NFL Week 13 predictions: Projecting every game on Week 13 NFL schedule, including Thanksgiving

The Chicago Bears keep coming so close to a statement victory, only to see miscues cause it to slip through their fingers. One benefit of this Thanksgiving matchup for Chicago’s fans, that hope should be extinguished early. The Detroit Lions should be able to dominate one of the NFL’s worst run defenses over the last two months and the Bears’ pass rush is not going to win against Detroit’s offensive line. Domination up front should pave the way for a Lions’ victory.

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The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a stunning win over the Washington Commanders, but that victory required two kickoff return touchdowns and three missed kicks (2 XPAs and 1 FG) by Austin Seibert. Meanwhile, the New York Giants are coming off a blowout loss with the locker room turning on head coach Brian Daboll. We’d highly encourage finding something else to do during this game on Thanksgiving because it’s going to be a brutal watch.

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The Miami Dolphins are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now and that will be put to the test in the cold at Lambeau Field. There’s no snow in the forecast as of now for the Week 13 Thanksgiving night matchup, but sub-35-degree temperatures haven’t historically ended well for Tua Tagovailoa. This should be one of the best games on the NFL schedule this week, but the Green Bay Packers offensive line could be the X-factor that swings this into a Packers’ victory.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are finally starting to get on track offensively and that’s before running back Isiah Pacheco returns to the field, potentially in Week 13. However, this Chiefs defense has taken a significant step back in the past 5 weeks. Fortunately for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, this is a matchup between one of the NFL’s best teams and a club that has seemingly given up on the 2024 season. There will not be another stunning Raiders’ upset of the Chiefs.

There’s a real opportunity here for the Los Angeles Chargers to shine in Week 13. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will find ways to make Kirk Cousins uncomfortable, forcing him into a turnover. The star of this game, though, will be Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert who should carve up a Falcons defense that has allowed a 108.5 QB rating and an 18-4 TD-INT line since Week 5.

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We’re calling for the upset on Sunday. Joe Burrow has proven he can have success against some of the league’s best defenses and with the Cincinnati Bengals’ season on the brink, this can be a big moment for him. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders as of late and the defense is still without pass rusher Alex Highsmith. While Pittsburgh will lead this game late into the fourth quarter, Burrow delivers a game-winning drive that captures his MVP-caliber play this season and serves as a reminder of how good the Bengals could’ve been this year if they built a better defense.

The NFC duel between the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings should be one of the best games in Week 13. Minnesota and Arizona are going to both dial up a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks, a recipe for mistakes and a low-scoring game. Ultimately, the Vikings’ talent advantage and more experience in their coaching schemes should deliver cleaner football in a nail-biting win over Arizona.

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The Indianapolis Colts at least made things a little competitive for three quarters with the Detroit Lions. Now, Anthony Richardson draws a much easier matchup against the New England Patriots. Offensively, this should be one of the Colts’ best games this season and Indianapolis should also have a fair amount of success getting pressure on Drake Maye.

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While the New York Jets defense will be able to get to Geno Smith thanks to the woeful state of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line, that’s all they have going for them in this matchup. Seattle is better defensively right now and the moments when Smith isn’t getting pummeled early, he’ll find Seahawks’ receivers open against this Jets’ secondary. Seattle gets the win and strengthens its position in the NFC West heading into December.

The second-half regression from the Kliff Kingsbury offense is back, in part because the Washington Commanders only ever really gave Jayden Daniels one playmaker (Terry McLaurin). While the Tennessee Titans’ defense isn’t as dominant as the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s healthier and arguably better than the Cowboys’ defense that held up well against Washington. Daniels’ is good enough to single-handedly swing this game in Washington’s favor, but we have concerns about how Kingsbury’s offense will fare against Tennessee.

The Houston Texans defense will be the reason they win this game. Facing Mac Jones in a poorly-coached offense, DeMeco Ryans and Co. should have no trouble generating stops and a few takeaways. For as lethargic as the Texans offense has looked for over a month now, even they will be able to take advantage of the short fields created by Houston’s defense.

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The Los Angeles Rams had no answer for Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown. Fortunately for this defense, the New Orleans Saints don’t have anyone close to that level. The game plan for the Rams starts on the ground, attacking a Saints defense that has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game this season. On the other side of the ball, the Rams defense should be able to contain Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, plus their pass rush will force Derek Carr into some mistakes.

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The Philadelphia Eagles are just dominating right now and they are perfectly equipped to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Creating consistent pressure has been one of Baltimore’s biggest issues defensively this year and it will probably be an even bigger issue against the Eagles offensive line. Philadelphia has the perfect cast of weapons, on both sides of the ball, to stay ahead of Baltimore for all four quarters in another statement win for the Eagles.

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If Brock Purdy (shoulder) plays, this game might be a little closer. However, the San Francisco 49ers are still banged up entering Week 13 with Nick Bosa and Trent Williams iffy to play in this matchup. Buffalo’s pass rush will create havoc for the 49ers passing offense and San Francisco doesn’t have enough healthy bodies in the secondary to deal with Amari Cooper, Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. The Bills should control this Sunday Night Football game from start to finish.

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In what might be one of the lowest-scoring games on the NFL schedule in Week 13, the Denver Broncos have a golden opportunity to boost their playoff odds. While the Cleveland Browns are coming off a shocking win over the Steelers, plenty of that can be attributed to the weather and the added boost of facing a division rival. The Broncos offense will protect the football and Denver’s defense should ensure this team leaves the field with a MNF victory.