On This Date in Sports November 22, 1973: Carving the Cowboys on Thanksgiving (50 Years of Following Up Perfection Week 11)
The Miami Dolphins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 14-7 on a Thanksgiving rematch of Super Bowl VI at Texas Stadium. The Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. However, the Dallas Doomsday defense stiffened as the Dolphins failed to score again. The Dolphins' defense would frustrate Roger Staubach and the Cowboys all day until the fourth quarter when Walt Garrison scored on a one-yard run. It was the first time that the Dolphins had played a game on Thanksgiving.
All eyes were on Texas Stadium as the previous two Super Bowl champions met on Thanksgiving. It was the first time the two teams had met since Super Bowl VI. That game was won by the Dallas Cowboys 24-3 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Since that frustrating loss, the Dolphins had won 26 of their next 27 games, including a perfect 17-0 season in 1972. They had been 9-1 in 1973, having clinched the AFC East four days earlier in Buffalo. The Cowboys, meanwhile, were battling the Washington Redskins in the NFC East and entered the day with a record of 7-3 for coach Tom Landry.
NFL games on Thanksgiving had been a large part of the schedule from the start of the league in 1920. Over the league's first decade, games on Thanksgiving were plentiful. When the league emerged from its chaotic beginnings, the Detroit Lions emerged as the host of Thanksgiving as they began to play annually in 1934. Three decades later, when the AFL rose to challenge the NFL, a second game was added, with the Dallas Cowboys hosting games beginning in 1966.
