Thanksgiving week in the NFL. This means one thing. 3 games on Thursday, and a reduced schedule due to this on Sunday. We also had a game on Black Friday, featuring the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. The games across the 4 days were entertaining, and the race for the playoffs is starting to heat up.
So, grab those turkey leftovers, and let’s review Week 12 in the 2023 NFL season.
The Eagles Come back to Win
The Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles have had some, success in the last few years. The Eagles have made the Super Bowl, while the Bills have consistently made the playoffs. It was even predicted that there two teams would play each other in a Super Bowl. If these teams’ sets of fans are anything to go by, a Super Bowl between these, two teams, would probably mean the whole country would burn at full-time. But this year, while the Eagles could easily make the big game for the second year in a row, the Bills are struggling, and may not even make the playoffs. What happened when these two teams met in a rainy Philadelphia?
The Bills had the opening possession of the game, but were unable to do anything with this possession, and would be forced to punt to the Eagles. In turn, Philadelphia did the same on their opening drive. This would happen for two more drives. A poor start to what should be a strong game.
This stream of drives ending in punts would end with a drive from the Eagles. Starting from their 27-yard line, the Eagles’ offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts would immediately be forced back 5 yards to their 22-yard line due to a penalty against them. Penalties would appear many times on this drive, as Philadelphia was advancing up the field and then forced back a few yards due to a mistake. The Eagles were able to reach the Bills’ 26-yard line when a 23-yard rush from Kenneth Gainwell moved the Eagles down to the 3-yard line. However, there was another penalty against the Bills on this drive which put the Eagles on to the one-yard line. From here, Hurts would find the endzone for the opening touchdown of the game.
In reply to this, the Bills would be able to also find a score on their next drive. The Bills started this drive on their 25-yard line, and their offense, led by quarterback Josh Allen was able to drive down the field to the Eagles’ 30-yard line. The drive would stall here, and a 48-yard field goal attempt would be set up for Bills’ kicker Trevor Bass. Bass would be successful with this and Buffalo would close the gap.
The luck would continue for the Bills on the next Eagles drive. On the second play of the drive, Hurts would throw a pass intended for Jack Stoll. However, this pass would be intercepted by the Bills’ defense. This mistake would prove massively costly for the Eagles. The Bills offense would first be moved back 10 yards to the Eagles’ 39-yard line. This would not stop Allen and company, who would quickly be able to advance down to the 9-yard line. From here, Allen would rush into the endzone to score a 9-yard touchdown for the Bills to take the lead
Embed from Getty ImagesControversy would occur on a later drive by the Bills. Allen and company would make its way down to the Eagles 3-yard line. Then, on this play, Allen would be tackled fairly roughly and would throw the ball, before being sacked. There was a penalty on this play against the Bills for intentional grounding, but many said that Philadelphia should be penalized for Horse Collaring. Buffalo would end up setting up a 34-yard field goal attempt for Bass, who would miss.
Things wouldn’t be all bad for the Bills. On the next drive, Hurts would fumble the ball, which would be scooped up by the Bills defense. This would be costly for the Eagles, as Allen would throw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Steffon Diggs to give the Bills a 17-7 lead over the Eagles at halftime.
The Eagles had the opening possession of the second half, but like the Bills in the first half, they were unable to do anything with it. In reply to this, the Bills offense would be able to reach the Eagles’ 30-yard line before their drive would stall. This set up a 48-yard field goal attempt from Bass, but like before, he would miss.
Philadelphia would immediately strike back on their next drive. Hurts and company would be able to advance the ball down the field to the Bills’ 3-yard line. From here, Hurts would pass to Antonio Brown for the touchdown. In reply to this, Buffalo would also find the endzone. From the Eagles’ 16-yard line, Allen would find Diggs for the 16-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead.
The scoring would not stop there. On their next drive, the Eagles would again find themselves in the Bills’ red zone, at the 15-yard line. From here, Hurts would find DeVonta Smith for the touchdown pass to make it a 3-point game.
However, the Bills’ good luck would soon run out. Their next drive would start at their 25-yard line. At the 27-yard line, the drive would end. Allen would be intercepted on a pass intended for Diggs. This mistake would prove costly for Buffalo, as a few plays later, Hurts would find Olamide Zaccheaus for a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Eagles the lead for the first time.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut they would not have it for long. A few drives later, the Allen-led offense would be able to advance down the field and reach the Eagles’ red zone and then their 7-yard line. From there, Allen would find Gabe Davis for the 7-yard touchdown pass to return the lead to the Bills. This would mean that Buffalo would have a 3-point lead with time running out. What would the Eagles do?
