Cowboys celebrate with turkey legs inside kettles

ARLINGTON, Texas — Over the years, the Salvation Army red kettles in the end zones at AT&T Stadium have become extremely popular props for the Dallas Cowboys.

Ezekiel Elliott jumped into them one year and after another donated money into the kettle following a touchdown. He lifted Dak Prescott into a kettle. Last year, the tight ends played a game of whack-a-mole after a touchdown inside the kettle.

In Thursday’s 45-10 win against the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys paid homage to Thanksgiving.

Hours before kickoff, stadium staffers placed four turkey legs in each of the four kettles in the end zones to be used just in case.

After KaVontae Turpin‘s 34-yard touchdown catch from Prescott upped the Cowboys lead to 38-10 with 5:59 remaining, Prescott pulled out a turkey leg in celebration and took a giant bite.

“We talked about it as probably a 2-3 daylong process of whether it be a 15-yard penalty and whether [coach Mike McCarthy] would accept it,” Prescott said. “I actually go talk to coach before every game and sure enough I caught him as he was talking to [owner and general manager Jerry Jones], 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.”

McCarthy is no stranger to celebrations. He was the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator when Joe Horn pulled out a cellphone to celebrate a touchdown in 2003.

“I just told them that game better be well out of hand before we start pulling turkey nuggets out of a kettle can,” McCarthy said. “That was a little different pregame for me.”

Prescott initially considered the celebration on a 15-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb and subsequent 2-point pass to Lamb that made it 31-10 with 10:32 remaining.

“If you watch I’m kind of like, ‘Is it time? Can we do it?'” Prescott said. “I’m like, ‘No, we’ll get another one.’ Sure enough, right after I threw the one to Turp I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ And so, it was good.”

Instead, he and Lamb settled for an old-fashioned alley-oop into the kettle.

The Cowboys were not penalized, but a fine is always possible. Jones was pleased with the win and the attention the celebration will bring to the Salvation Army.

“This maybe one of the top, maybe right there at the top days I’ve ever had with the Cowboys,” Jones said. “It has everything to do with the fact that the Salvation Army is such a benefactor, but it also has a lot to do with a guy named [DaRon] Bland, break an NFL record like that with all that and so I just don’t know that I’ve had a day like this. And I’ll include them all. I’ll put some Super Bowls in there. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better day with the Cowboys than today.”