NFL 2025 Week 13 Recap
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions was the Thanksgiving Thursday morning game. Two good football teams battled in the NFC North. The Packers got a 45 yard field goal from Brandon McManus for an early 3-0 lead. The Packers got it back and soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 31. Josh Jacobs ripped off a 29 yard run. On 3rd and 4 from the Detroit 34, the defense jumped offsides. The second quarter began with the Packers facing 4th and 3 at the Detroit 22. Matt LaFleur passed up a 40 yard field goal try and went for it. Rather than just move the chains, Jordan Love went deep to Dontavion Wicks for the touchdown. Replay showed that Wicks did not get both feet down. His second foot landed on the chalk. The officials just blew the call. Yet the touchdown stood and the Packers led 10-0.
The Lions took over at their own 35. Jared Goff went to Williams for 22. On 2nd and 15 from the Green Bay 47, Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 18. On 3rd and 13 from the Green Bay 32, Goff hit Kennedy for 23. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Montgomery took the direct snap and got in to have the Lions within 10-7. The Packers soon faced 3rd and 3 at their own 37. Love went to Watson for 4. On 3rd and 5 from their own 46, Love went to Wicks for 18. Love then went to Musgrave for 23. On 4th and 1 from the Detroit 2, Matt LaFleur gambled again. Love found Romeo Doubs for the touchdown to cap the 12 play, 70 yard, 6 minute drive to have the Packers up 17-7 with 2:12 left in the half.
The Lions faced 3rd and 1 at their own 44 with 1:19 left. Montgomery gained 2. Goff then went to Williams for 25. On 3rd and 3 from the Green Bay 22, Goff with all the time in the world found Williams for the touchdown. The Lions were back within 17-14 as each team scored touchdowns on their last two drives. In the third quarter the Lions faced 4th and 3 at the Green Bay 47. Looking for the lead, Dan Campbell went for it. After losing a yard on 3rd and 2, Gibbs carried again and this time lost 2 yards. Two plays later Love went bombs away to Watson for a 51 yard touchdown and a 24-14 Packers lead.
The Lions took over at their own 29. Goff ran for 24 yards. Goff went to Montgomery for 13. Montgomery then ran for 14. Goff went to TeSlaa for a 17 yard touchdown to have the Lions back within 24-21 midway through the third quarter. The Packers took over at their own 28. Melton got around the end for 14. Love went deep to Wicks for 30. The Packers avoided disaster when they fumbled but the ball bounced straight to a big offensive lineman with rare good hands. On 3rd and 1 from the Detroit 6, Love threw incomplete but a defensive facemask penalty meant 1st and goal at the 3. Love found Wicks in the corner and Wicks barely got the ball over the plane of the goal for a one yard touchdown. For the fourth time on the day, the Lions were within 3 points only to see the Packers go up by 10 points. The Packers led 31-21 after three quarters.
The Lions moved from their own 26 and moved to a 4th and 3 at the Green Bay 21 with 11 minutes left in regulation. Rather than kick a 39 yard field goal, Dan Campbell went for it again. Got had a wife open Williams in the flat. Williams just dropped it. It was right in his chest, and he blew it. Campbell became a hero for constantly going for it, but his team has gone 0 for 7 on 4th down conversions the last 2 weeks. The Lions got a rare defensive stop when the officials missed a clear defensive pass interference penalty on the 3rd down incompletion. The Lions got the ball back at their own 20. and moved to a 1st and goal at the 4. After a pair of incompletions, Goff was drilled on 3rd down for a sack. Jake Bates hit the 31 yard field goal to get the Lions within 7 points. Yet only 3 minutes remained. The Detroit defense needed another stop.
