It is Thanksgiving in the NFL this week. That means we had three games on Thursday, a game on Friday, and a slightly reduced slate on Sunday. But this did not stop the action from being any less exciting. So, grab some turkey, and let us see how the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Pittsburgh Steelers (among others) fared this week.
The Bills Win the Snow Game
The Buffalo Bills are one game away from being crowned AFC East champions for the fifth consecutive and 15th time overall. This is partly because they are again a contender for the AFC Conference but also due to the poor performances of their divisional rivals. This week, they faced the San Franciso 49ers in what could have been a good game at the beginning of the season, but the 49ers have struggled this year, and the defending NFC champion will likely miss the playoffs. To add to the excitement of this game, it was played under heavy snowfall, which is more than common in northern New York state.
The 49ers scored the first points of the game on their first drive. Starting from their 37-yard line, the 49ers’ offense, led by quarterback Brock Purdy (but as it is a snow game, the running backs essentially take charge), was able to bring the ball down to the Bills’ 15-yard line. This is where the drive would stall, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt from Jake Moody. He was successful with this kick, giving San Francisco the early lead.
But, the lead did not last long. In response to this, the Bills offense, led by Josh Allen, was able to slowly make their way down to the 49ers’ five-yard line. Here, Ray Davis found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
The 49ers tried to cut into the lead on their next drive, but Purdy’s pass was intercepted on the Bills’ 34-yard line. However, a penalty against Buffalo on the play stripped the interception off the board and gave them another chance. On the very next play, things became even worse for them, as star running back Christian McCaffrey (who had just returned from an injury) went down with an injury and did not return to the game. San Fransico struggled for the rest of the drive, stalling at the Bills’27-yard line. To add further insult to (literal) injury, Moody missed the following field goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile the 49ers struggled, the Bills did anything but. On the first play of their next drive, James Cook found the endzone for a 65-yard rushing touchdown. They added to the lead on their next drive, as Allen found Mack Hollins for a seven-yard touchdown pass.
San Francisco again attempted a field goal to end the half, with Moody kicking from 55 yards out. However, this was unsuccessful. At halftime, the Bills had a 21-3 lead over the 49ers.
The 49ers had the first drive of the second half, but another mistake was made. The offense was able to make it down to the Bills’ four-yard line and was very close to scoring a touchdown. However, Kyle Juszczyk fumbled the ball on the one-yard line, which the Bills scooped up. Luckily for San Francisco, Buffalo could not find points from the drive.
However, they were able to do this a few drives later in a frankly bizarre play. On the 49ers’ seven-yard line, Allen made a backward pass to Amari Cooper. Then, Cooper threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Allen, which only added to their already large lead.
In response, the 49ers got something from their next drive when Issac Guerendo found the endzone for a 15-yard rushing touchdown. But, the luck soon ran out, as Purdy fumbled the ball on the edge of the 49er’s red zone. The Bills recovered the ball, and a few plays later. Allen found the endzone for an eight-yard rushing touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 49ers would fumble the ball again on the kickoff return and would lose possession from this. However, the Bills’ offense could not go anywhere with this, and Trevor Bass’ kick was wide left. It had little impact on the final result of the game.
Ultimately, the Buffalo Bills defeated the San Francisco 49ers 35-10 to clinch the AFC East division title.
Josh Allen’s performance in this game was record-breaking. He became the first player to throw for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, and score a rushing touchdown. This, alongside his marriage proposal last week, shows Mr Allen is having a good time. The same cannot be said for the 49ers, whose season will likely be over after another poor performance. The win takes the Bills to a 10-2 record, while the 49ers fall to 5-7.
Next week, the Bills play the Los Angeles Rams, while the 49ers face the Chicago Bears.
Kansas are Lucky (again)
Another team that could clinch a spot in the playoff this week was the Kansas City Chiefs. They faced divisional rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, in much warmer conditions than what Buffalo played their game in. The Raiders have been having a poor season and are in the race for the number one pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. But, with the Chiefs team that has struggled recently (but still won on the game’s last play), could we see an upset on Black Friday?
The Chiefs had the opening drive of the game and were able to score the opening points. On a drive that started on their 27-yard line, the Chiefs offense, led by Patrick Mahomes, made its way down the field and reached the Raiders’ seven-yard line. This is where the drive stalled, setting up kicker M Wright with a 25-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with.
