Cowboys’ Viral Turkey Leg TD Celebration vs. Commanders Was Exquisitely Planned

In the midst of the Cowboys’ 45–10 victory over the Commanders on Thanksgiving, several Dallas players participated in a viral turkey leg celebration following a nail-in-the-coffin touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

After a 34-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to KaVontae Turpin gave Dallas a 37–10 lead, Prescott, Turpin and others sprinted to a giant Salvation Army kettle in the back of the end zone and retrieved a bunch of turkey legs to eat.

With the matchup well in hand, the players pulled off the celebration, which was planned earlier in the week. 

“Team effort, team idea,” Prescott said after the game. “We talked about as probably a two-, three-day long process of whether it be a 15-yard penalty and whether coach would accept it.”

Not only did Prescott and his teammates discuss the celebration among themselves, but they also brought it to the attention of coach Mike McCarthy and owner Jerry Jones. Both of them loved the idea.

“And I’ll tell you, I actually go talk to coach before every game, and sure enough I caught him as he was talking to Jerry, and so I mentioned it. Of course, Jerry liked it, so yeah. At that point, my direction was just make sure we’re up and the game was in hand. … Sure enough, right after I threw the one to Turp, I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ And so, and it was good.”

As it turns out, the Cowboys had placed food in all four of the giant Salvation Army kettles. That way, they were prepared to celebrate a pivotal score no matter which side or which end of the field, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Here’s the full celebration from right behind one of the kettles from a video clip the Cowboys posted to social media Friday morning.

#VictoryFriday never tasted so good! ???? pic.twitter.com/qDz9X3FUiC

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2023