Week 13 of the NFL season did not disappoint as Thanksgiving week featured a myriad of high octane matchups and nail biting finishes. Typical of the holiday, games were spread out throughout the week’s entirety for fans to enjoy. This included three matchups on Thursday, Nov. 28 and a game on Friday, Nov. 29 to complement the rest of the games predominantly taking place on Sunday. As a result, fans were able to consistently tune into nonstop NFL action throughout their Thanksgiving break. 

A distinctive part of this action involved one of the most confounding finishes seen in years. The Chicago Bears lost 23-20 to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, but that alone was not an extremely surprising result. The Lions have been utterly dominant during the course of this season and they improved their record to 10-1, while the struggling Bears fell to 4-8. Unfortunately, it was the ridiculous fashion in which the Bears lost this contest that gripped the headlines and ultimately lost their coach his job. The blunder reads as follows: the Bears were deep into Lions’ territory with only thirty seconds remaining in the game. Luckily, they were only down three points, which they could tie with a field goal. Additionally, they did not have to worry about a lack of time remaining in the contest due to the fact that they still retained one of their timeouts. At the very least, it was expected that the Bears would run a play or two and then opt to use their timeout to kick a field goal, sending the game into overtime against an extremely strong opponent. However, the Bears wound up standing idly by for about twenty-five seconds before quarterback Caleb Williams threw a deep pass that fell to the ground — incomplete, as time expired. Shockingly, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus defended the decision to not call a timeout in that situation. Unfortunately for Eberflus, the Bears front office was not too sympathetic to his reasoning and he was fired after two and a half seasons at the helm. This latest incident has come after a string of gutting losses that the Bears have suffered as part of a six-game losing streak. But all is not doom and gloom for Chicago, as they have a rookie phenom in Williams who assuredly will lead their squad to success in the future.

One team that has overcome all obstacles thrown in their way has been the Pittsburgh Steelers, who improved their record to an impressive 9-3 after dismantling the Cincinnati Bengals in a 44-38 offensive thriller. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has truly worked his magic with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. The 36-year-old Wilson shined on the field, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. One element of their victory, which will come as an extremely hopeful sign for their fans, was their fantastic offensive execution. Traditionally a defensive powerhouse, the Steelers are again hanging their cap on that end, holding opposing teams to the 7th fewest yards of offense per game in the NFL. On the other hand, they rank around the middle of the pack — 14th — in terms of yards per game gained offensively. If Wilson can continue to elevate his play to propel the Steelers into the upper echelon of NFL offensive efficiency, then the Steelers will be a major contender during this upcoming postseason.

With the conclusion of Week 13’s action, there are only a mere five weeks remaining in this NFL regular season! With the wild card rounds of the playoffs soon upon us, the anticipation only continues to build. Stay tuned during these upcoming weeks to see how the top teams finish in the playoff standings, as well as how the league’s bottom dwellers attempt to vie for the best position in the NFL draft this upcoming April.


Games to watch:

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions, 8:15 P.M. E.T. on Dec. 5, 2024

Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 P.M. E.T. on Dec. 8, 2024