Saints vs. Cowboys, Rams vs. Lions, and Vikings vs. Patriots are some of the biggest NFL games of Week 13.
There are just five weeks to go in the NFL regular season and the games are starting to heat up in intensity as the playoff picture comes into focus.
Week 13 kicks off with two teams currently in first place in their respective divisions as the New Orleans Saints travel to take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Saints are eight point favorites and come into this game on a 10 game winning streak. The Cowboys are on a winning streak too, but a much smaller one having won three games in a row.
Week 13 odds
There are a few big lines in Week 13. The Chiefs are 15.5 point favorites over the Raiders, the Rams are 10 point favorites over the Lions, and the Packers are 14 point favorites over the Cardinals. Check out all the odds for this week here plus, trends and analysis for betting in Week 13 here.
Expert picks
All of our experts are picking the Saints to beat the Cowboys; it’s also a full sweep for the Broncos to beat the Bengals. Only the coin flip went for the Cardinals over the heavily-favored Packers. It’s a sweep for the Bears over the Giants, too. One person went with the Jaguars over their division rival, the Colts. Get all of our Week 13 expert picks here.
What to watch for
Quarterbacks shining
Drew Brees (127.3), Patrick Mahomes (117.9) and Philip Rivers (115.7) have a passer rating of at least 115 through Week 12. No NFL season has featured more than one quarterback with a passer rating greater than 115 through the first 12 weeks of a season.
Running backs making history
Nine players have at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns through Week 12, which is tied with the 2002 season for the most in the first 12 weeks of a season. Five of those players are currently in their first or second seasons, following a trend of young running backs finding great success. Giants’ rookie Saquon Barkley, and second year backs Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), James Conner (Steelers), Alvin Kamara (Saints), and Kareem Hunt (Saints) fit that description. Even more impressive, three players are on pace to eclipse 2,000 scrimmage yards this season. That’s Todd Gurley of the Rams (1,484 scrimmage yards), Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys(1,437) and Barkley(1,410).
The Browns actually drafted a good quarterback
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is the first rookie in league history to record a passer rating of 140 or higher (minimum 20 attempts) in consecutive games and has completed 73.9 percent of his passes (65 of 88) with nine touchdowns and one interception for a 129.5 passer rating in his past three games. This week he’ll face a tough Texans defense featuring defensive end J.J. Watt who leads the AFC with 11.5 sacks and is the only player in the NFL with at least 10 sacks and five forced fumbles (five) in 2018.
Julio Jones spotlight
Falconswide receiver Julio Jones leads the league with 1,305 receiving yards and has recorded at least 1,400 receiving yards in each of the past four seasons. With 95 receiving yards on Sunday against the Ravens, Jones can become the first player in NFL history to record at least 1,400 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons. He’s currently tied with Marvin Harrison (1999-2002) with four straight 1,400 yard seasons.
NFL Week 13 schedule
Thursday, November 29
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. ET (FOX/NFLN/Amazon)
Sunday, December 2
Chicago Bears at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m.
Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders, 4:05 p.m.
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans, 4:05 p.m.
Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 PM (NBC)
Monday, December 3
Washington at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)