NFL The Final Word: Green Bay Packers join Super Bowl race, Russell Wilson refuses to fade, Penei Sewell fires Detroit

From another Detroit Lions trick play to a new head coach firing, Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds has his final say on Week 13 of the 2024 season on the road to Super Bowl LIX...

Thanksgiving Day weekend, Black Friday, the Sunday, the Monday. It had everything in Week 13: a fired head coach, big plays and more drama across the league.

Back to drawing board for Bears

We will go all the way back to Thanksgiving Day to look at the firing of Matt Eberflus. His reaction to not calling a timeout at the end of the loss to the Detroit Lions was as damaging as the inaction on gameday. To feel like nothing had gone wrong when you are the head coach who can step in and save your young quarterback, Caleb Williams... it's inexcusable.

When you look at his face at the end of that game, he knew he was gone. He knew his time in Chicago was over. Now they will have to build again, and get the right guy in to develop and push Williams to the next level.

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Can Packers threaten Lions?

The Lions won on Thanksgiving Day but I think there are a couple of teams in the NFC who can really challenge them. One of those come playoff time - and come this week - is the Green Bay Packers. They have won seven of their last eight and look pretty complete right now.

They are stout on defense, run the ball well and Jordan Love has now put together back-to-back games without throwing an interception, having thrown one in all of his other games this season. He is tidying it up and their 30-17 win over Miami confirmed them as major players in the NFC playoff race.

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Saquon inspires Eagles again

Another team to challenge the Lions is the Philadelphia Eagles, who have now won eight games in a row to take their season record to 10-2. What was most impressive about their road win in Baltimore was they fell behind 9-0 and didn't panic.

Lamar Jackson had been looking great in those early stages for the Ravens, but they shut down the star quarterback and Derrick Henry was not really a factor, while Saquon Barkley became more and more important to the Eagles as this game went on. It was the eighth time he has topped 100 yards rushing and if there is a team in the NFC that will end Detroit's Cinderella season in January, I think it will be the Eagles.

Bills flex Super Bowl credentials

The Sunday Night Football game between Buffalo and San Francisco highlighted two teams moving in completely opposite directions. The Bills absolutely pounded the 49ers in a 35-10 win and kept it simple in those tough conditions, rushing 38 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

And of course there was more Josh Allen magic as he rushed for, threw for and caught touchdowns. Buffalo have the look of a Super Bowl team and emphasised that on Sunday.

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Steelers refuse to go away

We keep waiting for the Pittsburgh Steelers to go away - but maybe they are just getting better. Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns in the 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and there was defense as well. There was a strip sack by Payton Wilson recovered and returned for a touchdown, which kind of broke Cincinnati's back in the end.

Russell Wilson is redeeming and repairing his reputation after two disastrous years in Denver. He is looking really good and this team will be there at the business end of the season.

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Player of the Week - Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

I thought Wilson was helped out very well by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, with lots of screens in the passing game, but he also took timely strikes downfield. He looks confident right now, in control of the offense and showing why they made that to him over Justin Fields at a time when many of us rolled our eyes at that.

He is showing his pedigree and that he can still lead this team on a playoff run.

Play of the Week - Penei Sewell's trick play

My play of the week did not even go for a single yard but it energised a crowd in Detroit. Ben Johnson dialling up a handoff to his giant offensive lineman Penei Sewell, and then trying to have him throw downfield, just completely electrified that crowd and made it a really difficult atmosphere for the Bears.

Sometimes you call plays for emotion and to set a tone for the game, and I think that is what Johnson, Dan Campbell and the Lions did there, even though it was one of the least successful on a weekend of big plays.

To me, it spoke volumes of the Lions, and how they want to have fun and be aggressive as we enter what could be a testing and stressful time of year.

Coach of the Week - Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts

Shane Steichen put his faith in Anthony Richardson against the New England Patriots down the stretch. Richardson threw a touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left and the Colts would have tied the game by kicking the extra point.

But Steichen gambled and put the ball in his quarterback's hands - that's what you have to do when you have such a big quarterback like Richardson. Let him bully his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

He did that and those back-to-back plays are the reason why the Colts picked Richardson in the first-round of the 2023 NFL Draft - and why they are still alive in the playoff race.

On my radar...

Is what the Baltimore Ravens do with Justin Tucker. He missed three kicks on Sunday night: one was an extra point that would have given the Ravens a 10-0 early lead, and when it was 14-12 to the Eagles, he missed field goals of 47 and 53 yards. By his high standards, he should be making those kicks. Had those been converted, it would have been 19-14 to the Ravens deep into the second half and who knows how the game plays out.

I think the misses took the air out of Baltimore and that's now 10 kicks missed this season - it's been a year-long problem. His field goal percentage is usually around 80 per cent but it is closer to 70 per cent this year, and I wonder if John Harbaugh is going to make the bold decision to cut his Hall of Fame kicker.

Week 14 begins Thursday night when the Detroit Lions face the Green Bay Packers from 1.15am on Friday morning, live on Sky Sports NFL. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.