It’s been another epic season for NFL fans. Regular season, that is. More epicness awaits us as we head into the NFL playoffs this weekend. We’ll be there again with every line, prop and parlay you need for the NFL Playoffs too.
This NFL regular season has been full of of surprises, huge plays, and tons of action. From the opening snap in September until the final moments that determined who will make the playoffs, Bovada’s Sportsbook has been right there with you on the edge of your seat.
Let’s take a look back at the Top 10 moments of the 2023-24 NFL Season.
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#10 Dobbs Dazzles
Despite being relegated to backup later in the year, Minnesota Vikings’ QB Joshua Dobbs brought us one of the best moments of the year. Dobbs was traded by Arizona mid-season, and just 5 days after his arrival in Minnesota, he led the Vikes to a come-from-behind win over the Falcons with two TDs, 66 yards rushing, and the league’s instant winner for nicknames, “The Passtronaut” (Dobbs has a degree in aerospace engineering). He followed it up with a win over the New Orleans Saints just a week later. All that studying in school must have helped him learn the new playbook in record time.
#9 The Game-winning Lateral that Wasn’t
In Week 14, the Kansas City Chiefs were grinding it out against the Buffalo Bills, trailing the whole game but staying close. In the final seconds, Patrick Mahomes hit his go-go guy Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend started chugging up the field, only to turn back just before he was going to be hit and lofting a perfect lateral to Javarious Toney. Toney sprinted in the remaining 20 yards to seal the victory. But hold up. It was Toney himself who lined up offside, resulting in the play being called back and sending Mahomes into a meltdown against the refs. It was the right call though, Patrick. Next time, just “shake it off”…
#8 Raiders Revival
The Las Vegas Raiders turned in possibly the lamest performance in Week 14, losing 3-0 to the Vikings. Fast-forward just 4 days, and in an epic Thursday Night Football beatdown, they hung 63 points on the Los Angeles Chargers. If you’re a bettor who called that turn-around, well… we’re gonna need to see receipts.#7 NFL Ballet feat. Tee Higgins
It’s Week 15, the Cincinnati Bengals are down 7 to Minnesota with less than a minute left to go in the game. Jake Browning, the surprisingly good back-up QB to Joe Burrow, slings a deep ball towards the end zone. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins comes back to the ball, outjumps the Vikings coverage, lands on the 1-yard line with his body falling forward and the defender pulling him down. Higgins switches the ball to one hand, and as he’s falling, swings it over the cone to break the goal line and the Bengals tie the game up and eventually win it in overtime, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Check the highlights for what has to be one of the top 3 receptions of the year.
#7 NFL Ballet feat. Tee Higgins
It’s Week 15, the Cincinnati Bengals are down 7 to Minnesota with less than a minute left to go in the game. Jake Browning, the surprisingly good back-up QB to Joe Burrow, slings a deep ball towards the end zone. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins comes back to the ball, outjumps the Vikings coverage, lands on the 1-yard line with his body falling forward and the defender pulling him down. Higgins switches the ball to one hand, and as he’s falling, swings it over the cone to break the goal line and the Bengals tie the game up and eventually win it in overtime, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Check the highlights for what has to be one of the top 3 receptions of the year.
#6 RUN CMC
In a highlight-filled NFL season for this all-purpose player, it’s tough to pick out the San Francisco 49ers’s Christian McCaffrey’s single top moment. We’ll go with his 72-yard run on the first play of the game against the 49ers’ division rival Seattle Seahawks. For the possible NFL MVP winner, it was a statement run that the Niners used to ignite their win and cement their season sweep of the ‘Hawks.
#5 Love to See It
Green Bay Packers’ QB Jordan Love was definitely unloved in his first three seasons as Aaron Rodgers’ backup. Fans didn’t want to see him, Rodgers himself wasn’t especially friendly, and when he did step into a game it was a mess. But he waited for his moment, absorbed the football lessons from one of the game’s all-time greats, and here we are. Love threw for over 300 yards in a must-win Week 18 game for the Pack, on top of 4,500 yards and 32 TDs this season while Rodgers sat out the entire year.
#4 Stroud and Proud
Heading into the 2023 NFL draft, Houston Texans’ QB CJ Stroud was one of the top quarterback prospects. It was basically between him and Bryce Young as to who would be picked first overall. By the time September was over, it was clear that Stroud was the top gun and the Texans got lucky when the Carolina Panthers opted for Young. Stroud will run away with the Rookie of the Year award once the NFL season is over, and he even scored some MVP talk after his 470-yard, 5 TD Week 8 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
#3 Lions’ Triple 2-point Tries
When the Detroit Lions roared back in the final few minutes to get to within one point of tying the Dallas Cowboys, everyone watching who knows Lions’ coach Dan Campbell knew he was going for two. What they didn’t know is that he’d have three cracks at it, and each time he elected to put his team in position to win instead of forcing overtime with a single point kick instead. The result was a couple minutes to back and forth drama for Cowboys and Lions fans alike, reminding us of why we heart the NFL.
#2 Puka Nacua Going Nuclear
Los Angeles Rams’ rookie Puka Nacua came out of nowhere (ok, actually BYU) as the 177th pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. He became QB Matthew Stafford’s go-to guy when Cooper Kupp went down with an injury and kept it going all season long. Nacua already has over 100 receptions in his first year and is on track to set the rookie receiving yardage record too, something that hasn’t been done since 1960. One of his top moments of the season came in Week 2 against the Niners, lighting up their top-ranked D for 15 catches and 1147 yards.
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#1 Damar Hamlin Returns
Although he appeared on some special teams plays earlier in the year, Damar Hamlin’s Week 9 appearance on defense against the Denver Broncos was a major goosebump moment for every NFL fan. The Buffalo Bills’ defensive back suffered a near-death experience in a game late last season, but his recovery has been pretty incredible. When he stepped on his home field (and made a tackle soon after) late in the fourth, Bills fans gave him a massive ovation, and more than a few tears were shed.
