‘Buttfumble’ and other Thanksgiving Day blunders

It's going to be tough, but try to avoid slipping into a food-induced coma this Thanksgiving.

If you do, you might miss a classic moment like the "Buttfumble," which was not only one of the most infamous plays in the NFL's long history of Turkey Day games, but one of the most embarrassing moments in the anals, er, annals of the league.

Mark Sanchez should give thanks he was wearing a helmet when the then-New York Jets quarterback ran headfirst into the behind of offensive lineman Brandon Moore during a 2012 Thanksgiving night loss to the rival New England Patriots.

Sanchez subsequently fumbled the ball, Steve Gregory recovered it for the Patriots and returned it for a touchdown to make it 21-0. New England scored again when Joe McKnight fumbled the ensuing kickoff return and Julian Edelman returned the fumble for another score to make it 28-0 en route to a 49-19 rout.

While Sanchez would like to put the "Buttfumble" behind him, he'll have to face his derriere demons again Thursday morning, when he's slated to start for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Detroit Lions.

LETT IT GO — Joining Sanchez and Moore in the Thanksgiving Hall of Infamy is Leon Lett, the former Cowboys defensive lineman who singlehandedly sabotaged Dallas' chances to win its 1993 game against the Dolphins.

The Cowboys were clinging to a 14-13 lead with 15 seconds left when they blocked Miami kicker Pete Stoyanovich's game-winning 41-yard field goal attempt.

The ball was spinning on the snow-covered field and all the Dallas players knew the Dolphins couldn't recover the ball as long as no Cowboy touched it. All the Dallas players except for Lett, that is, who inexplicably chased the ball down the field and made a sliding attempt to recover it. He ended up kicking the ball instead and Miami recovered it on the 3-yard line, setting up a game-winning field goal by Stoyanovich that gave the Dolphins a 16-14 victory.

Following one of the biggest blunders in NFL history, the Cowboys didn't lose another game that season and went on to win the Super Bowl. Lett also has rebounded nicely. He currently works as Dallas' defensive tackle coach.

HEADS I WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE — In another infamous Thanksgiving ending, the Lions and Steelers went to overtime tied 16-16 in 1998. Former Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis called the coin toss in the air, saying "tails" before it hit the turf. But head referee Phil Luckett said, "heads is the call, he said heads and it is a tails," prompting Bettis and the Steelers to protest to no avail.

The Lions then kicked a field goal on their first possession to prevail, 19-16. The incident prompted NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to change the overtime rule so that players would be forced to declare heads or tails before, not during, the coin toss.

If that happened during the Roger Goodell era, it would've been dubbed "Tailsgate" and would still be under investigation.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!