And just like that, the second half of the 2025 NFL season is here.
To help ring in the final nine weeks of the year, five intriguing matchups will air on FOX this weekend. The five-game slate is highlighted by “America’s Game of the Week,” where the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers meet up in an NFC West clash that might go a long way in determining the winner of the division. Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be on the call for that one.
Elsewhere on the FOX slate, three of the other games feature NFC North teams that are trying to keep pace with the Green Bay Packers in one of football’s most competitive divisions.
Let’s take a closer look at the stats and storylines to watch in each of the five games on FOX this Sunday.
Chicago is 5-3, but still on the outside looking in at the NFC playoff picture. One reason? After this week, only one of its final eight opponents has a losing record right now. That means the Bears absolutely must take care of easier games like this — they just scored 47 points on the Bengals, so there’s momentum around Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams on offense.
If the Giants give up 33 points or more, it would be four straight games of that, matching the longest streak for any NFL team since 2020. Losing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo has been rough, but New York’s defense is in the bottom five in scoring, yards, and red-zone defense.
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Biggest change in Year 2 for Williams? He was sacked an NFL-high 68 times last season, but with a revamped offensive line, he’s on pace to finish with only 30 sacks this season, a huge improvement.
It’s a battle of teams that entered the year with high expectations and just got their starting quarterbacks back healthy last week.
Minnesota needs this win even more than Baltimore. At 4-4, the Vikings sit at the bottom of the NFC North standings and have a 20% chance of making the playoffs, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is 2-1 as a starter even though he’s yet to throw for even 160 yards in a game, though he threw for two touchdowns in a huge win against Detroit last week.
Lamar Jackson loves facing NFC opponents. He’s 24-5 in his career against NFC teams, with 51 touchdown passes to nine interceptions.
Why Nick believes Ravens’ ‘season if over ‘ if they lose to the Vikings, Bills STILL contenders? 🤔
Minnesota went 8-1 at home last season, but already has more losses there this season with a 1-2 mark ahead of a two-game homestand.
The Saints are 1-8 and just traded away receiver Rashid Shaheed and guard Trevor Penning from an offense averaging just 15.3 points per game, second-worst in the NFL. Out of 23 backs with 100-plus carries this season, Alvin Kamara has the second-fewest yards per carry at 3.6 and the fewest rushing touchdowns (1).
Carolina has found a spark from running back Rico Dowdle, who has rushed for 735 yards at 5.6 yards per carry, helping the Panthers have a top-five running attack. The Panthers get the Saints twice in the next five weeks, and they’re only two games back of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who they face twice in the final three weeks of the season.
Dave Canales’ first game as Carolina’s head coach was a 47-10 loss in New Orleans last year in which it trailed 30-0 in the first half, so this isn’t a game the Panthers will take lightly.
Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers (4:25 p.m. ET)
The Rams have won four of five, and the lone loss in that stretch was in overtime to the 49ers. These two and the Seahawks all have six wins, so the head-to-head divisional matchups will be hugely important in deciding who wins the NFC West.
Los Angeles’ defense has given up a total of 20 points in its last three games, all wins, and that’s the second-best three-game stretch the team has had in the last 38 years.
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San Francisco, 3-0 in division play, has a 5-2 record from backup quarterback Mac Jones, who continues to play well in Brock Purdy’s absence. The 49ers, despite a constant rash of injuries, are 6-3, and that’s despite a minus-6 turnover margin — only the Dolphins and Jets are worse. The Rams are plus-5, so turnovers could be a major advantage for Los Angeles.
This looked like a huge showdown before the season, but Washington has stumbled to a 3-6 record and Jayden Daniels is out with an elbow injury sustained last week, so it’s tough sledding for the Commanders.
Detroit is second in the NFL in scoring, and Jared Goff has 17 touchdown passes to three interceptions, putting him on course to reset the team record in passer rating he set last season.
One stat to watch in particular is fumbles. Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson has forced an NFL-high four this season, and Washington has lost six, including one by Marcus Mariota in his limited action.
Four of the Lions’ next five games are against the NFC East, including two straight on the road at the Commanders and Eagles.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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