The Packers took over and soon faced 3rd and 5 at their own 40. Love went to Watson for 8. The Lions took their final timeout with 2:38 left and the Packers facing 2nd and 7 just past midfield. Everything came down to the Packers facing 3rd and 3 from the Detroit 45 at the 2 minute warning. One first down would end the game. In this situation, the entire football world knows that you run the ball every single time. Every. Single. Time. Instead, Matt LaFleur gambled on a pass play. Love’s pass was well defended and fell incomplete to stop the clock. LaFleur then went even crazier and decided to go for it on 4th and 3 instead of punt the ball. After taking a timeout, LaFleur was not bluffing. Love snapped the ball out of the shotgun and went deep to Wicks over the middle. Wicks lost his sneaker but hung on to the ball for a 16 yard gain. Love took a couple knees to seal the win. Love had 4 touchdown passes with 0 interceptions. The Packers got to 8-3-1 while the Lions fell to 7-5. More importantly, the Packers swept the season series. 31-24 Packers
Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys was the Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon game. Both the three time defending AFC Champion Chiefs and the Cowboys were in desperate shape regarding the playoffs. The Chiefs were only 6-5 while the Cowboys were 5-5-1. On the third play from scrimmage Dak Prescott was intercepted. The Chiefs took over at the Dallas 37. Patrick Mahomes quickly went to Malcolm Hollywood Brown for 10 and to Rasheed Rice for a 27 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Chiefs. The Cowboys took over at their own 25. On 3rd and 7 from their own 43 Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for 10. On 3rd and 9 from the Kansas City 46, Prescott hit Lamb for 17. Prescott then found Williams for 14. On 3rd and 10 from the Kansas City 35, Prescott connected with Lamb to cap the 12 play, 75 yard, 6 minute drive for the touchdown and a 7-7 game. The Chiefs took over at their own 28. Karim Hunt ran for 14 and 7 and Xavier Worthy added 17. Isaiah Pacheco added 9. On 3rd and 14 from the Dallas 25, Mahomes ran for 16. On 4th and goal at the 2, Walrus Andy Reid went for it. Mahomes fired over the middle to Travis Kelce for the touchdown to culminate the 12 play, 72 yard, 6 minutes drive and make it a 14-7 Chiefs lead after the first quarter.
The Cowboys began the second quarter and moved to a 4th and 3 at the Kansas City 31. Brian Schottenheimer decided not to gamble. Brandon Aubrey hit the 49 yard field goal to get the Cowboys within 14-10. The Cowboys got it back and soon faced 3rd and 7 at their own 18. Prescott found Ferguson for 11. On 3rd and 3 from their own 36, Prescott found George Pickens for 12. Davis then ripped off a 43 yard touchdown run as the Cowboys took the 17-14 lead to the locker rooms. A third quarter punt had the Cowboys pinned at their own 4 yard line. They moved all the way to a 4th and 3 at the Kansas City 13. Brian Schottenheimer lined up to go for it but it was just gamesmanship. The Chiefs defense didn’t bite as the Cowboys took the delay of game. Aubrey hit the 36 yard field goal to have the Cowboys up 20-14.
The Chiefs took over at their own 20. Mahomes went deep to Rice for 28. On 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 44, Mahomes hit Hunt for 22. Mahomes went to Rice for 13. On 4th and goal at the 3 to start the fourth quarter, Walrus Andy Reid gambled. Mahomes found Rice for the touchdown to have the Chiefs up 21-20. The Cowboys took over at their own 32. Defensive pas interference added 10. Williams ran for 11. On 3rd and 8 from the Kansas City 45, Prescott went to Pickens for 39. On 3rd and goal at the 3, Prescott scrambled for his life and at the very last moment flipped it to Williams for the touchdown. Schottenheimer then went for 2. Prescott again waited until the last moment and fired to Pickens in the front corner. With no room to spare, Pickens came down with it. The Cowboys retook the lead 28-21 with 11 minutes left in regulation.
The Cowboys got it back at their own 10. Prescott immediately went bombs away to Lamb for 51. Needing only a field goal to tighten the screws, the Cowboys did everything possible to screw themselves. Prescott threw a pass into traffic that somehow fell incomplete. On the next play the Cowboys fumbled but were able to retain possession. Aubrey hit the 26 yard field goal to give the Cowboys breathing room up 31-21 with 5:16 to play.