Starting from their 25-yard line, the Hurts’ lead offense was able to make it down to the Bills’ 39-yard line. Here, Hurts would be sacked on the play and would then fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Bills’ defense. Game over. Except, not really. The play was overturned. Instead Hurts was not sacked and threw an incomplete pass. Still with possession, the Eagles were able to advance down to the Bills’41-yard line, before this drive would stall. This set up a game-tying 59-yard field goal attempt from Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Elliott would successfully make this kick, and with the scores tied as time ran out, we would be going to overtime in Philadelphia.
Buffalo would have the opening possession in overtime. The Bills would be able to make it down to the Eagles’ 22-yard line, aided by a penalty against the Eagles’ defense before their drive stalled. This set up a 40-yard field goal attempt from Bass, which we would be successful with. This meant that all the Eagles needed to win the game was to find the endzone. Could they?
In reply, the Hurts lead offense was able to quickly drive the ball down to the Bills’ 12-yard line. From here Hurts would scramble the ball into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown. The Philadelphia Eagles had defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-34 in overtime.
For the Eagles, this late victory is their second win in a row against strong opposition. They now improve to an NFL best 10-1. For the Bills, it is another defeat, but one could say (and I will) that the Eagles were gifted this victory due to let’s call it questionable officiating. They fall to 6-6 for the season. Next week, the Bills are on a bye week, while the Eagles face another strong test in the San Francisco 49ers.
Houston, We have a kicking problem
The race for the AFC South title this season appears to be a 3-way battle. In one corner and the favorites to win the title is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been playing strong football for a while. But in another corner is the Houston Texans. One of the worst teams last season, the drafting of quarterback C.J. Stroud has completely changed this side. The Texans and Jaguars met this weekend. Would we see a twist in the AFC South title race?
The Texans had the opening possession of the game, but the offense would be unable to move the ball far enough to challenge the scoreboard and would have to punt to the Jaguars.
In reply to this, the Jaguars would have a strong start to the game. In a drive that started from their 13-yard line, the Jacksonville offense, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, would be able to make their way down to the edge of the Texans’ red zone, at the 22-yard line. They would not be able to get any further than this, which set up a 40-yard field goal attempt from Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus. He would be successful with this attempt giving the Jaguars an early lead.
After a brief period of poor drives, the Jaguars would again score to widen their lead. On a drive that started on their 32-yard line, the Lawrence-led offense was able to advance down the field and reach the Texans’ 5-yard line. But, they would be able to reach further than this as there was a penalty against the Houston defense for pass interference. This would take the Jaguars down to the one-yard line. From here, Trevor Lawrence would run into the endzone for the one-yard touchdown to increase Jacksonville’s lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Texans would quickly reply to this score with one of their own. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Texans offense, led by quarterback C.J Stroud would be able to find their way down to the Jaguars’ 7-yard line. This was mostly due to two long passes from Stroud. Then, on the 7-yard line, Stroud would find Tank Dell for the 7-yard touchdown pass to put the Texans on the board and back into the game.
Jacksonville would then immediately add to their lead on their next drive. The Lawrence-led offense would be able to make it down to the Texans’ 30-yard line before stalling. This set up a 48-yard field goal attempt from McManus, which he would be successful with. In response to this, the Texans would attempt a field goal on their next drive. The Houston offense would stall on the Jaguars’ 31-yard line, setting up a 50-yard field goal attempt for Texans kicker Matt Ammendola. Amendola would miss this attempt, meaning that at halftime, the Jaguars would have a 13-7 lead over the Texans
The Jaguars would have the opening possession of the second half but would not be able to keep possession for long. The offense would be able to cross the 50-yard line and make it to the Texans’ 48-yard line. Here, Lawrence would throw a pass intended for Evan Engram. However, this pass would be intercepted by the Texans defense.
The interception would be costly for the Jaguars. On their next drive which started at their 40-yard line, Stroud and company were able to advance down the field and reach the Jaguars’ one-yard line. From here, Stroud would scramble for the one-yard touchdown pass which gave the Texans the lead.
However, the Texans would not have the lead for long. Shaking off his interception from the previous drive, Lawrence was able to move his Jaguars offense down to the Texans’ 8-yard line. This would be aided by a 15-yard penalty against the Texans defense. Jacksonville would soon make the one-yard line, again aided by a penalty against the Texans. Then, from the one-yard line, Travis Etienne would find the endzone for the one-yard rushing touchdown to hand the Jaguars the lead again. The Jaguars would then attempt a two-point conversion after this touchdown, which they would be successful with.
