The Craziest Turkey Day Football Game Ever
Thanksgiving football — it's supposed to be a classic American tradition, right? But in 2021, the Dallas Cowboys® and the Las Vegas Raiders® decided to rewrite the script and turn their holiday game into a full-blown brawl that left fans, players, and even referees wondering if they'd just witnessed a football game or an action movie. So, grab some turkey, and we'll tell you how it all went down.
The Third-Quarter Throwdown: A Brawl Brews on the Sideline
Picture this: It's Thanksgiving Day 2021. You've settled in to watch the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys game, and it's more than half over.
You've noticed tensions simmering between the two teams all night, but they finally boil over in the third quarter. Raiders Safety Roderic Teamer and Cowboys Cornerback Kelvin Joseph lock eyes. The two don't waste any time — they throw punches, wrestle, and tumble toward the Raiders' sideline, dragging a few special teams players into the chaos.
For a moment, the field looks less like a football game and more like a wrestling match.
Field judge Tom Hill jumps in to break up the scuffle, but that doesn't save him from catching an elbow. Blood runs down his chin, and you can almost hear the collective gasp from the crowd. Hill, proving he's as tough as any player out there, slaps on a bandage and gets back to work, officiating his 355th game like a pro.
As for Teamer and Joseph? Both get tossed from the game, earning ejections faster than you can say "personal foul."
Watch the incident unfold here:
Post-Game Tensions: When the Final Whistle Didn't End the Battle
But it's not over. Just when you think cooler heads have prevailed, Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill and Raiders guard John Simpson decided to add a little post-game drama of their own.
The game clock hit zero, but Hill and Simpson didn't get the memo. Hill throws a shove that sends Simpson staggering — and suddenly, everyone on the field has to step in and separate the two. Coaches, teammates, maybe even the guy who sells popcorn — they all jump into the fray, proving that in this game, no one wants to back down.
One thing feels certain: Neither team came to AT&T Stadium to make friends today.
See for yourself here:
Nachos, Punches, and Fans Gone Wild
But wait, there's more! As if the action on the field isn't enough drama, fans begin to take matters into their own hands.
A viral video captures two women squaring off at the concession stand, and let's just say, nachos are flying faster than footballs at this point. One woman — clearly done waiting for her cheese dip — vaults over the counter to chase down her rival.
In classic slapstick fashion, she immediately slips on a pile of nachos. You'd think that would slow her down, but nope. She jumps up, lands a punch, and the two go at it, hair-pulling and all.
A third woman in a Cowboys jersey tries to play peacemaker, but the brawl continues until a crowd finally pulls them apart. When the dust settles (and the nacho cheese stops flying), stadium security makes several arrests, though they keep tight-lipped about whether these two fighting women end up in cuffs.
More Flags Than a Parade
With the Raiders walking away with a 36-33 overtime win, you'd think the game itself would stand out as the biggest story. But no, the brawls, shoves and sideline mayhem stole the show that day.
Both teams racked up a whopping 14 penalties each, with the Cowboys setting a franchise record at 166 penalty yards. You could almost say the game turned into a penalty marathon, and every flag tossed onto the field only added fuel to the already raging fire.
So what's the takeaway here? Well, maybe this Thanksgiving, keep an eye on the turkey — and the tackles. One thing's certain: This showdown left its mark, proving that sometimes — even on Thanksgiving — it's not just the turkey that gets roasted.
References: Thanksgiving mayhem! Violent brawls break out at Raiders-Cowboys game as players throw punches and two women pull each other's hair and end up covered in NACHOS | Cowboys-Raiders postgame fight: Brawling doesn't end after earlier ejections in Vegas' Thanksgiving OT upset
