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✉️ Special Edition: The 2024-25 NFL season has come to an end. These were the best moments we'll remember from the regular season... |
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The Top 10 Moments of the 2024 NFL Regular Season (By Marissa Kasch)
Despite all odds and predictions, the Eagles have brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Philadelphia. Fans are ready to celebrate and show their love for the Birds with another parade on Friday — what better day than Valentine’s Day? The Super Bowl is always a bittersweet moment. The biggest game of the year also marks a farewell to football until September. Usually, this is the time we start looking forward to the NFL Draft. Let’s pump the brakes and reflect on some of the best moments from the 2024 NFL season.
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Photo: Elsa / Getty Images |
1) Saquon's Reverse Hurdle
Although he didn’t have a monster Super Bowl performance, I don’t think the Eagles would be lifting the Lombardi without him. Between the Saquon and Derrick Henry trades, we saw blockbuster action during the offseason. In his first season in Philly, Saquon broke the record for most rushing yards in a season (including postseason) with 2,478 yards. Just before the Super Bowl, he won a well-deserved Offensive Player of the Year Award. He had plenty of special moments this season, but his backwards hurdle to convert on 3rd & 6 was a rare never-before-seen play in football.
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Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images |
2) Jayden Daniels' "Hail Maryland"
Speaking of NFL Honors recipients, Jayden Daniels started the Rookie of the Year conversation early in the year. After an unprecedented rookie campaign, I’m excited to see what Daniels comes up with next season. After all, his team was knocked out by none other than the Super Bowl Champions. He took his team to overtime wins and threw multiple game-winning TDs. In my opinion, his best (and most exciting) was the Hail Mary in Week 8 to beat the Bears. The Commanders were down 15-12 with only 23 seconds on the clock. All hope looked lost when Daniels scrambled 30 yards backwards and heaved the ball 52 yards up in the air – until it was deflected and caught by Noah Brown to win the game. That play put the league on notice.
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Photo: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images |
3) Josh Allen's Pass-&-Catch TD
I thought we saw more trick plays this season than ever before, and I loved every second of it. We got to see Josh Allen, Jared Goff and Bo Nix catch receiving touchdowns. But Josh Allen was the only player to score a passing and receiving touchdown in the same play. Now, if you were playing against Josh Allen in fantasy during Week 13, you would probably rank this in your bottom-10 moments of the season. On the other hand, if you had Josh Allen, you’re a Bills fan, or you just love football, you’ll definitely agree with this ranking. Throughout the season, everyone was concerned about a weak Bills receiving corps. No problem for Josh Allen; he’ll do it himself. That’s what I call MVP behavior.
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4) The Lions Go Hollywood
Speaking of trick plays, nobody implemented them better than the Lions this season. Between the fake punts, receivers acting like quarterbacks and hook-and-ladder touchdowns, nobody knew what to expect from the Lions. However, my personal favorite was when we got to see Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs debut their acting careers. In the third quarter against the Bears in December, Gibbs and Goff stumbled in the backfield for a fake broken play to confuse the defense. By the time Goff turned around, Sam LaPorta was wide open in the end zone.
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5) The Free Kick Field Goal
I bet you didn’t expect to see a field goal on this list, but here we are. When something like this only happens once every 50 years, it deserves some recognition. In his NFL coaching debut, Jim Harbaugh got to take advantage of what he called his “favorite rule in the NFL.” In Week 16, the Broncos got a penalty with no time remaining in the first half, allowing the Chargers to take a free kick. Cameron Dicker launched it 57 yards to cut the Broncos’ lead to 8, setting up a second-half comeback for the Chargers. Not only was it the first free-kick field goal in nearly 50 years, it was also the longest ever made.
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6) Garrett Wilson Channels OBJ
As I watched this play, all I could think was ‘Wait, is it 2014 again?’ Although the Jets didn’t have many highlights this season, Wilson’s one-handed grab helped them secure an important win over the Texans in Week 9. In a worrisome 3rd & 12 situation, Aaron Rodgers heaved the ball to the endzone where Garrett Wilson was waiting. At first, Wilson was called out of bounds. But after further review, he tapped his left foot twice in bounds, overturning the ruling on the field and leading to one of the most iconic moments of the season.
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7) KaVontae Turpin's Turbo Speed
Move over Tyreek Hill, there’s a new speedster in the NFL, and his name is KaVontae Turpin. In Week 11, Turpin broke the record for the fastest speed in the NFL this season, reaching 22.36 mph on a touchdown catch and run. His speed has been evident all season, but his 99-yard kick return against the Commanders turned heads. He spun out of a tackle at the 10-yard line and the rest was history. Watching him run seriously makes it look like everyone else on the field is just jogging, and this return was a perfect example of that.
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8) Chiefs Block FG to Stay Perfect
All eyes were on the Chiefs-Broncos game in Week 9 as the Broncos defense stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for most of the game. To dethrone the Chiefs and spoil their perfect season, all the Broncos had to do was make a 35-yard field goal. Piece of cake right? Wrong, we should know by now the Chiefs won’t make anything easy. The defense blocked the kick, preserving Kansas City’s perfect record for another week. |
9) Ja'Marr Chase's Entire Week 10
This is another one where if you had Ja’Marr Chase on your fantasy team, or you’re a Bengals fan, you’ll totally agree with this ranking. But if you had to compete with his 55-point outing in Week 10, this might be a sore subject. I can’t pick just one moment from Chase’s Week 10. He totaled 11 receptions for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. To put it simply, he had a day. Unfortunately, his and Burrow’s stellar performances were not enough to beat the Ravens as the Bengals fell to Baltimore the second time.
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10) The Cleveland Snow Game
Now, I know this isn’t a specific play, but who doesn’t love a snow game? The Browns-Steelers snow game in Cleveland was a highly contested battle, with Nick Chubb returning from injury and Russell Wilson fighting for a playoff spot. The AFC North clash went back and forth, but the Browns ultimately came out with the win thanks to a last-second Nick Chubb touchdown rush. Jameis Winston’s postgame commentary and the Thursday Night Football crew’s snow angels were arguably more entertaining than the game itself. This snow bowl rivalry was one for the ages.
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Farewell, football. 👋 We'll see you again for the combine, free agency and the draft, but it's a long seven months to Week 1. |
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