Embed from Getty ImagesJacksonville would extend their lead on their next drive. Unlike their previous drive where they were aided by penalties, on this drive they would be the ones on the receiving end. This would end with the Jaguars’ drive stalling on the Texans’ 35-yard line. This gave McManus a 53-yard field goal attempt, which he would make. The Jaguars went into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead.
This lead could have been extended even further soon after. In another Jaguars drive that stalled, a 55-yard field goal attempt would occur. McManus would miss this, keeping Jacksonville’s lead at 10 points.
But, this would soon be cut. Taking advantage of the field position gained from the missed field goal, the Stroud-led offense would again be able to quickly make it down inside the Jaguars’ red zone and then down to the 17-yard line. From here, Stroud threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins to make it a 3-point game. Could the Texans complete their comeback?
The Jaguars would punt on their next drive. This would set up a final drive from the Texans. This drive would start at their 11-yard line, and Houston would be able to immediately move forward due to a penalty against the Jaguars defense. Stroud and company would be able to move the offense down to the Jaguars’ 39-yard line, where this drive stalled. This set up Matt Ammendola with a game-tying 58-yard field goal attempt. Amendola’s kick would just be short.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had defeated the Houston Texans 24-21.
With this win, the Jaguars improved to 8-3 on the season to continue their good season and put them one step closer to winning the AFC South title. The defeat means that the Texans fall to 6-5 for the season. Next week, the Jaguars will face the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Texans will hope to return to winning ways against the Denver Broncos.
A Thanksgiving Tradition in Detroit
In an unpredictable world, it is nice to have some things that are guaranteed. One of those things, apart from the usual Death and Taxes, is that the Detroit Lions will play on Thanksgiving at home, and would normally lose this game. This year, it would be the Green Bay Packers who would face the Lions. Could this losing streak end?
The Packers had the opening drive of the game and were able to start well. Led by quarterback Jordan Love, the Green Bay drive started at their 25-yard line. On the first play of the game, Love found Christian Watson for a 53-yard pass to move the Packers down to the edge of the Lions’ red zone. They would soon be able to reach into the red zone, and then down to the Lions’ 10-yard line. From here, Love found Jayden Reed for a 10-yard touchdown pass to take the lead.
The Lions would be able to quickly reply to this score with one of their own. The drive would start on their 28-yard line, and the Lions offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff would be able to move the offense down to the Packers’ 7-yard line. From here, Goff would throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta to level the scores.
But the leveled scores would not last long. For the third consecutive drive of the game, we would have points. This time, the Packers would have the ball. Love and company would be able to advance down the field and to the Lions’ 9-yard line. From here, Love found Tucker Kraft for a 9-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead for Green Bay.
The luck would continue for the Packers on the next drive of the game. The Lions would have possession, but would not have the possession for long. On the opening two plays of the drive, the Lions would be forced backward due to a penalty against them. Then, on the Lions’ 23-yard line, the Lions would fumble the ball. The ball would then be scooped up by the Packers, and Jonathan Owens would return the ball to the endzone for a fumble return touchdown to increase the Packers’ lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesDetroit would have the ball again following this, but another mistake would occur. This time, Goff would scramble to the Lions’ 23-yard line, and would then fumble the ball. The ball would again be scooped up by the Packers, but Green Bay would not be able to return the ball for a touchdown. In fact, they were unable to make a first down on this drive and failed a fourth down conversion attempt.
While the Packers failed to score anything on the previous drive, they were able to on their next. Love would lead his offense down to the Lions’ 24-yard line before the drive would stall. This setup Packers kicker Anders Carlson with a 43-yard field goal attempt, from which he would be successful with.
Green Bay would attempt one more field goal to end the half. This time, Carlson would have a 63-yard attempt. This would not be successful, but it would not have a massive effect on the score at halftime. The Packers returned to the locker rooms with a 23-6 lead over the Lions. Would the second half bring any luck for Detroit?
The Lions would have the opening possession of the second half, and Detroit would waste no time in starting what could be a comeback. The drive would start on the Lions’ 28-yard line, with Goff and company immediately moving into to Lions’ territory after the first play of the drive. Goff would then be able to lead his offense down into the Packers’ red zone and then down to the 17-yard line
From here, David Montgomery would find the endzone for a 17-yard rushing touchdown. But, this would not stand. A defensive holding penalty would be called against the Lions, stripping them of their touchdown. This would not stop the Lions, as a few plays later, Montgomery would again find the endzone, this time for a legal 6-yard rushing touchdown. In addition to this, the Lions would then attempt a two-point conversion, which would be successful.