A few drives later, the Raiders could match what the Chiefs did before. Starting from their eight-yard line, the Raiders offense, led by quarterback Aiden O’Connell, brought the ball down to the Chiefs’ nine-yard line, but no further. This set up a 27-yard field goal attempt from kicker Daniel Carlson, which he made to tie the game.
Embed from Getty ImagesOn their next drive, Carlson had the chance to take the lead when he was faced with a 56-yard field goal attempt. However, the kick was short.
In response, the Chiefs were able to retake the lead. Mahomes and company made their way down to the Raiders’ six-yard line. From here, Mahomes found Justin Watson for a six-yard touchdown pass. Kansas City attempted to add to its lead on the final drive of the half, but the field goal attempt from 59 yards out missed.
This meant that the Chiefs had a 10-3 lead over the Raiders at halftime.
The Chiefs added to their lead on their first drive of the second half. However, they were lucky to have the opportunity to, as on the Raiders’ 30-yard line, Mahomes was sacked and then fumbled the ball. But he recovered the ball quickly after dropping it. This affected the rest of the drive, and the team stalled at the Raiders’ 23-yard line. Wright was then successful with a 42-yard field goal.
On their next drive, Las Vegas would again be faced with a long field goal attempt, with Carlson attempting a kick from 55 yards out. Like his previous attempt from a long distance, it was unsuccessful. In response, the Chiefs would successfully make their field goal attempt from 35 yards out.
On the next drive of the game, the Raiders were able to get themselves back into the game. From the Chiefs’ 33-yard line, O’Connell found Brock Bowers for the touchdown pass. This made it a one-possession game as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Raiders could take the lead when O’Connell found Tre Tucker for a 58-yard touchdown pass.
However, this newly acquired lead did not last long, as on the next drive, the Chiefs would score another field goal on a drive where they again struggled with the Las Vegas defence.
With two minutes left on the clock, the Raiders had an opportunity to retake the lead when Carlson was faced with a 58-yard field goal attempt. But, like most of his previous ones, it was missed. Luckily, the Chiefs punted on their next drive, giving the Raiders one more opportunity to steal victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe drive started on the team’s eight-yard line, and they only had to get the ball into field goal territory. They could make it down to the Chiefs’ 32-yard line with 15 seconds left. O’Connell had to make one more play before the field goal would be attempted.
However, on this play, he fumbled the ball, which was then scooped up by the Chiefs, who held on for a 19-17 victory over the Raiders.
This is another win for the Chiefs that could be considered “lucky”. If O’Connell hadn’t fumbled the ball, a field goal would have been taken, and maybe Carlson would have shaken off his long-distance demons to give the winning kick. This is not a team’s performance, who are now at 11-1 for the season. The defeat continues the poor season that the Raiders have been having, as they fall to 2-10
Next week, the Chiefs (who have now won the AFC West) will face the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Raiders face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And on the subject of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers are Unlucky (again)
Earlier in the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the stronger teams in the NFL and were always being featured in these reviews. They have lost that form of late but are still in the race for the NFC South. This week, they faced the Carolina Panthers, who nearly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs last week. Could they get the win here?
The first few drives of the game were not great, with the offense of both teams struggling to do anything. However, the Buccaneers were able to break the deadlock.
On a drive that started on their 37-yard line, the Tampa Bay offense, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, made their way down to the Panthers’ two-yard line. From here, Mayfield found Mike Evans for a two-yard touchdown pass.
The Panthers were able to get something in response to this score. Carolina went down to the Buccaneers’ 29-yard line, where their drive stalled. This set up a 47-yard field goal attempt from kicker Eddie Piniero, who was successful with the kick. Piniero again attempted a field goal on the Panthers’ next drive but was unsuccessful from 38 yards out.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, the Panthers were able to take the lead on their next drive. Taking advantage of a very short punt from the Buccaneers, the Panthers started this drive from the Tampa Bay 36-yard line. Here, the offense, led by Bryce Young, went down to the Buccaneers 10-yard line. Then, Young found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
But, this lead did not last long, as Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin was successful from 27 yards out. In response, the Panthers also attempted a field goal, but Piniero’s kick was unsuccessful. The bad luck did not last long for Carolina, as on the next drive, Mayfield threw an interception. The Panthers were able to capitalize on this mistake, with Pinerio making a field goal from 27 yards out.
