Philadelphia Falter in Dallas & Patrick Saves Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL Week 12

The twelfth week delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys rally, or perhaps an epic Eagles implosion?

Playoff Patrick Mahomes showed up to salvage the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears keep to impress while they extend their winning run.

Did Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to earn the starting role in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the best of the week in the league.

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys were trailing badly at 21-0 down versus the reigning championship winners, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest comeback in history?

The emotions of a initial home game since a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defence that cashed in on rare errors by the Philadelphia.

Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action performance – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.

Philadelphia squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time after 1999, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being another disappointing division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He had only thrown for 200-plus yards in four games before Sunday, he had over one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence derailed dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge concern, because the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the key moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there may be trouble in the future.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a strong Colts squad was hugely notable – and could have only rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s Next Gen Stats now assign the Chiefs a 58% chance of reaching the postseason, when a loss on Sunday would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the playoff form of Mahomes turned up, passing for 235 yards in the second half by itself and leading 3 scoring possessions in their last four series to win it in overtime.

Some huge passes and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and just 10th in the AFC rankings.

This was closer to the old Kansas City though, with a first one-score victory of the year after losing 5 already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be done so soon.

Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the North?

You just can't ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the division and at 8-3 – holding the same record as the Eagles.

They appear threatening on each side of the ball, with a defense that tops the league in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now accustomed to securing close games.

He may at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he additionally passed for three touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this year, he understands how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in close chase in the division after overpowering the Minnesota and the Lions are right there after overcoming the Giants in overtime with a monster game from Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with eight victories in nine, but as they visit the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll discover just how strong they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Holiday in Store

This looks one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with every game loaded with postseason consequences.

The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the classic opener in Michigan, prior to a rare trip back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.

Sunday's comeback kings are both holding on to postseason hopes but have very little margin for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York in fact has them leading of the AFC North after starting one and five and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Browns head coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed enough in his debut professional outing to keep the first-team position when Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to win his first league game since Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.

It came only the Raiders, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defense getting 10 sacks, but Cleveland's offence needs a leader, a presence to build belief.

And self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who told a CBS {

Walter George
Walter George

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