However, this strong start to the half would not last. A few drives after their touchdown, the Lions would fail a fake punt attempt on 4th down from their 23-yard line. This meant that the Packers would start their next drive knocking on the door of the red zone. This mistake would prove costly for the Lions, as a few plays later Love would throw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Watson to extend the already large Packers lead.
The bad luck would continue for Detroit on their next drive. The Goff lead offense would be able to make it to the Packers’ 31-yard line. But another mistake would occur here. Goff would be sacked and then fumble the ball, which was scooped up by the Packers defense. The only positive about this sequence of plays is that on the subsequent drive, Green Bay was, unable to score.
Embed from Getty ImagesA few poor drives later this game was all but over. The Lions could not win this game. But that did not stop them from having one more attempt to score. The drive started on their 9-yard line, and Goff would lead the Lions down to the Packers’ 12-yard line. From here, and with less than a minute left on the clock, Goff would find Josh Reynolds for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Detroit would attempt a two-point conversion after the touchdown which would be successful. But in all, it would all be academic. The Green Bay Packers had defeated the Detroit Lions 29-22
For the Packers, this is an important win that could save their season. They improve to 5-6. For the Lions, the tradition of losing at home on Thanksgiving remains. They fall to a still respectable and NFC North-leading 8-3 for the season. Next week, the Packers face the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Lions go to the New Orleans Saints.
A Black Friday to Remember for the Dolphins
For the first time ever, the NFL played a game on “Black Friday”, or as we in the UK call it, “The Day we all buy our Christmas presents cheap”. Whether or not this game is a good idea or not is another story for another day. So, who would be the two teams facing off on this day? The high-scoring Miami Dolphins, and the New York Jets, who had demoted their quarterback Zach Wilson to third string and replaced him with Tim Boyle. So would we get any surprises, or would this game just be, like the stock on Black Friday, a cheap product that nobody wants to pay full price for?
The Jets would have the opening possession of the game, but as expected, the team was unable to do anything with this possession and would quickly punt the ball to the Dolphins.
In reply to this, the Dolphins did show that they clearly were the stronger team. But, this may have not been the case. On the second play of the drive, Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert would fumble the ball. Miami would recover the ball. The Jets would challenge this ruling, and there would be a change from the officials. The fumble became an incomplete pass. None of this would stop the Dolphins’ offense from making it down to the red zone. Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins made it down to the Jets’ 4-yard line and faced a fourth-down conversion attempt. Tua would throw an incomplete pass on this occasion, and possession would be handed back to the Jets, who would do nothing with it.
The Dolphins would have more success on their next drive. The drive would start on their 44-yard line, and Tagovailoa and company would be able to advance down the field and make it down to the Jets’ 20-yard line before the drive stalled. This set up Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders with a 38-yard field goal attempt, which he would be successful with to give Miami an early lead.
The Dolphins would add to this lead on their next drive. On this drive, the Dolphins’ offense would be able to cross into the Jets’ red zone and make it to the 7-yard line. From here, Tagovailoa would find Tyreek Hill for a 7-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever the Dolphins’ next drive, would not last long, as on the first play of it, Tagovailoa’s pass would be intercepted by Brandin Echois, who would return the ball into the endzone for a pick 6 touchdown giving the Jets their first points of the game. But, in typical Jets fashion, the PAT kick would miss.
But this interception would start a period where neither team could hold on to the ball. On the Dolphins’ next drive, Tua would throw an interception at around the 50-yard line. The Jets were unable to return the ball to the endzone, but what would happen instead would go down into the history books.
The New York Jets playing at Thanksgiving has given us some wild events. The most notable being the infamous “Butt Fumble” where then Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez collided with the rear end of one of his offensive linemen, causing him to fumble the ball. We would get something equally embarrassing here.
On the final play of the half, Jets quarterback Tim Boyle threw a Hail Mary. This throw would be intercepted by Jevon Holland on the one-yard line. Holland would then run down the entire field before reaching the endzone for a 99-yard pick-6 touchdown. Less of a Hail Mary and more of a Hell Mary for the Jets.
This would mean that at halftime, the Dolphins would have a 17-6 lead over the Jets.
The Dolphins would have the opening possession of the second half and would be able to extend their lead. Tagovailoa would be able to shake off his previous two interceptions and lead his Dolphins offense down to the Jets’ 36-yard line, where this drive would stall. This set up Sanders with a 54-yard field goal attempt, which he would successfully make.
Miami would also find the endzone on their next drive as well. But unlike their previous ones, this one would be a long one. Starting from their 8-yard line, the Dolphins would slowly make their way down to field and to the Jets’ 13-yard line. From here Mostrat would find the endzone for a 13-yard rushing touchdown.
