Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and Russell Wilson don’t mind when the calendar turns to December. The cold (and snow) never bothers them anyway.
No, there was nothing frozen about their games in wintry conditions in NFL Week 13.
As a result, these top-tier quarterbacks are among the latest 16 PFN Game Ball Honorees as we pick through our last remaining Thanksgiving leftovers.
Detroit Lions | D.J. Reader, DT
Matt Eberflus’ late-game management in his final game as Bears head coach will be what everyone remembers from this game. And that’s a shame.
Because Lions defensive lineman D.J. Reader was fantastic.
In just 32 defensive snaps (including 22 Bears dropbacks), Reader had two sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and four pressures.
The Lions’ defense has been excellent all year (90.1 DEF+ rating, second in the NFL), but they’ll be tested in a big way the next two weeks with home games against the Packers and Bills.
Dallas Cowboys | Rico Dowdle, RB
The Cowboys begin December with a playoff pulse, which, after a 3-7 start, is about as good as Jerry Jones could expect.
And with the way their schedule sets up — games against the Bengals (30th in DEF+), Panthers (32nd), and Buccaneers (27th)in the next three weeks — there’s reason to believe they might be able to keep it going.
Certainly, having Rico Dowdle run like he did in Thursday’s win over the New York Giants helps. He went for 112 yards on 22 carries (5.1 per), and his four-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
Dowdle has 198 yards in his last two games after managing just 181 in the four prior to them.
Green Bay Packers | Jordan Love, QB
Jordan Love is 1-0 against 2020 NFL Draft classmate Tua Tagovailoa because Love and the Packers handled the elements better than Tagovailoa’s Dolphins.
Love shook off wind chills in the teens by completing 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards (9.8 per) and two touchdowns.
The Dolphins barely breathed on Love and paid for it. In his 26 dropbacks in which he wasn’t pressured, Love completed 80.8% of his passes and had a passer rating of 136.2.
His QB+ rating (86.6) was the NFL’s best of Week 13 ahead of Monday’s game and the second-best of his young career.
Kansas City Chiefs | Nick Bolton, LB
No matter your thoughts on the Raiders’ false-start-that-wasn’t on Las Vegas’ final offensive snap of Week 13, someone in Silver and Black still should have jumped on Aidan O’Connell’s fumble.
Nick Bolton did instead, which is why he gets a Game Ball for the latest escape act from the Chiefs.
Bolton’s fumble recovery capped another solid game for the Chiefs’ fourth-year linebacker, who led all players with 10 solo tackles (including one for loss) in the Chiefs’ Black Friday divisional tilt.
The two-time defending champs are now 10-0 in one-score games. Sustainable? Probably not. But there’s a very good chance that record would be 9-1 if Bolton weren’t on the field Friday.
Los Angeles Chargers | Tarheeb Still, CB
Entering Sunday’s action, rookie Tarheeb Still had one career interception and five pass breakups.
But he had never faced Kirk Cousins in his career. The Falcons’ QB threw four interceptions Sunday, including two to Still.
One of those Still picks turned into six. Still’s 61-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Chargers ahead for good.
Still also broke up three passes and recorded three tackles for the Chargers, who won despite gaining just 42 yards of offense in the second half.
Cousins’ QB+ Sunday was a dreadful 64.4, the third-worst of any QB in Week 13 ahead of Monday’s game.
Pittsburgh Steelers | Russell Wilson, QB
Russell Wilson most certainly cooked Thanksgiving Weekend.
Wilson had one of the most productive and efficient games of his career in the Steelers’ shootout win over the Cincinnati Bengals, throwing for over 400 yards while completing more than 75% of his attempts.
And most importantly, he did it on schedule. He went 28 of 35 for 389 yards (11.1 per), two touchdowns, and an interception on 36 dropbacks when not pressured.
The win and the Ravens’ Week 13 loss to the Eagles improved the Steelers’ odds of making the playoffs to 95.1% and of winning the AFC North to 62.7% heading into MNF.
Houston Texans | Joe Mixon, RB
Joe Mixon has been the heartbeat of a Texans offense that has had major injuries in the passing game this year.
In Houston’s Week 13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mixon went over 100 yards for the seventh time in 10 games.
The Jaguars couldn’t stop Mixon, no matter how many defenders they dedicated to doing so. Seven of Mixon’s carries were against 8+ man boxes. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and picked up four first downs on those attempts.
Mixon now has 887 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the season for a Texans team that’s up to 84.6% to make the playoffs (heading into MNF).
Minnesota Vikings | Shaquill Griffin, DB
Just 12 months ago, Shaq Griffin was out of a job. He was a late-season roster cut by the Houston Texans.
