NFL Nation
Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season began on Thanksgiving with an NFC North clash in which the Green Bay Packers leaned on quarterback Jordan Love and third-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks’ two touchdowns to beat the Detroit Lions.
The second game featured a shootout between Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Prescott got the better of it as the Cowboys kept rolling.
The nightcap saw Joe Burrow, in his return from a toe injury, lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a comfortable victory over the surging Baltimore Ravens.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
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CIN-BAL | KC-DAL | GB-DET
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Bengals
Does Joe Burrow coming back change anything for the Bengals? It seems tantalizing to think about. But the Bengals have absolutely no margin for error. They are 4-8 through 12 games for the second straight season. Last year, the Bengals ripped off five straight wins to close the season with a 9-8 record. That will be tougher this season with games against Buffalo and Baltimore still looming. Cincinnati will need help from the Ravens and Steelers, and they also can’t make any mistakes.
Key stat to know: So much for easing back into things. Burrow became the first player this season to have 40 or more passing attempts through three quarters, per ESPN Research. In fact, his 42 attempts before the final quarter were the most by any QB since … Burrow in 2023, when he had 42 in Week 3 against the Rams. That was his first game after aggravating a strained calf he suffered in the preseason. — Ben Baby
Next game: at Bills (Dec. 7, 1 p.m. ET)
Ravens
What is wrong with Lamar Jackson? Even though Jackson refuses to acknowledge it, he has not played the same since dealing with a growing list of injuries this month and was a major reason the Ravens’ five-game winning streak ended. On Thursday night, Jackson continued the worst slump of his career, turning the ball over three times for the first time in four years. This marked only the fifth time he has turned the ball over three or more times in his eight-year career. Jackson fumbled twice — giving the ball to the Bengals twice inside the Baltimore 20-yard line — and was intercepted on a pass batted at the line. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player hasn’t looked like himself since dealing with three different injuries (knee, ankle and toe) over the past three weeks, which has forced him to miss one practice each week. Jackson has not thrown a touchdown pass in three straight games — a career worst — and he couldn’t manage one against a Bengals defense that had allowed an NFL-worst 32.7 points.
Key stat to know: The Ravens allowed over 20 points for the first time since Oct. 5. In its previous six games, Baltimore had been the strength of the team, allowing an average of 14 points. The bigger issue is the health of top cornerback Nate Wiggins, who didn’t play the second half after sustaining a foot injury. This could be a major problem considering Baltimore finishes out the season playing such quarterbacks as Burrow again, Aaron Rodgers (twice), Drake Maye and Jordan Love. — Jamison Hensley
Next game: vs. Steelers (Dec. 7, 1 p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Cowboys
Is it time to take the Cowboys seriously? The Cowboys have beaten the 2024 Super Bowl participants — Chiefs and Eagles — in a span of five days. They have won three straight games, their longest streak since 2023. They are above .500 (6-5-1) for the first time since Week 5 last year. Not many expected the Cowboys would win their first two games of their gauntlet against the Eagles, Chiefs and Detroit Lions (Dec. 4), but here they are with a chance to firmly put themselves in the playoff picture. For the third straight week, the defense held the opposing offense to 21 points or fewer. The offense rode big plays to score at least 30 points at home for the fourth time this season.
What to make of the QB performance: Dak Prescott vs. Patrick Mahomes became a game of anything you can do I can do better. In the fourth quarter, Mahomes threw a go-ahead TD pass on fourth down, but Prescott answered with an eight-play, 68-yard drive to go ahead that had him improvising like Mahomes. Stepping up in the pocket to evade the rush, Prescott flipped a pass to Javonte Williams for the touchdown and then on the 2-point conversion, he spun away to his left and rifled a pass to George Pickens to give the Cowboys a seven-point lead. After a first possession interception, Prescott rebounded with two touchdown passes and mixed the ball to seven different pass catchers. He also threw for more than 300 yards for the fourth time on Thanksgiving to tie Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford for the most in NFL history. — Todd Archer
Next game: at Lions (Thursday, Dec. 4, 8:15 p.m. ET)
Chiefs
Do the Chiefs have any margin for error? No. Here’s the mission, should the Chiefs choose to accept it: Win the final five games of the regular season. That is likely what’s required for them to reach the postseason, perhaps as the seventh and final seed. All five games will be against AFC opponents, too, so every game from this point is essentially a play-in game for coach Andy Reid and Mahomes. In his first NFL start in AT&T Stadium, a little more than 100 miles from his hometown of Tyler, Texas, Mahomes threw four touchdown passes and used his legs to escape the pocket. The issue is that the Chiefs’ defense never sacked Prescott and couldn’t effectively cover his two best receivers, CeeDee Lamb and Pickens.
