Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

NFL Sunday Games Week 13 – Key Takeaways and Results As Colts Lose Second in a Row, Rams Lose NFC 1 Seed, While Seahawks Crush Vikings and Bills Dominate Steelers

Rams loss in Week 13 hands Bears the top seed in the NFC!

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Thanksgiving Weekend came to an end, and with it, the 3-day NFL extravaganza also concluded with the Sunday Night Football (SNF) game between the Washington Commanders and the Denver Broncos.

Week 13 kicked off with a triple header on Thanksgiving Day that saw the Packers, Cowboys, and Bengals all win, while the Black Friday game saw the Bears take down the Eagles. Here is a look at the key takeaways and results from the 11 NFL Sunday Games.

Texans Hand Colts Second Loss in a Row

Up until Week 13 of the NFL season, one thing was consistent. The Indianapolis Colts remained on top of the AFC South and were in complete control of the conference. That, however, has changed instantly with back-to-back losses.

Forget the AFC, the Colts have now dropped to second in their division with Jacksonville snatching the top spot due to their win over the Titans, and the Texans are right behind Indy. As things stand, the Jaguars and Colts are 8-4, but Jacksonville holds the tiebreaker, and the Texans are just a game behind on 7-5.

C.J. Stroud was back under center after missing multiple games. He finished the game with 276 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception, but the dominant Texans defense did enough, holding the Colts to just 16 points as Houston came out 20-16 winners on the road.

The @HoustonTexans hand the Colts their first loss at home this season! pic.twitter.com/rtokFNmEnB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 30, 2025

Rams Lose the NFC One Seed

The Rams came into the game against the Panthers knowing that the Chicago Bears were knocking on the door for the number one seed in the NFC. Following 5 straight wins and the massive victory over the Eagles on Friday, the Bears intensified the pressure on the Rams.

It was a day where Bryce Young shone for the Panthers, while Matthew Stafford struggled for the Rams. Young led the Panthers with 206 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions as he marched the Panthers down for a game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, handing them a 31-28 win.

Matthew Stafford’s record of consecutive passing touchdowns before an interception came to an end at 28 after he threw 2 picks against Carolina. The Panthers also won the turnover battle 3-0, with the Rams losing a fumble as well. Crucially, this win puts the pressure back on Tampa Bay in the NFC South.

Final from Carolina. pic.twitter.com/OUp5gfo6a1
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 30, 2025

Seahawks Hold Justin Jefferson and the Vikings Offense

The Seattle Seahawks absolutely manhandled the Minnesota Vikings with a 26-0 blowout win. Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both had a quiet game, but the Seahawks’ defense did a masterful job.

Vikings rookie quarterback Max Brosmer got his welcome to the NFL moment as Seattle came up with 4 interceptions, including one that turned into a pick-six. Justin Jefferson was held to just 2 catches for 4 yards. Seattle is now tied with the Rams with a 9-3 record, but remains second in the NFC West.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED‼️ 85 yards to the house.#ProBowlVote + @ernestjones

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/AHKHvIhouE
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 30, 2025

Strong Second Half for Buffalo Pays Off

It was a quiet day for quarterback play in Pittsburgh as Aaron Rodgers finished with just 117 yards, going 10 of 21, while Josh Allen had 123 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. However, James Cook led the Bills from the backfield with 32 carries for 144 yards as the Bills overcame a slow start to win 26-7.

GO BILLS ‼️@MandT_Bank | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/sN1pzUnHhi
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 1, 2025

Broncos Edge Out Commanders in Overtime

The Washington Commanders hosted the Denver Broncos on SNF to bring an end to Week 13. The Broncos held a 13-7 lead at the half, but the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders battled back to send the game into overtime at 20-20.

Both teams scored touchdowns in overtime, but the Commanders went for a 2-point conversion to go for the win, which ended with Nik Bonitto swatting the pass attempt away. The Broncos took a 27-26 victory on the road and joined the New England Patriots at the top of the AFC with a 10-2 record.

NIK BONITTO FOR THE WIN!

📺: @SNFonNBC | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/ZdjLpM7lMq
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 1, 2025

NFL Sunday Games Week 13 Results Table

Here are all the results from Week 13 Sunday games, including the SNF clash between the Commanders and the Broncos.

Matchup	Result
Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints	21-17
Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans	16-20
New York Jets vs Atlanta Falcons	27-24
Cleveland Browns vs San Francisco 49ers	8-26
Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams	31-28
Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars	3-25
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Arizona Cardinals	20-17
Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings	26-0
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills	7-26
Los Angeles Chargers vs Las Vegas Raiders	31-14
Washington Commanders vs Denver Broncos	26-27

Week 13 saw several underdog teams win, and the postseason seedings have also shuffled around. With just 5 more weeks of football left till the end of the regular season, the fight for the playoffs heats up even more.

On the other hand, the Titans, Cardinals, Saints, and Raiders all joined the Giants in being eliminated from the postseason. With the NFL Sunday games done and dusted, next up is Monday Night Football (MNF) between the Patriots and Giants.

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!