Griffin is an important piece of one of the NFL’s hottest teams today. He has found a home in Brian Flores’ defense and made the biggest play of his time with the Vikings in Week 13.
Griffin picked off Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on the last Arizona offensive play to preserve a one-point Minnesota victory.
Griffin also chipped in five tackles (including one for loss) for a defense that ranks third on the season in DEF+ (89.1).
Indianapolis Colts | Zaire Franklin, LB
Zaire Franklin sure filled up a box score in Week 13.
He forced a fumble and added a game-high 12 tackles (including one for loss), a sack and a half, a quarterback hit, and a pass defensed in the Indianapolis Colts’ 25-24 victory over the New England Patriots.
Franklin rushed the passer just three times, but he was pressured on two of those chances.
The Colts’ defense was rough early but showed up after the break. They allowed just eight second-half points after giving up scores on the game’s first four drives.
Seattle Seahawks | Leonard Williams, DT
Leonard Williams just loves playing at MetLife Stadium.
The former Jets and Giants interior defensive lineman was back in North Jersey as a member of the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.
It was quite the homecoming.
According to the NFL, Williams became the first player in more than four decades to record multiple sacks, an interception return for a touchdown, and a blocked kick in a game.
Washington Commanders | Brian Robinson, RB
Brian Robinson set the tone for the Commanders’ 23-point thrashing of the Titans on Washington’s very first possession.
He busted through the right side of the line and raced 40 yards untouched to the end zone for the first of the Commanders’ six touchdowns on the day.
Robinson absolutely ate up light boxes, going for 85 yards (including the touchdown jaunt) on 10 carries against seven-man fronts or less.
But simply the threat of Robinson and the Commanders’ ground attack impacted the game. In play-action situations, Jayden Daniels completed 11 of 13 attempts for 110 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rachaad White, RB
Rookie Bucky Irving has been better than a fourth-round pick, but the Buccaneers are best when they have a 1-2 punch.
Rachaad White was a worthy Option B in Tampa Bay’s overtime win over the Carolina Panthers.
He rushed for a season-high 76 yards on 11 carries in 42 snaps Sunday. His signature carry? The 38-yarder on the Buccaneers’ second (and final) possession of OT that put the Buccaneers at the Carolina 10 and set up Chase McLaughlin’s game-winning, 30-yard field goal.
White finished the game having averaged a robust 5.0 yards per carry after contact, which was second-best among all NFL ball carriers with 10 or more attempts in Week 13.
Los Angeles Rams | Kyren Williams, RB
Kyren Williams has proven that he’s no one-year wonder with 926 rushing yards (fourth-most in the NFC) and 10 touchdowns on 222 carries this season.
Sunday was his best game yet in 2024. He had a season-high 104 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries (6.9 per) in Los Angeles’ victory over the New Orleans Saints.
And no particular carry skewed that average. He had a long of 17 on the day, meaning his other 14 attempts still averaged 6.2.
In his 19 dropbacks with Williams on the field, Matthew Stafford completed 11 of 17 passes for 131 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Philadelphia Eagles | Jalen Carter, DL
Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense absolutely wrecked the NFL’s most efficient offense, holding Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to 19 points and a 40% third-down conversion rate.
No player was more critical to that effort than Jalen Carter, who had a sack, three tackles for loss, and eight pressures in a grueling 71 defensive snaps Sunday evening.
The Eagles look like real Super Bowl contenders thanks in no small part to a defense with the NFL’s 13th-best DEF+ dating back to the 2019 season (88.0). During their eight-game winning streak, Philadelphia ranks second league-wide in defensive EPA per play (-.161) and rush EPA (-.266).
Buffalo Bills | Josh Allen, QB
With four more in Sunday night’s thumping of the 49ers, Josh Allen now owns the Bills’ record for career touchdowns (248). He’s done it in just seven NFL seasons, making the accomplished even more impressive.
But Allen probably will never again have one as he had in Week 13 when he threw a TD to himself. He executed an impromptu hook and ladder with Amari Cooper, diving over the pylon for his second-career receiving touchdown and first since 2020.
Allen, on Sunday, became the first quarterback in NFL history to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game.
Denver Broncos | Ja’Quan McMillian, CB
Who gets the game ball in a game where 73 points were scored, 952 yards of total offense were gained, four different receivers went over 100 yards (including Jerry Jeudy, who went 9-235-1), and the most passing yards in Cleveland Browns history were thrown (497, by Jameis Winston)?
A defensive player, of course. Because the Broncos would have lost without their two pick-sixes off Winston.
Nik Bonitto had the first (71 yards, late in the first half). But Ja’Quan McMillian had the clincher, an acrobatic interception followed by a 44-yard run to glory.
The Broncos head to their bye 8-5 and are in a commanding position to return to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
