It was the greatest Thanksgiving performance. It was one of the most memorable stat lines ever.
Three catches, 163 yards, three touchdowns, in a 46-36 win.
Vikings receiver Randy Moss, a rookie at the time, exploded against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, 25 years ago.
Each catch was more impressive than the one before it, capped by a 56 catch and run that started with a broken tackle and ended with a full-stride juke that helped him explode past a defender who thought he had the angle.
Moss had extra motivation that year, after slipping to No. 21 in the draft. He vowed to “rip the NFL up.”
He had even more juice against the Cowboys. They had promised to draft him if he was available. He was available when they were on the clock with the eighth overall pick. They took defensive end Greg Ellis instead.
Moss still had a chip on his shoulder 12 years later, after being traded to the Raiders then the Patriots then back to the Vikings. The chip had the size of a mountain 25 years ago this Thanksgiving.
Did he get the most out of his incredible talent? No. He could have been the best receiver of all time. He was nevertheless the most dangerous. The most explosive. The most fun to watch.
I keep waiting for another Randy Moss, 25 years later. We all do. Until he shows up, we can just watch the highlights from Thanksgiving Day 1998.
