NFL Week 13 Recap: Who’s Up, Who’s Down, What’s Next for Every Team

The Lions kicked off the Thanksgiving slate with a close win over the Bears, who let another tight game slip away in the closing moments.

The Lions won their 10th game in a row to move to 11–1 on the season. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s time for the stretch drive of the 2024 NFL regular season.

With Thanksgiving week here, it’s time for the top contenders to separating themselves from the pack, while the pretenders begin to sink into the abyss of mock-draft season and coaching carousel conversations. 

On Thanksgiving Day, the NFL gave us a tripleheader of action with the Detroit Lions (11–1) and Dallas Cowboys (4–7) playing their traditional roles of host, with the Chicago Bears (4–8) and New York Giants (2–9) making visits.

In the nightcap, it’s the Green Bay Packers (8–3) welcoming in the Miami Dolphins (5–6) to frigid Lambeau Field. Then, Black Friday gives us the Kansas City Chiefs (10–1) and Las Vegas Raiders (2–9) getting together in an old-school AFL rivalry game. 

But let’s start with a bit of turkey and a trio of games to go with it.

THURSDAY

Lions 23, Bears 20

My take: If there’s a takeaway from this game, it’s that Matt Eberflus shouldn't be allowed to board the team plane. Chicago (4–8) somehow turned an easy field-goal opportunity into being on the edge of Cairo Santos’s range with a penalty and a sack. Then, somehow, the Bears ended the game with Caleb Williams heaving a pass as the clock ran out, despite Chicago having a timeout. Detroit (11–1) escaped largely due to the Bears being incompetent, and also because the Lions ran the ball for 194 yards on 5.9 yards per carry.

Stock up: Detroit continues to win because the offense is a juggernaut. The Lions ran up 405 yards and 25 first downs, largely doing whatever they wanted against the Bears. The only downside was having to attempt four field goals as the offense was bogged down on a few long drives. 

Stock down: Again, it’s Eberflus. Call timeout. Scream into the headset to tell Williams to move quicker. Do something. Do anything. That was the worst 30 seconds of coaching you will ever see at the NFL level.

Up Next: Bears at 49ers, 3:25 p.m. ET Dec. 8; Packers at Lions, 8:15 p.m. ET Dec. 5

Check back for more updates throughout the day.