This meant that the Panthers had a 13-10 lead over the Buccaneers at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, we finally had a drive that did not end in a punt. However, it did not end well for Tampa Bay, as Mayfield threw another interception. As they did before halftime, the Panthers capitalized on the mistake by scoring another field goal, giving them a six-point lead.
But, this lead did not last long. On the next drive, the Mayfield-lead offense slowly went down to the Panthers’ six-yard line. From here, Bucky Irving found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give Tampa Bay the lead. They would extend this lead on their next drive, with McLaughlin kicking a field goal from 26 yards out.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, with under three minutes left to play, the Panthers would strike back when Young found Adam Thielen for a 25-yard touchdown pass. This gave them a three-point lead with 30 seconds left on the clock.
With their final possession of the game, Tampa Bay had to get into field goal range. They did, and as time ran out, McLaughlin kicked a 51-yard field goal to send this game to overtime.
Tampa Bay had the first possession of overtime, with their drive stalling on the Panthers 37-yard line, setting up a 55-yard field goal attempt. This missed, meaning that all the Panthers needed to do was score a field goal to win.
However, this did not happen as Chuba Hubbard fumbled the ball, which Tampa Bay recovered. On their next drive, the Buccaneers made it down to the Panthers’ 12-yard line, and McLaughlin successfully kicked a 30-yard field goal.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recorded a 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers.
This is another strong performance from Carolina, which is playing much better than its 3-9 record. The win gives Tampa Bay a 6-6 record, keeping it firmly in the race for the NFC South title.
Next week, the Buccanneers face the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Panthers face the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bengals Fumble the Win
The Pittsburgh Steelers have recently consolidated their lead in the AFC North division. While they cannot win the division this week, winning against the Cincinnati Bengals will massively help. The Bengals are not having the best year, with the usually strong Joe Burrow struggling. Could he get a much-needed win this week against a divisional rival?
The Steelers made the first mistake of the game early in the first quarter. The offense, led by quarterback Russell Wilson, was able to reach their 45-yard line when the error would occur. Wilson’s pass was intercepted by the Bengals’ defense, who returned the ball to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown to open the scoring.
However, Pittsburgh could recover from this error and have a far better drive on their next attempt. Wilson would bring the offense down to the Bengals’ 17-yard line. Here, he found George Pickens (the original target for the intercepted pass) for the touchdown pass to level the scores.
But the Bengals were immediately able to respond to this with a score of their own. Burrow brought his offense down to the Steelers’ 41-yard line. Here, Chase Brown found the endzone to record a 41-yard rushing touchdown. However, upon further review, it was found that Brown was down at the one-yard line. This removed the touchdown score from the board. But on the next play, he ran the ball into the endzone for a now-one-yard rushing touchdown to hand the lead to the Bengals.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis did not last, as on the next drive, Najee Harris found the endzone for a 10-yard rushing touchdown to keep the game’s scoring streak alive and again tie the scores.
The Bengals made a mistake on their next drive when Burrow was sacked by TJ Watt and then fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Steelers. Pittsburgh capitalized on this mistake and scored a 50-yard field goal on their drive. The Steelers would again be successful with a field goal on the final drive before halftime, as kicker Chris Boswell found the uprights from 34 yards out.
This meant that the Steelers had a 27-21 lead over the Bengals at halftime.
The Steelers again were faced with a field goal attempt on the first drive of the second half, with Boswell facing a 42-yard attempt. However, this attempt was blocked. On their drive, the Bengals also attempted a field goal from 38 yards out. Kicker Evan McPherson succeeded, slightly closing the gap between the two teams.
But, the slightly reduced lead was only brief, as on the next drive, Wilson found Pat Friermuth for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Cincinnati would make a mistake at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Burrow threw another interception. Luckily for the Bengals, the Steelers could not do anything with the subsequent possession. However, on the Bengals’ next drive, another mistake was made, which Pittsburgh was able to take advantage of. Deep in their territory, the Bengals fumbled the ball. This was then scooped up by Payton Wilson, who returned the ball to the endzone for a 21-yard touchdown return.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut, the game was not mathematically over yet, and Cincinnati could reduce the lead to 10 points when Burrow found Tee Higgins for a one-yard touchdown pass. This gap only lasted one drive, as Boswell could kick a 30-yard field goal.
