Week 13 in the NFL wasn’t short on entertainment.
Before “Monday Night Football” between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, this week was a good reminder that some of the game’s best moments come from what’s said before and after the whistle.
Players and coaches carried their teams’ momentum from the field to the podium, delivering standout lines in their postgame sessions.
From bold statements to perfectly timed one-liners, here are the best quotes from around the NFL in Week 13.
The Bears had plenty to celebrate after downing the Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 in the final game of the holiday slate. With its fifth straight victory, Chicago moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC North before heading into a Dec. 7 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
In true celebratory fashion, rookie head coach Ben Johnson went shirtless during postgame in the locker room as players surrounded and hyped him up.
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The celebration resulted in free hot dogs at Chicago stand, the Wieners Circle, which said they would do so if Johnson took his shirt off. Williams said the moment proved his coach knows how to give the people what they want.
“I think it’s easy to be gritty when you’re winning games and it’s all sunshine and rainbows.” — Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson
The Packers swept the season series against the Lions, grabbing a crucial potential tiebreaker in the NFC North and tightening their hold on second place in the division.
The two-time defending North champs, however, are trending in the opposite direction. Aidan Hutchinson acknowledged that the Lions have hit real adversity and said there’s a clear urgency to respond Thursday when they face the Dallas Cowboys.
“What’d I say? They’re gonna fold.” — Bears CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson knew his Week 13 opponent well — he had two stints in Philadelphia, including winning Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles. As he made his way to the visitors’ locker room at Lincoln Financial Field, he reminded everyone around that he fully expected to leave with a win against his former team.
With his team up 29-14 on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow was looking to milk the clock — and he wasn’t shy about it.
NBC broadcast field microphones picked up audio of Burrow reminding his offense that they were in no hurry, and since the stands at M&T Bank Stadium were fairly empty at that point, the crowd noise wasn’t an issue and they easily recorded the audio.
It was a rough outing for Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense, with the quarterback going 10-for-21 for 117 yards in a 26-7 defeat to the Buffalo Bills. The defense struggled just as much, giving up 249 yards on the ground and letting Buffalo dominate time of possession for 42 minutes.
After the game, Rodgers didn’t admonish the fans booing the team at Acrisure Stadium.
“The heartbeat of this football team is different.” — Dallas Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer
Schottenheimer’s line fit the way the Cowboys closed out their Thanksgiving win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a back-and-forth affair, Dak Prescott tossed what ended up being the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The defense then did their part by forcing a three-and-out to set up a field goal and a double-digit cushion. Even when Kansas City answered, Dallas slammed the door by running out the clock — exactly the kind of finish Schottenheimer meant when he talked about this team’s “heartbeat.”
