The 6-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers return home in Week 13 to take on another team from the NFC West, as the 3-8 Arizona Cardinals visit Raymond James Stadium. Both teams have lost three games in a row and both could be without their usual starting quarterback if Baker Mayfield's left shoulder injury keeps him out. With their all-time head-to-head series tied at 11-11, the Buccaneers and Cardinals will duke it out for the go-ahead win on Sunday, November 30, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
The Buccaneers are coming off a disappointing prime-time performance in a 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood. Mayfield was knocked out for the second half and the Bucs' offense struggled to sustain drives, finishing with a season-low 193 yards of offense. The rushing attack had a third straight productive outing with Sean Tucker and Rachaad White splitting the production down the middle, but Mayfield and his replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, took four sacks and were under frequent pressure. Tampa Bay's secondary surrendered three touchdown passes to MVP candidate Matthew Stafford and the Bucs did not create a turnover on defense for just the second time in the last nine games.
The Cardinals were involved in a much more competitive outing last Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars visited Glendale, as it took a Cam Little field goal with four minutes left in overtime to send the Jags home with a 27-24 win. The lead changed hands four times from the second quarter on, and Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for 317 yards and a touchdown without getting intercepted, though he was sacked six times. Brissett has started the Cardinals' last six games while Kyler Murray has been sidelined with a foot injury and he will get his seventh straight start on Sunday in Tampa. The Cardinals have incurred a string of injuries to their running back stable in 2025, and Michael Carter, who was on the practice squad until two weeks ago, led the team against Jacksonville with 28 yards on 10 carries. The Arizona defense picked off Trevor Lawrence three times but allowed 134 rushing yards and 4.8 yards per carry.
Which of those two teams will iron out its recent issues and break its losing streak? Here are four major storylines and four head-to-head player battles to keep an eye on in Week 13 as the Bucs try to get another late-season surge started.
TOP STORYLINES
Baker or Teddy? – Baker Mayfield, who started his collegiate career at a Texas school before transferring to Oklahoma and winning a Heisman Trophy, was the first-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Kyler Murray, who started his collegiate career at a Texas school before transferring to Oklahoma and winning a Heisman Trophy, was the first-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. When the 2025 season began, it looked like Week 13 might bring a reunion of those two former Sooners at Raymond James Stadium. (For the record, they have squared off three previous times, with Murray's Cardinals going 3-0.) We already know we won't be getting that matchup on Sunday was Murray is on injured reserve and is not eligible to return until Week 14. Now Mayfield's participation in the game is in doubt due to a left shoulder injury, which means the actual Week 13 QB matchup in Tampa could be Teddy Bridgewater vs. Jacoby Brissett. If Mayfield can't play, it would mark the first start he has missed since joining the Buccaneers; to this point, among quarterbacks, only Mayfield, Buffalo's Josh Allen and Detroit's Jared Goff has started all 45 games since the start of 2023. Given that they will be conducting a walk-through on Wednesday, the Buccaneers may not know for certain if their emotional leader can take the field against the Cardinals until Thursday or Friday, or perhaps even the morning of the game. Whether it's Mayfield or Bridgewater under center, the Buccaneers are likely to lean on a run game that has been strong of late, especially with the anticipated return of Bucky Irving.
Late-Season Pivot? – Week 13 has arrived, and if recent history holds, that's a good thing for the Buccaneers. Since the 2020 season, the Bucs have gone 22-6 from Week 13 on, and their late-season surges in 2023 and 2024 turned dire playoff situations into their third and fourth consecutive division titles. The situation isn't quite as dire heading into Week 13 this season because the Bucs do have a half-game lead in their division and will play four of their final six games at home. However, two of those six games are against the second-place Panthers, so the Bucs can't afford to stumble in December. Past results don't guarantee any wins in 2025, of course, but those annual surges do suggest that Bowles' teams know how to dial up the intensity when the season is on the line. The Bucs come into this Week 13 contest with the Cardinals having lost three in a row and four of their last five, so an immediate pivot is needed to preserve their shot at a record fifth straight NFC South championship.
Ready for An Aerial Onslaught – The Buccaneers' run defense ranks eighth in the NFL and seems to be getting stronger as the season progresses, but that didn't make much of a difference against the Rams and it probably won't be the primary focus in Week 13 either. That's because the Cardinals are almost certain to air it out, as they have been ever since Brissett took over. Since Brissett was inserted into the starting lineup in Week Six, he has led the NFL with 43.5 pass attempts per game, and he has tossed it up 150 times in just the last three games combined. Brissett doesn't have the same MVP buzz as the last three quarterbacks the Bucs – Drake Maye, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford – but he has a wealth of experience and a play-caller who is putting the game in his hands. Tampa Bay's pass defense has been stung by a string of big plays in the past three weeks, an issue the team must resolve down the home stretch, and Brissett and Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing are sure to test it repeatedly on Sunday. A little more pressure up front would help the secondary in that task; the Bucs have recorded just two sacks in the past three games combined, but Arizona has allowed 40 sacks this season and is 27th in the NFL in sacks allowed per pass play.