The Chiefs took over needing 2 scores and Mahomes was immediately sacked. On 3rd and 5 form his own 38, Mahomes was all but sacked on the next play. Somehow the magician did it again, escaping, rolling out, and finding Worthy deep for a 42 yard gain. Mahomes then ran for 10. Mahomes fired high and over the middle to Hollywood Brown, who made a leaping grab and got both feet down in the back of the end zone inbounds for the touchdown. With 3 1/2 minutes left the Chiefs were right back in it down by 3 points.
The only way to beat Mahomes is to keep him off the field. The Cowboys took over at their own 32. A pair of defensive pass interference calls kept the drive alive. Everything came down to the Cowboys facing 3rd and 2 at the Kansas City 40 just before the 2 minute warning. The Chiefs were out of timeouts. A run made sense, but Schottenheimer went big. An incompletion would even give the Chiefs an extra timeout. Yet Prescott fired over the middle to Pickens for a 13 yard gain. Prescott then took 3 knees for he upset. The Cowboys somehow got to 6-5-1. The Chiefs are now an even more desperate 6-6, making Andy Reid a most concerned Walrus indeed. 31-28 Cowboys
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens was the Thanksgiving Thursday night game. Both teams have suffered key injuries this year. The Ravens started 1-5 but when Lamar Jackson returned from injury the Ravens ripped off 5 straight wins. The Bengals have been a disaster with Joe Burrow out most of the season. Yet Burrow was back, so we would see if he would provide the lift that Jackson did on the other side. The Bengals began with a 31 yard Evan McPherson field goal for a 3-0 Bengals lead. The Ravens took over at their own 31. Jackson went to Kolar for 17. On 3rd and 1 from the Cincinnati 43, Derrick Henry gained 4. Jackson ran for 11. Henry ripped off a 28 yard touchdown run for a 7-3 Ravens lead. The Ravens fumbled deep in their own territory and the Bengals were gifted 1st and goal at the 2. Burrow threw incomplete twice sandwiched around a run that went nowhere. Zac Taylor gambled. On 4th and goal at the 2, Burrow threw incomplete again as the Bengals wasted the opportunity.
McPherson hit a 42 yard field goal in the second quarter to get the Bengals within 7-6.
The Ravens moved easily from their own 31 to the Cincinnati 44. Then came the key play in the game. Jackson hooked up with Isaiah Likely, who weaved through traffic and made it all the way to the end zone. The Ravens were on their way to a 14-6 lead and an easy win. Then came the review. Likely had the ball knocked out of his hands inches before he broke the plane of the goal. While the Ravens were celebrating a touchdown, the officials reversed it and properly called it a touchback. Replay clearly showed Likely lost the ball before breaking the plane, and then the ball rolled out of the end zone. The Ravens moved all the way to a 3rd and goal at the 6. Burrow threw incomplete. McPherson hit from 24. Despite not reaching the end zone, the Bengals led 9-7 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Ravens again fumbled deep in their own territory as Jackson was strip sacked. The Bengals took over at the Baltimore 19 with 28 seconds left. On 2nd and 6, Burrow threw incomplete twice. McPherson hit his 4th field goal from 33 to have the Bengals up 12-7 at the break.