Trend to watch: Following Thursday’s game, the Chiefs get nine days to rest and recover for their final push. But one troubling trend is that Mahomes finished the game without three of his starting linemen — right guard Trey Smith (right ankle), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (elbow) and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons (left wrist). If the Chiefs want any chance to make the playoffs, Mahomes will likely need his best linemen to return sooner rather than later.
Best quote from the locker room: “You’ve got to win every game now — and hope that’s enough. We’re going to play a lot of good teams coming up. If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win them all. That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the [training facility] when we get back,” Mahomes said. — Nate Taylor
Next game: vs. Texans (Dec. 7, 8:20 p.m. ET)
Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap
Packers
Are the Packers now the favorites to win the NFC North? Green Bay’s two games against Chicago — the first one will be on Dec. 7 at Lambeau Field — will go a long way toward deciding it, but Thursday’s win put the Packers in an advantageous position. According to ESPN Analytics, the Packers had a 66% chance to win the division after beating the Lions on Thursday.
A loss would have dropped that number to 27%. Those numbers will change before the weekend is out in part based on Friday’s Bears-Eagles game. But the Packers (8-3-1) put the Lions (7-5) in their rearview mirror by sweeping the season series. After winning just one NFC North game last season, they’re 3-0 so far.
What to make of the QB performance: This was just the kind of game Jordan Love needed. After throwing just two touchdown passes in the previous four games combined, Love was dialed in against the Lions. He threw four touchdown passes, including two for 15-plus air yards. One of those was a 51-yard bomb to Christian Watson in the third quarter. It was just his third career game with multiple touchdowns on passes for 15-plus air yards. He also had two touchdowns on fourth downs, his first career game with multiple fourth-down touchdown passes. He finished 18-of-30 for 234 yards without an interception.
Best quote from the locker room: Micah Parsons, who had 2½ sacks and four quarterback hits on Jared Goff, reminded the Packers are focused on what’s ahead, saying, “This was a big win for where we want to go, win the division, playoffs. That was a playoff game. We just have to stack these up.” — Rob Demovsky
Next game: vs. Bears (Dec. 7, 4:25 p.m. ET)
Lions
Should the Lions be concerned about Dan Campbell’s playcalling? The head coach took over playcalling duties entering Week 10, at which point Detroit was averaging 29.9 points per game, but the Lions have now lost two of their past three games and have looked questionable at times with their predictability — notably on the ground. Detroit has struggled on fourth downs but continues to take risks. With two failed conversions against Green Bay, Detroit is 0-for-7 on fourth down since Week 11, which is tied for the most fourth-down attempts in the league, and by far the most attempts without a conversion, per ESPN Research.
Most surprising performance: The short-handed Lions needed a much-needed boost with injuries to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Kalif Raymond and Graham Glasgow on offense. Enter Tom Kennedy, a practice squad veteran, who stepped up to make plays on offense and special teams in their absence Thursday. Kennedy was signed to Detroit’s active roster from the practice squad Wednesday evening and finished with four catches for 36 yards.
Best quote from the locker room: After his Lions dropped to 7-5, Campbell said he told his players, “It’s frustrating, I know. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for even after a loss.” Campbell then expanded on Detroit’s standing as it looks toward Week 14: “We’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole, that’s the bottom line. We are in a little bit of a hole, but that’s just what it is. There’s nothing more than that. So, all we’ve got to do is worry about is cleaning up this and then getting to the next game and finding a way to win the next one in front of us.” — Eric Woodyard
Next game: vs. Cowboys (Thursday, Dec. 4, 8:15 p.m. ET)