But, anything that the Dolphins can do, the Jets can do better. On their next drive, it would take Tim Boyle and his New York Jets offense 17 plays to advance 56 yards. This voyage would make them end up at the Dolphins’ 20-yard line. But, all would not end well, as on the next play, Boyle would throw another interception, ruining what could be their only chance of scoring.
The Dolphins would have the ball now, but not for long. At their 37-yard line, Tagovailoa would fumble the ball, which would be scooped up by the Jets’ defense. Now they had decent field position, could they finally score a touchdown on offense?
Our prayers would finally be answered. Boyle and company would be able to make it down to the Dolphins’ one-yard line, albeit aided by a penalty against the Dolphins’ defense. Then, from the one-yard line, Boyle found Garrett Wilson for the one-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets something in this game.
The Dolphins would then score straight after this. From the Jets 34-yard line, Mostrat would again find the endzone to seal what was a dominant victory.
The Miami Dolphins had beaten the New York Jets 34-13.
For the Dolphins, this was a given. Anything other than a dominant performance would have been a disappointment in their eyes. The victory improves them to 8-3 for the season. As for the Jets, it went as bad as it could have gone. They seem to be just waiting for Aaron Rodgers to return, which he may be able to do near the end of the season. Shame he won’t be playing any meaningful games. Next week, the Dolphins face the Washington Commanders, while the Jets face the Atlanta Falcons.
What Happened in the Other Games?
As well as the Lions playing a home on Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys also have a tradition of doing so. The Washington Commanders would be this year’s opponents and would be demolished. In a game where DaRon Bland would get into the NFL history books after recording his 5th pick 6 touchdown of the season, the Cowboys would defeat the Commanders 45-10
The Thanksgiving night game came from the West Coast, as the Seattle Seahawks faced the San Francisco 49ers. This would again be another strong performance from San Francisco. Running Back Christian McCaffrey would score 2 touchdowns in the second quarter to help the 49ers to a 31-13 victory
In an NFC South battle, the Atlanta Falcons would face the New Orleans Saints. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder would comeback from throwing two interceptions early in the game to lead his team to a 24-15 victory over the Saints
Live without Joe Burrow may be hard for the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers, who fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada during the week. This firing seemed to make a difference to Pittsburgh, as they recorded 422 total yards in their 16-10 victory over the Bengals
The Carolina Panthers’ poor season continued this week against the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Henry would score two touchdowns to help the Titans to a 17-10 win over the Panthers. This defeat would be one too many for Panthers head coach Frank Reich who was fired after only 11 games in charge.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Indianapolis faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Colts returning running back Jonathan Taylor would destroy the weak Buccaneers defense, scoring two touchdowns in the process. The Colts would win this game 27-20
After last week’s convincing victory over the Commanders, the New York Giants faced a struggling New England Patriots side. This game would be as expected. Terrible. Neither team did anything major. The Patriots decided to start Mac Jones as quarterback, but after a poor first half, he was benched for Bailey Zappe. Zappe would be able to get New England back into the game and not a lot else. In the end, it all came down to one kick. Patriots kicker Chad Ryland had to make a field goal to send the game to an unwanted overtime period. He missed and the Giants would win 10-7. So, my weekend was not ruined.
At the beginning of the season, the Denver Broncos were seen as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Conceding 70 points in one game does that to you. But now, they are far better and their defense is strong. This would be on show during the Broncos encounter with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns would turn the ball over 3 times in the Broncos 29-12 victory
The Los Angeles Rams faced the Arizona Cardinals this weekend. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford would throw 4 touchdowns, a season-high for him in the Rams’ convincing 37-14 victory over the Cardinals
The Kansas City Chiefs, who were coming off their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, faced the resurgent Las Vegas Raiders. For most of the first half, it was looking like an upset would be in the cards, but a strong second half from the Chiefs would give them a 31-17 victory
The Sunday Night Football game this week featured the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers. Could the Chargers win a game this weekend instead of losing by 3 points? The answer would be no. Ravens running back Zay Flowers would score a late touchdown to give the Ravens a 20-10 victory
Embed from Getty ImagesMonday Night’s matchup would be between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings would have a terrible game. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs would throw 4 interceptions and Bears kicker Cairo Santos would win the game on the last kick. The Bears would win 12-10, becoming the first team this season to win a game without scoring a touchdown.
So, that was week 12 in the NFL. Next week, the standout game again features the Philadelphia Eagles, as they face the San Francisco 49ers. We also have the Chiefs facing the Packers and a probably convincing Chargers victory, as they face the Patriots.