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NFL Nation, ESPNDec 1, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
Get ready for Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season, packed with exciting matches! Our NFL Nation reporters bring you the biggest keys to every game and solid predictions for each matchup.
Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a significant stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a game forecast. Analytics writer Seth Walder selects each match’s most significant X factor, and fantasy expert Eric Moody distributes helpful fantasy football intel. Walder and Moody provide us final score predictions for every game. Everything you need to know is here in one place to help you prepare for a packed weekend of NFL football.
Let’s dive into the full Week 13 slate, including a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and Eagles and a face-off of two surprise playoff contenders in the Broncos and Texans. It all culminates with a Monday Night Football match between the Bengals and the Jaguars on ESPN. (Game times are Sunday unless otherwise noted.)
Thursday: DAL 41, SEA 35
Bye: BUF, CHI, LV, MIN, NYG, BAL
Broncos (6-5) at Texans (6-5)
1 p.m. ET|CBS|Spread: HOU -3.5 (47.5)
Story to watch: From Week 9-12, the Broncos have held opposing quarterbacks to a QBR of 31.9 (4th lowest) and are holding opposing offenses to 18.0 points per game (13th lowest). Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has a QBR of 68.3 (5th best) during that same period. This match will be the clash of one strength vs. another. — DJ Bien-Aime
Strong prediction: The Broncos will do what only 3 other teams have done this season– force Stroud into multiple turnovers. Stroud has only 3 games– wins over Arizona and Cincinnati to go with a loss to Indianapolis in his second career start– when he has turned the ball over more than once. The Broncos have 16 takeaways during their current five-game winning streak, with 15 of those occurring in the previous 4 games (their most in a four-game span since 1989). Their 22 takeaways on the season lead the league. — Jeff Legwold
Stat to know: Broncos QB Russell Wilson has 5 straight starts with a passing touchdown and no interceptions, the longest active streak in the NFL and third-longest streak of his career behind a six-game streak in 2020 and a seven-game run in 2019. Wilson has an NFL-best 20-4 touchdown-interception ratio this season.