The Bengals took over in the third quarter at their own 39. On 3rd and 4 Burrow hit Chase for 6. On 3rd and 4 from the Baltimore 43, defensive pass interference added 17 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Baltimore 14, Burrow went to Hudson for the touchdown to make it 19-7 Bengals. The Ravens took over at there own 32. Jackson went to Mark Andrews for 19. Henry ran for 8, 7 and 7. Jackson ran for 9. Mitchell got around the end for an 18 yard touchdown to get the Ravens within 19-14. The Bengals took over at their own 32. Burrow went to Brown for 9. Samaji Perine gained 12. On 3rd and 7 from the Baltimore 44, Burrow went to Chase for 14. On 3rd and 9 from the Baltimore 29, Burrow went deep to Iosivas for the touchdown to make it 26-14 Bengals. Trying to make a comeback, the Ravens moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Cincinnati 15. Jackson was intercepted and Knight returned it 39 yards to his own 47. McPherson’s 5th field goal from 52 made it 29-14 Bengals. The Ravens 4th fumble and 5th overall turnover led to McPherson’s 6th field goal from 41 to complete the scoring. The Ravens dropped to 6-6 on the year. 32-14 Bengals
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles was the Black Friday game. Both teams came in 8-3, but the eagles were expected to easily win tis game. They were angry at home after blowing a 21-0 lead last week. The Bears finally last week at home beat a team with a winning record. The Bears were frauds and everyone knew it. The critics would not be silenced until they won a big game. Early in the game Ben Johnson gambled on 4th and 1 from the Philadelphia 25. Monangai got stopped cold. The Bears got the ball back at their own 22. Monangai gained 17, 5 and 5. Swift gained 23. On 3rd and 2 from the Philadelphia 14, Monangai gained 3. On 3rd and 2 from the Philadelphia 3. Swift ran for the touchdown to make it 7-0 Bears. In the second quarter Jake Elliott hit a 44 yard field goal for the Eagles while Cairo Santos answered from 30 to have the Bears up 10-3 at the half.
The Eagles offense misfired most of the day but in the third quarter they got the ball back at their own 8. Jalen Hurts went to AJ Brown for 16. Roughing the passer added 15. Hurts ran for 23. Hurts went deep to Brown for a 33 yard touchdown. Yet elation turned to deflation when Elliott missed the extra point wide left. It was a heavily windy day, as the Eagles trailed 10-9. Caleb Williams was then intercepted to give the Eagles a golden chance to take the lead at the Chicago 36. On 3rd and 1 from the Chicago 12, it was tush push time. Yet this time Hurt had the ball chopped out of hi hands. The Bears recovered the fumble at their own 13.
From that spot, Monangai immediately ripped off a 31 yard run. followed by runs of 5 and 9. On 4th and 5 from the Philadelphia 37, it was too windy for a 55 yard field goal try. Ben Johnson went for it. Williams went to Loveland for 7. Monangai ran for 9 and 5 to start the fourth quarter. Monangair ran for the 4 yard touchdown to have the Bears up 17-9 with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Bears got it back and faced 3rd and 4 at their own 43. Williams went to Moore for 11. On 3rd and 4 from th Philadelphia 40, Williams went to Zaccheaus for 10. Williams went deep to Cole Kmet for a 28 yard touchdown to have the Bears up 24-9 with 6 1/2 minutes left.
The Eagles took over at their own 20 in desperation mode. Hurts went to Brown for 13. On 3rd and 9 from their own 34, Hurts found Devonta Smith for 12 and to Dotson for 12 more. On 3rd and 10 from the Chicago 42, Hurts found Brown for 17. On 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 21, Hurts again went to Brown for 17. Hurts went to Brown one more time for a 4 yard touchdown. With 3:10 to play, an extra point would have the Eagles within one score. Yet Nick Sirianni made the horrendous decision to go for 2. In this situation, you kick the extra point…every…single..time. Give your team a ray of hope. Instead Hurts threw incomplete and the Eagles were still down 9.
This meant the Eagles had to go onside kick rather than kick it deep. The onside kick failed. With 1:15 left on 4th and 4 from the Philly 30, Johnson opted against a 48 yard field goal try. Williams threw incomplete. Because of the missed extra point and the failed attempt at chasing points, the Eagles needed 2 scores. With 13 seconds left, Elliott came in for a 52 yard field goal try. The Eagles needed a field goal, an onside kick recovery, and a Hail Mary. The other two never happened as Elliott’s field goal was no good. It looked dead center but a gust of wind at the last moment sent it wide left. The Eagles have lost 2 straight but are still 8-4. The 9-3 Bears finally silenced the critics. This was not finesse. They just hit the Eagles in the mouth. Ben Johnson played smash mouth, running the ball a whopping 47 times for an insane 281 yards, 6 yards per carry. 24-15 Bears
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
Denver Broncos at Washington Commanders is the Sunday night game.
New York Giants at New England Patriots is the Monday night game.