The NFL Week 13 for the 2025 season presents intriguing matchups. The Eagles host the Bears in a Black Friday game. On Sunday, the 49ers will visit quarterback Shedeur Sanders and the Browns, the Raiders without Chip Kelly will face the Chargers, and the Broncos seek their ninth straight victory. Here’s everything you need to know. NFL reporters provide us with information from the locker rooms, with the best things they heard this week. In addition, an analytics expert offers us a bold prediction for each matchup, and a fantasy analyst shares key information. You will also find the Football Power Index (FPI) game projections and final score selections from three analysts. The day culminates with the “Monday Night Football” game between the Giants and the Patriots. (Game times are on Sunday unless otherwise noted.)
Featured Matches
- CHI-PHI
- HOU-IND
- LAR-CAR
- ARI-TB
- SF-CLE
- JAX-TEN
- ATL-NYJ
- NO-MIA
- MIN-SEA
- BUF-PIT
- LV-LAC
- DEN-WSH
- NYG-NE
Bears (8-3) vs. Eagles (8-3)
Friday, 3 p.m. ET | Prime Video ESPN BET: PHI -7 (44.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the Bears: Chicago has completely revamped its offense under coach Ben Johnson. The Bears are among the top 10 in scoring (25.6 points per game), lead the league with 87 explosive plays, and generate more than 90 yards per game than last season. Maintaining those figures against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio presents unique challenges. “They do a very good job of keeping coverage over you,” said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. “They force you to try to run the ball. Their goal is to eliminate explosive plays. Our offensive goal when we go in is to be explosive. They have modeled their defense to be the antithesis of what we are trying to achieve.”
What’s being heard about the Eagles: The Eagles suffered multiple injuries in the secondary against the Cowboys, which influenced Dallas’s victory. They will be without at least rookie safety Andrew Mukuba as they face quarterback Caleb Williams. “Congratulations to Johnson and his staff for guiding that young quarterback, who I believe never played under center in college,” Fangio said. “He’s doing a great job, and they’ve fought through any of the obstacles and now have a quarterback who is executing their offense as they want.”
Key stat: Dallas Goedert’s seven touchdown receptions this season are tied with the Cardinals’ Trey McBride and the Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson for the most among TEs.Bold Prediction: The Bears will achieve multiple gains of over 30 yards per play from play action. Chicago uses play action 30% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the league. And although the Eagles’ defense is strong against the pass, Philadelphia has allowed 0.33 EPA per play action, the second-worst in the NFL.Fantasy News: Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 21 targets in Week 12 and 39.9 fantasy points. Philadelphia’s passing game has been inconsistent all season and ranks near the bottom of the league in pass attempts per game, but the Eagles’ top receivers now face a Bears defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to receivers.Recommendations:
Maldonado: Eagles 35, Bears 10 Moody: Eagles 27, Bears 21 Walder: Eagles 24, Bears 20 FPI: PHI, 68.3% (for an average of 7.2 points)Texans (6-5) vs. Colts (8-3)
1 p.m. ET | CBS ESPN BET: IND -4.5 (44.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the Texans: This week, it’s very likely that C.J. Stroud will return, having missed three games due to a concussion. The Texans survived in his absence, with a 3-0 record, as the defense and backup quarterback Davis Mills found ways to win. Now, with Stroud back, Houston is poised to make a playoff run or even steal the division if they can beat the Colts in their two direct matchups.What’s being heard about the Colts: Indianapolis has only played two divisional games, both against the Titans, making this the first of four AFC South games in the last six games. Quarterback Daniel Jones is coming off a disappointing performance against the Chiefs, recording his lowest passing total (181 yards) and the lowest yards per attempt figure (5.8) of the season. Houston’s dominant defense presents one of the toughest tests the Colts have faced, and a major key will be whether they can get Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s rushing leader, back on track after the Chiefs limited him to 58 rushing yards.Key statistic: Texans’ defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has played six consecutive games with a sack, tied with Mario Williams (2007) for the second-longest streak in Texans history (J.J. Watt, seven consecutive spanning the 2014-15 seasons).Bold Prediction: Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce will bounce back with a reception of over 40 yards. While the Texans have good CBs, teams tend to attack them deep and outside: 19% of targets against Houston are at least 15 yards deep and outside the numbers, the second-highest rate in the league.
Recommendations:
Maldonado: Colts 22, Texans 10 Moody: Colts 24, Texans 19 Walder: Colts 23, Texans 17 FPI: IND, 64.3% (by an average of 5.7 points)Rams (9-2) vs. Panthers (6-6)1 p.m. ET | Fox ESPN BET: LAR -10.5 (44.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the Rams: Davante Adams has 12 receiving touchdowns, the most in the NFL. Nine of his 12 receiving touchdowns have been in goal-to-go situations, which is already the second most in his career, according to ESPN Research. “He’s been a problem at the line of scrimmage long before he got here,” said Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. “He’s… probably the best release player [since he entered the league] and he’s still doing it… The guy still has a lot of juice in that body, as you can see.”
What’s being heard about the Panthers: Rico Dowdle posted a cryptic emoji on X the morning after only having six carries in a loss to the 49ers. When asked why he called a pass on first and goal from the 1-yard line, coach Dave Canales admitted he needs to stay more committed to the running game. Ball control will be especially important against the Rams, who are averaging 30.5 points during their six-game winning streak. Keep Matthew Stafford and company off the field, and you’ll have a chance.
