Running back Kene Nwangwu delivered one of the best special teams performances of the season for the New York Jets in their 26-21 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, showing them what they have been missing by leaving him on the practice squad.
That was the most memorable performance from a player with links to Africa in week 13, though Osa Odighizuwa, Kingsley Enagbare, Arnold Ebiketie, David Onyemata and Kwity Paye all had big defensive moments.
Meanwhile, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and David Njoku had big impacts on offense, both scoring two touchdowns.
African Player of the Week: Kene Nwangwu (New York Jets)
Nigeria's Nwangwu was drafted 119th overall in 2021 by the Minnesota Vikings and spent the first three years of his NFL career with them.
The Vikings waived him in August this year and he was subsequently signed to the New York Jets practice squad after failing a physical with the New Orleans Saints.
Nwangwu has been out of action until Sunday, when the struggling Jets opted to give him an opportunity. He certainly made the most of it and a watertight case for more action, and has since been signed to the active roster.
A 99-yard touchdown was the most memorable moment of an astonishing performance. However, Nwangwu also proved it was far from a fluke. He made three kick returns for a total of 157 yards in addition to a forced fumble.
African Moment of the Week: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee Titans)
Nwangwu's touchdown was the moment from the past week that will live in the memory longest, but the Moment of the Week award goes to Westbrook-Ikhine for his eighth touchdown in eight games.
Like Nwangwu, the Tennessee Titans wide receiver has family ties to Nigeria. He scored two touchdowns in the 42-19 defeat to the Washington Commanders and was one of the few standouts for his team.
Both of his touchdowns against the Commanders required acrobatic catches. The first saw him dive to catch the ball in the corner while the second saw him evade a tackle attempt right as he caught the ball, skilfully moving his feet so that he crossed the line for the touchdown before he was clattered into from behind.
Honorable mentions
David Njoku - another player famously tied to Nigeria - also scored two touchdowns in a defeat as the Cleveland Browns went down 41-32 to the Denver Broncos.
There were huge performances from Atlanta Falcons defensive duo Arnold Ebiketie and David Onyemata in their 17-13 defeat to the LA Chargers. Cameroon-born Ebiketie got two sacks and Nigeria-born Onyemata got one.
Not all major contributions from African players in week 13 ended in defeat, however.
Osa Odighizuwa (Dallas Cowboys) got a sack in a 27-20 win over the New York Giants, which saw Bobby Okereke - a fellow player with ties to Nigeria - notch up nine tackles and one pass defended for the losing side.
Kingsley Enagbare is also of Nigerian heritage and got a sack in a win as the Green Bay Packers beat the Miami Dolphins 30-17.
Africa-born Player Watch
This was one of the best weeks in the NFL season to date for African players who were born on the continent.
Ebiketie led the way with his two sacks against the Chargers as Onyemata also chipped in with one. However, they were not the only African-born players to deliver.
Joseph Ossai - who like Onyemata was born in Lagos - got a sack for the Cincinnati Bengals in their 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kwity Paye, born in Guinea to a Liberian family, got half a sack for the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots and was more fortunate than his fellow African-born stars as far as the ultimate result went. The Colts saw out a 25-24 win.
As we enter the business end of the season, plenty of African players will be fighting for their playoff spots in what promises to be a thrilling festive season.
Watch the NFL live on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219, Starsat 248).