Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season was a busy one, with four days of action-packed football. It all began on Thanksgiving Day with the Detroit Lions continuing the tradition of hosting a game on the holiday, this time against the Chicago Bears. The Bears fumbled the ending of the game so badly, it was a catalyst to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus. The Dallas Cowboys also followed their same tradition, hosting the New York Giants and eliminating their divisional foe from the playoffs.
The Turkey Day festivities ended with a Green Bay Packers‘ win over the Miami Dolphins, who historically struggle in cold-weather games. The football fun continued with a Black Friday game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs squeaked by with a win — a trend this season — and their 19-17 victory also meant they clinched a playoff spot.
There were many close games this week. The Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars by three points, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Patriots by one, the Los Angeles Chargers had a four-point advantage over the Atlanta Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals lost by one to the Minnesota Vikings and it took overtime for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the Carolina Panthers. Just to name a few of the nail-biters.
All that and more went down this week and with so many highlights, missteps, questionable calls and historic moments, it’s tough to keep up with everything. Don’t fret, we have you covered. Here are five top moments from Week 13:
1. Josh Allen makes touchdown history
One of the biggest plays of the weekend was also a historic one.
The Buffalo Bills were marching toward the end zone and quarterback Josh Allen threw a pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper in the red zone. Cooper had nowhere to go so he lobbed it back to Allen, who caught the pass and ran into the end zone to extend Buffalo’s lead. He was credited with a passing and receiving touchdown.
Allen also had a rushing touchdown in the win against the San Francisco 49ers, becoming the first quarterback to ever record a rushing, passing and receiving TD all in the same game. The QB is making a serious case for MVP, as the Bills stand at 10-2 with their fifth consecutive AFC East title.
2. One-handed catches
There are few things more fun in the NFL than a wild, one-handed catch. We all know the classic ones from Hall of Famer Randy Moss, or the most iconic one in recent history, the Odell Beckham Jr. grab.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen had fans jaws on the floor with his reception on Sunday. Carolina went on to lose the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so this play might get lost in the shuffle, but it deserves some spotlight.
That was not the only impressive grab of the day, or at the game. Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans made it look easy while lunging back to secure a touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
3. Wilson’s big day
When Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made the decision to go with his original starter Russell Wilson when he was ready to return from injury, over Justin Fields, who played in the first six games, many people questioned his decision. Wilson struggled last season, and Fields showed a lot of hope, going 4-2 in his starts. But there is a reason Tomlin has never had a losing season with the Steelers and the decision was clearly the correct one.
Wilson had 414 passing yards on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, the most this season, the second-most of his career and marking his third 400+ yard game. The QB also had three touchdowns and one interception with a 76.3 completion percentage.
The veteran has clearly found a good fit in Pittsburgh and has helped lead the team to a 9-3 record and a two-game advantage (plus the tiebreaker) over the 8-5 Baltimore ravens in the AFC North.
Here are a few Wilson highlights from Sunday’s matchup:
4. My Cause My Cleats
Players had the opportunity to wear custom cleats this weekend, representing a cause that is important to them. Not only did this bring attention to many foundations, but it was also a way to put artists’ work on display.
The league’s official website notes that players can wear cleats representing organizations that are important to them during Week 13 and Week 14.
“NFL players reveal their passions beyond the game and wear their hearts on their feet through My Cause My Cleats,” the website says.
Here is a look at some of the cleats from this weekend:
With the Bills to start the season, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had just 26 yards on two receptions, with no touchdowns before his release in October. In the last three games with New Orleans, he’s put up 237 yards on eight receptions, with a long of 71 and four trips to the end zone. On Sunday, MVS recorded his fourth touchdown of the season on a perfectly executed play against the Los Angeles Rams.
This was Derek Carr‘s only passing touchdown of the day and the Saints went on to lose the matchup, but MVS once again showed he can be a bright spot on this struggling team.