This put the game to bed, but Cincinnati got one more touchdown for pride, as Burrow found Andrei Iosivas for a three-yard touchdown pass.
But, it was not enough, as the Pittsburgh Steelers had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38.
This victory gave the Steelers another winning season. They now have a record of 9-3, putting them in pole position to win the AFC North division. As for the Bengals, this was another game where they struggled at times. Their mistakes cost them what would have been a very usual victory. They fall to 4-8 for the season.
Next week, the Steelers face the Cleveland Browns, while the Bengals face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
What Happened in the Other Games?
As it was Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions played their game on Thursday. This is something that they have traditionally struggled to win, but this year’s team is one of the best Lions’ teams in history. They faced the Chicago Bears, who have been struggling this year. The Lions looked like they would win this game for the first three quarters easily. But, in the fourth quarter, the Bears launched a comeback. But, it was not enough, as the Lions held on for a 23-20 win and extended their winning streak to 10 games.
The night game on Thanksgiving was between the Green Bay Packers and the Miami Dolphins. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had another strong performance, throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns. But, this was not enough to stop Jordan Love and the Packers as they recorded a 30-17 win.
It was a bad day at the office for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. His team faced the Los Angeles Chargers in a game that, on paper, was close. In reality, the game was close, but Cousins threw four interceptions, and the Falcons were defeated 17-13. After this performance, I understand why the Falcons drafted former Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Fenix Jr.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Minnesota Vikings left it late to record a win against the Arizona Cardinals. With one minute left in the fourth quarter, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold found Aaron Jones for a five-yard touchdown pass to record a 23-22 win over the Cardinals, who were generally the better team in this game.
In another game that went down to the final moments, the Indianapolis Colts faced the New England Patriots. With 12 seconds left, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson found Alec Pierce for a three-yard touchdown pass. Then, Richardson was successful on the two-point conversion to seal a 25-24 victory for the Colts, and the struggles continued for the Patriots.
There was a chance that the New York Jets would be able to defeat the Seattle Seahawks this week. However, a 92-yard pick-six touchdown and a late rushing touchdown from Zach Charbonnet ruined that chance, giving the Seahawks a 26-21 win over Aaron Rodgers’ Jets.
Last week, the Tennessee Titans defeated the Houston Texans. However, gravity struck in their game with the Washington Commanders. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels threw for three touchdowns in Washington’s comprehensive 42-19 win over the Titans.
The Houston Texans returned to winning ways as they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20. However, this game will be remembered for the dangerous tackle to the head that knocked out Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Azeez Al-Shaair is suspended for three games for his role in the tackle. Should it be more, given what we now know about head injuries?
The Los Angeles Rams faced the New Orleans Saints this week. It was a simple game, with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua to record a 21-14 win.
The in-form Philadelphia Eagles faced the Baltimore Ravens this week. This was a battle between two of the league’s best running backs, as Saquon Barkley faced off against Derrick Henry. In the end, it was the Eagles whose defense was far superior. Sprinkle in numerous misses from Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker, and Philadelphia recorded a 24-19 win over Baltimore.
The Monday night football game was between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. Browns quarterback Jamesis Winston had one of the best nights in his career. He threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns, with three interceptions, alongside the 235 yards Jerry Jeudy ran for. But this was not enough, as the Broncos recorded a 41-32 win.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd finally, let’s get into another week of the ongoing drama, the New York Giants. During last week’s game against Tampa Bay, quarterback Tommy DeVito was injured so Drew Lock would face the Dallas Cowboys. To give him credit, he played OK. But he is still making the same mistakes that former quarterback (and now Minnesota Viking) Daniel Jones was making. It is hardly an improvement. The Giants were defeated by the Cowboys 27-20 to continue their disaster of a season. The fans’ rage has moved from Jones to the management, and I believe massive changes need to be made if this team is going to be successful again. It is not a quick fix, nor are we “one quarterback away”.
That was Week 13 in the 2024 NFL season. Next week, the Green Bay Packers face the Detroit Lions, Kansas City plays the Chargers, and maybe the New York Giants can win a home game this year when they face the New Orleans Saints.