Home is Where the Ws Are (Hopefully) – The Buccaneers have been fondly looking forward to some home cooking, and we're not talking about Thanksgiving. While players and coaches will surely enjoy a big meal and time with their families on Thursday, they are just as eager to put on a show for the home faithful on Sunday. The Bucs have only played four home games to this point and have been in front of the Raymond James Stadium just once since Week Six. Sunday's game is the beginning of a three-game homestand, with the division-rival Saints and Falcons coming in next, and the opportunity to stack some wins before their two games against Carolina in Weeks 16 and 18 will be pivotal. The Bucs are only 2-2 at home so far this season but their two losses have come against the teams currently holding the #1 seed in the AFC playoff field and the #2 seed in the NFC field.
KEY MATCHUPS
- Cardinals T Paris Johnson vs. Buccaneers OLB Yaya Diaby
Paris Johnson has been entrenched as the Cardinals' starter at left tackle since he was drafted sixth overall in 2023. Though he missed three games last year and one this year, he has started all 41 contests in which he has played and established himself as one of the NFL's top young offensive tackles. Johnson has an 85-inch wingspan; that and an ability to get off quickly at the snap and into blocking position allows him to keep opposing pass-rushers at a distance. He is a fluid mover for a 6-6, 325-pound man and is a good blocker on the move to make pulling plays work in the run game and mirror edge rushers in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson has allowed five sacks this season and drawn six penalties in 711 offensive snaps. As noted above, the Buccaneers' pass rush has grown quiet in recent weeks, particularly in terms of edge pressure, but the one sack the defense got in those games was provided by Yaya Diaby, who leads the team with 5.0 sacks overall. Diaby has actually produced more consistent pressure than that sack total indicates, as he also leads the team and ranks 12th in the NFL with 43 QB pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. His 15.1% pressure rate and average get-off of 0.80 seconds are also both well above average. Diaby has been good against the run, as well, with seven run stuffs and an overall run-stop EPA of -12.3, which is an excellent figure for an edge rusher.
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin vs. Cardinals CB Garrett Williams
The Buccaneers got Chris Godwin back last week after a five-game absence due to a fibula injury but, as planned, kept him on a limited pitch count, especially in the second half after the Rams pulled out to a big lead. However, Head Coach Todd Bowles said Godwin would play a larger role in the offense this week and going forward, and given the Bucs' recent difficulty to find answers in the passing attack he could quickly return to a major role. Because of his very limited playing time – he also missed the first three games of the season while returning from a severe ankle injury suffered last November – Godwin only has eight catches for 61 yards, but he has a history of big-time contribution, especially when he is working out of the slot. That was the role he was playing before his injury in 2024, and before he was hurt he was leading the NFL in receptions and receiving first downs. If Godwin gets a good number of snaps in the slot on Sunday, he will encounter third-year nickel Garrett Williams, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. In his second season, Williams was one of the league's best slot corners, recording two interceptions and nine passes defensed and allowing a 75.2 passer rating when targeted. While those numbers haven't been quite as strong in 2025 so far, Williams does have another pick and five more passes defensed and should give Godwin and the Bucs' other slot receivers a serious test.
- Cardinals TE Trey McBride vs. Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
Trey McBride, the Cardinals' very athletic fourth-year tight end is having another ultra-productive season, as he is tied for second in the NFL with 80 receptions, just one behind league-leader Christian McCaffrey. And unlike last season, when he weirdly only scored two touchdowns on 111 catches, he has already found the end zone seven times this season. The Cardinals frequently untie him from the line and put him in the slot, from where he has recorded 34 receptions for 385 yards, both the most among NFL tight ends, and has scored four times. The 6-4, 246-pound McBride has racked up 345 yards after the catch and his quarterbacks have a passer rating of 115.1 when they throw the ball away. In addition, his receiving EPA (expected points added) total of 52.3 this season is far and away the best mark by a tight end this year; Tucker Kraft is second at 36.0. The Buccaneers have had some trouble stopping opposing tight ends this season but will lean on veteran linebacker Lavonte David to stop that trend and at least limit the damage that McBride causes on Sunday. David, who recorded his 176th career tackle for loss last Sunday against the Rams, remains the leader of the Buccaneers' defense and he plays with the veteran savvy and know-how of 14 seasons in the NFL. In 2025, he has once again filled out his stat line combining 78 tackles (second on the team) with seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five QB hits, one interception, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
- Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving vs. Cardinals S Budda Baker
Bucky Irving, the Bucs' second-year running back, is returning to action in Week 13 after missing seven games due to foot and shoulder injuries, and he should provide an immediate boost to an offense that has sputtered a bit of late. Irving hasn't seen much action yet this season, but he was a revelation in his debut season, as the fourth-round pick led all NFL rookies with 1,122 rushing yards, 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight rushing touchdowns. He was a make-you-miss machine, as he forced a missed tackle on 38.5% of his touches in 2024, the top mark in the entire NFL. Overall, he gained 609 yards after forcing a missed tackle, a total topped only by Baltimore's Derrick Henry. That sort of output would be a huge boon to the Bucs' offense down the stretch. Budda Baker, the Cardinals' seven-time Pro Bowl safety, is a huge part of Arizona's run defense, and 36 of his team-leading 78 tackles have been on run plays this season. Through the Cardinals' first 10 games, Baker had recorded five run stuffs (tackles for a loss or no gain), which was tied for fourth among all NFL safeties, and he had dramatically reduced his missed tackle rate from last year, getting it down to 11.4%. Baker is a rugged tackler who is very comfortable near the line of scrimmage, though Arizona coaches have traditionally moved him all around the defensive formation.