Key Statistic: The Panthers are 3-1 when quarterback Bryce Young records at least 6.0 yards per attempt. They are 3-4 when he records less than 6.0 YPA.Bold prediction: Young will have fewer than 10 pass attempts in the first half. Not only are the Panthers one of the most run-dependent teams in the NFL with the second-lowest pass rate over expectation (minus 8%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats, but the Rams defense has the third-lowest pass rate over expectation against them (minus 7%).Fantasy News: Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career. He has scored at least 22 fantasy points in three of his last four games, including two with 26 or more. Stafford also has one of the league’s best wide receiver duos in Puka Nacua and Adams, and leads the league in red zone pass attempts. Even though the Panthers allow the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, Stafford is still firmly on the QB1 radar this week.Recommendations:
Maldonado: Rams, 27, Panthers 12 Moody: Rams 34, Panthers 20 Walder: Rams 27, Panthers 13 FPI: LAR, 71.4% (by an average of 8.6 points)Cardinals (3-8) vs. Buccaneers (6-5)1 p.m. ET | Fox ESPN BET: TB -3.5 (44.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the Cardinals: Michael Wilson is expected to have another significant role in the offense, whether or not Marvin Harrison Jr. returns this week from an appendectomy. This comes after Wilson had 303 yards and 25 receptions in the last two games without Harrison. If Harrison plays, then Wilson will be more sought after than he was before the last two weeks, said coach Jonathan Gannon, who has long talked about riding the hot hand. “Throw it to the guys who are making plays for you. Absolutely,” Gannon said.
What’s being heard about the Buccaneers: The Bucs are in the midst of a three-game streak, although we’ve seen them come out of bigger holes mid-season before. However, this time, Baker Mayfield is dealing with a low-grade sprain in his non-dominant left shoulder. He has never missed a game with Tampa Bay, so he will be limited or backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will step in. The Bucs need this win to gain some ground on the Panthers, who are now half a game behind in the NFC South.
Key statistic: Trey McBride has played 13 consecutive games with five or more receptions, tied for the longest streak in franchise history (Larry Fitzgerald in 2008).Bold Prediction: Bucky Irving will record 100 or more rushing yards. Tampa Bay runs inside zone 30% of the time, the fourth-most, while the Cardinals have struggled against inside zone runs, allowing 5.0 yards per carry on those plays.
Legend: 1:21 What Stephen A. expects from Shedeur against the 49ers. Stephen A. Smith is optimistic that Shedeur Sanders will play well against the 49ers.
Fantasy News: Wilson has exploded with an elite volume, attracting 18 targets in Week 11 and 15 more in Week 12. He’s in another strong position against a Bucs defense that allows the sixth-most receiving yards to wide receivers.Recommendations:
Maldonado: Buccaneers 23, Cardinals 17 Moody: Cardinals 27, Buccaneers 17 Walder: Buccaneers 27, Cardinals 16 FPI: TB, 62.9% (by an average of 5.2 points)49ers (8-4) vs. Browns (3-8)1 p.m. ET | CBS ESPN BET: SF -4.5 (36.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the 49ers: While this might seem like a favorable game on paper for the 49ers, history suggests otherwise. San Francisco hasn’t won in Cleveland since 1984, a streak of four consecutive losses. And Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has given Kyle Shanahan’s offense trouble. In three games against Shanahan’s Niners, Schwartz’s defenses have limited San Francisco to 15.7 points, 290 yards, and 4.6 yards per play. Add in the possibility of rain or snow, conditions in which Brock Purdy has a career QBR of 49.1, and this seems like a difficult test. “Jim is as good a coordinator as there is,” Shanahan said. “And when you’re as good a coordinator as there is and you have the talent they have, it’s a pretty lethal combination.”
What’s being heard about the Browns: The Browns are sticking with Shedeur Sanders after he helped ignite Cleveland’s passing game in his first start. However, the Browns still struggled on plays, recording their second-lowest down conversion rate in a game this season (50%). Sanders joked about how much better he would be after a full offseason of reps; now he has another week as QB1 to improve and try to pull off an upset at home. “Are there things he can do better? Absolutely,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. “We’ve already talked about that with him. He has the mindset that he will make the adjustments to the speed of the game, make the adjustments to what people are giving us, to make those improvements.”
Key statistic: Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett has 14.0 sacks in his last five games, the most sacks by any player in a five-game span since 1982, when player sacks became official.Bold Prediction: Jerry Jeudy will record six or more receptions, at least tying his season high. Jeudy has never had elite hands, but ESPN’s receiver ratings give him a catch score of 2, the worst among all WRs or TEs. He should be better in the future.
Legend: 0:51 The Dolphins’ CB to McAfee: Things are starting to click for us. Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones joins Pat McAfee to discuss the team’s improvement after a tough start to the season.
Fantasy News: The Browns’ defense allows the second-fewest fantasy points to RBs and leads the league in run stop win rate (36.2%), making this a difficult rushing matchup for Christian McCaffrey. He has still scored at least 27 fantasy points in three of his last four games, even with just 3.7 yards per carry this season, because he has done most of his damage as a receiver. McCaffrey has averaged 6.7 receptions and 65.4 receiving yards per game.Recommendations:
Maldonado: 49ers 21, Browns 17 Moody: 49ers 31, Browns 16 Walder: 49ers 23, Browns 7 FPI: SF, 75.9% (by an average of 11 points)Jaguars (7-4) vs. Titans (1-10)1 p.m. ET | CBS ESPN BET: JAX -6.5 (41.5 O/U)What’s being heard about the Jaguars: Coach Liam Coen criticized the pass rush after the Week 10 loss.
