sidelinecreeper (@Sidelinecreepin) March 7, 20202002: Patriots 20, Lions 12
DETROIT – NOVEMBER 28: Running back Kevin Faulk #33 of the New England Patriots runs through a tackle put on by Cornerback Andre’ Goodman #35 of the Detroit Lions during the NFL game at Ford Field on November 28, 2002 in Detroit, Michigan. The Patriots won the game 20-12. (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)
Revenge! For anyone who was alive for this iteration of the Patriots, you may remember that they went into this game at 6-5 and needing every win they could get. The offense wasn’t particularly good in this one, with just one offensive touchdown. The biggest play was a 27-yard pick-six by Tedy Bruschi.
These Patriots missed the playoffs after losing two of their final three games, including a loss to the division champion Jets (!) in Week 16. So there was a little pocket of time in there where people thought the Brady-Belichick Patriots might be just a one-year wonder. What a world.
2010: Patriots 45, Lions 24
DETROIT – NOVEMBER 25: Julian Edelman #11 of the New England Patriots congratulates teammate Wes Welker #83 after a fourth quarter touchdown during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 25, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. New England defeated Detroit 45-24. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Eight years went by between Patriots Thanksgiving games in the 2000s. In that span, Brady and Belichick won two more Super Bowls and cemented their Hall of Fame statuses – and they were only halfway done building the dynasty.
Brady in this game was a completely different player. He’d long been unleashed on the NFL as the most ruthless passing machine on turf. And in this particular year, the Patriots had traded away Randy Moss after he seemingly started to get all Randy Moss-y in the locker room, and the Patriots had recently been embarrassed by the Cleveland Browns. It was at that point that Brady put one of the Patriots’ least talented rosters of the Belichick era on his back.
He went 21-of-27 passing for 341 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Lions in this Thanksgiving spectacular. And yes, in case you’re wondering, that’s good enough for a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
2012: Patriots 49, Jets 19
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – NOVEMBER 22: Quarterback Mark Sanchez #6 of the New York Jets calls a play at the line during a game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on November 22, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Patriots defeated the Jets 49-19. (Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images)
At this point in the dynasty, people were wondering if Brady and Belichick would ever get that elusive fourth Super Bowl title. But there was no doubt about Brady’s pure greatness, nor was there doubt about the Jets’ pure futility just two years after upsetting the Pats in the 2010 divisional round.
What can be said about the butt fumble that hasn’t been done to death? It has stood the test of time as one of sports’ most historic bloopers. The stage, the circumstances, the moment. It’s hard to find a more legendary boner than this one.
November 22, 2012: Thanksgiving. The Butt Fumble. pic.twitter.com/Wz3CFDQJAi
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) November 22, 2021What people forget about the butt fumble game is that the Jets immediately fumbled again the next time they touched the ball. Returner Joe McKnight lost the ball on a thunderous hit by Devin McCourty, and it landed in the hands of Julian Edelman, who cashed in for a fumble return touchdown of his own. New York was still processing the embarrassment of the butt fumble, and within minutes the game went from 14-0 to 28-0.
But the game will obviously live on forever as the night of the Butt Fumbleā¢. The Patriots haven’t had a Thanksgiving date since, so the game stands as the most recent Thanksgiving memory for New England.
