Ross Williams has two selections for Sunday's teatime NFL action, with Jonathan Taylor relied upon to go big once again.
NFL betting tips: Week 13
2pts Los Angeles Rams (-10) to beat Carolina Panthers at 10/11 (General)
2pts Jonathan Taylor 100+ rushing yards at 8/5 (bet365)
Los Angeles Rams vs Carolina Panthers
- Sunday, 1800 GMT
We kick off the Sunday action with a strong favourite, looking to further cement their position among the NFL’s very best.
THE RAMS are absolutely bouncing at present. Sean McVay’s team have won six in a row and the nature of their victories this season gives us substantial evidence that the Panthers may be in for a pasting on Sunday afternoon.
LA’s 9-2 record is impressive in itself but what catches the eye even more is the margins of victory they have picked up in 2025. The Rams have beaten teams by double figures six times already and their average winning margin is 15.3 points. On the flip side, their two losses have been by a combined 10 points.
They’re a wagon, and they don’t just beat teams, they stand on their throats and keep up the pressure.
Needless to say, this is ominous for the Panthers.
Boasting a 6-6 record, Carolina have exceeded a few expectations this season and there are undoubtedly some green shoots appearing within a franchise that has struggled mightily since the heady days of Cam Newton’s elite run a decade ago.
But their inconsistency is a tell-tale sign of a team that isn’t quite ready for the step up into the upper echelon. Their form line over the last six weeks reads WLWLWL – and that says it all.
This looks like a home run for the Rams. With Matt Stafford at the helm, they’re running the most efficient passing offence in the game right now.
Los Angeles are averaging just shy of 250 passing yards per game, but that barely scratches the surface of their success. They are one of only two teams in the NFL (the other being Philadelphia) to have thrown just two interceptions this season, but they’ve thrown 11 more touchdowns than the Eagles.
The Rams are serious, serious Super Bowl contenders and it’s tough to envisage a major slip any time soon. Victory over the Panthers is an expectation and due to the punishing nature of their wins so far this season – and the fact that all but one of Carolina’s defeats have been by 10+ points – this looks like a spread we can go after with some confidence.
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
- Sunday, 1800 GMT
One of the games of the week relates to the AFC South, and what has become an interesting battle at the summit of the division. Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the Colts would run away from the pack and comfortably cement their postseason position early – potentially even while securing a bye.
However, two defeats in three match-ups (albeit to strong opposition) has left the door ajar and both the Jaguars and Texans now have aspirations of taking down Indianapolis.
Houston get first crack as they head to Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
The Texans’ form line is strong, following three straight victories despite an injury to quarterback C.J. Stroud. It’s the most momentum Houston have had all year and they may even have Stroud back for this massive divisional match-up.
However, I don’t think the collision between Houston’s offence and Indy’s defence will be the crucial element to this game. It’s all about how the Colts’ offence handles one of the best defensive units in the league.
Daniel Jones struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, in a game that Indianapolis really should have sewn up just after half-time. Up two scores, Indy decided to go for the dagger, putting the ball in Jones’ hands in scenarios that simply invited pressure. The Chiefs jumped on the opportunity and ended up picking up the come-from-behind victory. It was abject play-calling from head coach Shane Steichen, and he admitted as much post-game.
This week, against a defence that’s even stronger against the pass, I can’t fathom how the Colts can possibly make the same mistake again.
The Texans allow just over 170 passing yards per game and, through 11 games, they’ve conceded just 10 passing touchdowns. It’s a lockdown secondary unit that’s as good as any, and it requires an elite level of quarterback play to garner any kind of substantial success. With respect to Daniel Jones – who has admittedly surprised plenty this season – he’s not yet in that ‘elite’ bracket.
With that in mind, the solution seems obvious. Unleash JONATHAN TAYLOR.
Don’t get me wrong, Houston are also excellent against the run and they rank top-five in the NFL for rushing yards allowed. But there is a much greater chance of Taylor having success against that unit, than Jones having a big day through the air.
The MVP candidate – and leading rusher in the league – was used sparingly by his standards last week. He had 16 carries, with many of those coming in the first half. A fortnight prior in Berlin, Taylor carried the ball 32 times and had an absolute field day, accumulating 244 rushing yards and a hat-trick of touchdowns.
Taylor is a difference-maker and although the match-up against Houston’s sturdy defensive front is far from easy, he gives the Colts the best chance of success and Steichen would be mad to avoid feeding him the ball at least 20 times.
Due to a humble outing against the Chiefs, the bookmakers have softened on Taylor and given us an opportunity. A 100-yard game is priced at 8/5 and that represents good value with a running back averaging 5.8 yards per attempt and 18.6 carries per game.
A bang-on-average game from Taylor ought to result in 104 yards based on the underlying numbers alone, and there are few players in the league more capable of breaking off a big run at some stage during the game, which would all but land the prop in one fell swoop.
Taylor already has a career-best run of 83 yards this season, and only Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs (10) has broken off more 20+ yards runs than Taylor, who has recorded nine in 11 games.
He’s the key for the Colts, so let’s take the price while we can.
Posted at 1750 GMT on 29/11/25
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